Web Design

[Gonzo]

Anyone on NSC got any experience in this field? Currently have a very limited knowledge on it but I've been doing a bit of research and am seriously thinking about going down this route.

What are the pros and cons? Is freelancing the way to go? What's the best route to take - taking a college course or diving straight in and learning from online guides? Also, once you learn to use a certain program (eg. Dreamweaver) is it easy to pick up another one?

Thanks in advance.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

What do you mean by 'going down this route'? Do you want to create you own website or learn all the ins-and-outs and actually make a professional go at it?

I used to do a lot of web design and selling of sites and stuff, it's so interesting and very addictive. Nothing beats the feeling of having a problem and eventually figuring it out.
There are so many resources online it's unreal, however you could probably buy a book to make the learning process a little quicker.

Maybe give a bit more of a specific question, are you prepared to learn how to code, put the effort it to learn HTML/CSS/PHP/MySQL etc or do you just want to use a WYSIWYG editor and get a basic hosting package for a bit of fun?

 

[Gonzo]

What do you mean by 'going down this route'? Do you want to create you own website or learn all the ins-and-outs and actually make a professional go at it?

I used to do a lot of web design and selling of sites and stuff, it's so interesting and very addictive. Nothing beats the feeling of having a problem and eventually figuring it out.
There are so many resources online it's unreal, however you could probably buy a book to make the learning process a little quicker.

Maybe give a bit more of a specific question, are you prepared to learn how to code, put the effort it to learn HTML/CSS/PHP/MySQL etc or do you just want to use a WYSIWYG editor and get a basic hosting package for a bit of fun?

Sorry if I was a bit too vague, I meant that I was interested in pursuing it as a career and yes I am prepared to learn code although to be honest, it scares the shit out of me.

 

[Grombleton]

I'm a web designer myself. hello!

Agree with GBM that you'll need to give a bit more clarification - web design is quite a broad term and it can include design and development (some do both, some do one or the other).

I would first do some research into what you want to achieve...learn from online resources and if it peaks your interest enough then perhaps take some courses around learning principles of design and website creation (languages like HTML, CSS and then PHP - having those should set you up ok).

As for Freelancing etc - i would recommend getting some industry experience in an agency if possible - i started off freelancing but lacked the commercial astuteness that was required. I've been working for an agency for 3 years but i'm now going to be splitting my time between an agency and freelancing.

Just be prepared to live and breath the web world - as time goes on you'll find yourself becoming immersed in the industry and all it's riches...and despairing at others as you become a pretentious arsehole...there's a lot of them around

Feel free to ask though, always happy to help people out if they're willing!

 

[clippedgull]

Tons of tutorials out on the Web, not sure how much you already know but this site is quite comprehensive!

http://www.webmonkey.com/tutorials/

 

[Gonzo]

I'm a web designer myself. hello!

Agree with GBM that you'll need to give a bit more clarification - web design is quite a broad term and it can include design and development (some do both, some do one or the other).

I would first do some research into what you want to achieve...learn from online resources and if it peaks your interest enough then perhaps take some courses around learning principles of design and website creation (languages like HTML, CSS and then PHP - having those should set you up ok).

As for Freelancing etc - i would recommend getting some industry experience in an agency if possible - i started off freelancing but lacked the commercial astuteness that was required. I've been working for an agency for 3 years but i'm now going to be splitting my time between an agency and freelancing.

Just be prepared to live and breath the web world - as time goes on you'll find yourself becoming immersed in the industry and all it's riches...and despairing at others as you become a pretentious arsehole...there's a lot of them around

Feel free to ask though, always happy to help people out if they're willing!

Thanks for the reply. I'm very much a novice at the moment and have only just started reading up on it. I'm quite creative and pick things up on the computer pretty quickly so thought designing websites would be something I could do. I know that there's a lot to more to it than that but I would be willing to put the time and effort in and learn the code etc.

 

[Gonzo]

Tons of tutorials out on the Web, not sure how much you already know but this site is quite comprehensive!

http://www.webmonkey.com/tutorials/

Thanks for that - really useful looking site.

 

[sebtucknott]

Hi twisted

I run a web agency, I agree with grombleton. Go and get some experience with agency, it's invaluable.

If you are looking to get into this field there are so many aspects to choose from which utilise many different skills.

Backend
Fronted end
Php
MySQL
Sysadmin
Asp
.net
Html5
Css3
Responsive web design
Web design
Ui design
Ux design
JavaScript
Jquery
Seo
Ppc
Email marketing
Social media
Project management

The list goes on...!

By working in a company you get a feel for what you enjoy.

What are you currently doing?

 

[GingerBeerMan]

Also make a website of two of your own. It is a great way to test out new skills you have recently learnt and can help you see how far you've come from when you first started. It could also earn a few bob if you make it good enough. Just pick a subject you enjoy, grab a pencil and paper and write down a few ideas of what the site would ideally contain, who would visit it and then sketch out a quick layout.
Once you've done this you can learn different skills to make your 'perfect site' achievable by starting with the domain name and hosting purchase, through to design, content management, SEO and maybe some sort of back end in the far future.
ohhhh how I miss all this stuff

 

[Gonzo]

Hi twisted

I run a web agency, I agree with grombleton. Go and get some experience with agency, it's invaluable.

If you are looking to get into this field there are so many aspects to choose from which utilise many different skills.

Backend
Fronted end
Php
MySQL
Sysadmin
Asp
.net
Html5
Css3
Responsive web design
Web design
Ui design
Ux design
JavaScript
Jquery
Seo
Ppc
Email marketing
Social media
Project management

The list goes on...!

By working in a company you get a feel for what you enjoy.

What are you currently doing?

I'm currently working in a primary school and was up until very recently training to be a teacher. Realised that wasn't right for me and have been looking for a new career path since.

Thanks for the list btw - I'll waste plenty of time googling all of that later!

 

[Gonzo]

Also make a website of two of your own. It is a great way to test out new skills you have recently learnt and can help you see how far you've come from when you first started. It could also earn a few bob if you make it good enough. Just pick a subject you enjoy, grab a pencil and paper and write down a few ideas of what the site would ideally contain, who would visit it and then sketch out a quick layout.
Once you've done this you can learn different skills to make your 'perfect site' achievable by starting with the domain name and hosting purchase, through to design, content management, SEO and maybe some sort of back end in the far future.
ohhhh how I miss all this stuff

I'd love to be able to sit down and do that, think I might be a way off but I've got to start somewhere.

I've had a look on the City College website and they run a few courses - http://www.ccb.ac.uk/public/courses/course-search.php?dosearch=yes&keywords=web%20design - not sure which one is best suited to me as a complete novice or are they just a waste of money/time?

 

[Bozza]

Hi twisted

I run a web agency, I agree with grombleton. Go and get some experience with agency, it's invaluable.

If you are looking to get into this field there are so many aspects to choose from which utilise many different skills.

Backend
Fronted end
Php
MySQL
Sysadmin
Asp
.net
Html5
Css3
Responsive web design
Web design
Ui design
Ux design
JavaScript
Jquery
Seo
Ppc
Email marketing
Social media
Project management

The list goes on...!

By working in a company you get a feel for what you enjoy.

What are you currently doing?

Interesting, but most of that is not 'web design'...

 

[Grombleton]

Interesting, but most of that is not 'web design'...

The ones near the end aren't, as they branch out into digitial marketing - but everything listed has some relevence to Web Design, even if it isn't in its purest form. I know what he means though - i started out as a designer and loved it (still try to when possible) but i moved through to project management and i'm now more of a strategist - looking at the entire picture for a company including SEO, Social Media etc.

 

[Bozza]

The ones near the end aren't, as they branch out into digitial marketing - but everything listed has some relevence to Web Design, even if it isn't in its purest form. I know what he means though - i started out as a designer and loved it (still try to when possible) but i moved through to project management and i'm now more of a strategist - looking at the entire picture for a company including SEO, Social Media etc.

No. Most of them have absolutely nothing to do with web design.

'backend' was a massively wide brush as an opening gambit and it got no better.

 

[TotallyFreaked]

Hi Twisted

Web design is an incredibly competitive business and a lot of web designers come from an art & design background so unless you have very strong design skills in this area it may be better to consider looking at web development where you need web programming skills either from a microsoft .net and MS sql perspective or an open sources php and mysql as well as web design skills such as Html and CSS and javascript, You can also look at flash programming although this seems likely to disappear over the next five years.

I agree with the advice to start designing some websites either for yourself, friends or small business and then look at gaining some experience in a web company (look at jobs in wired Sussex) Interestingly a lot of schools are always looking for free or cheap websites although many as you know are using VLE. Good luck and pm me if you need any more advice.

 

[Fungus]

Also make a website of two of your own. It is a great way to test out new skills you have recently learnt and can help you see how far you've come from when you first started. It could also earn a few bob if you make it good enough. Just pick a subject you enjoy, grab a pencil and paper and write down a few ideas of what the site would ideally contain, who would visit it and then sketch out a quick layout.
Once you've done this you can learn different skills to make your 'perfect site' achievable by starting with the domain name and hosting purchase, through to design, content management, SEO and maybe some sort of back end in the far future.
ohhhh how I miss all this stuff

GBM - what happened, that you're not still doing it?

I taught myself web dev skills, and found it fascinating. A few years ago, I was hoping for redundancy, and the plan was to join an ex-colleague who'd already left and started his own web agency. Company wouldn't let me go, I did the web dev in my spare time for a bit, but the whole scene moved on too quickly in the last few years - more professional, and especially the new mobile platforms. So it never happened, I'm bored at work, and the next step is retirement - I wish I was just starting out in web design and development. Brilliant career.

 

[Grombleton]

No. Most of them have absolutely nothing to do with web design.

'backend' was a massively wide brush as an opening gambit and it got no better.

Care to elaborate how they don't? Even in some way i can relate them back to website design in one way or another.

 

[sebtucknott]

I'm currently working in a primary school and was up until very recently training to be a teacher. Realised that wasn't right for me and have been looking for a new career path since.

Thanks for the list btw - I'll waste plenty of time googling all of that later!

In the case where you're currently working you're probably best build some websites in your spare time. Maybe try building a Wordpress site, that will cover a few disciplines.

I personally find the best way to learn is to take things apart to see how they work. There are loads of resources online too.

No. Most of them have absolutely nothing to do with web design.

'backend' was a massively wide brush as an opening gambit and it got no better.

I was trying to show Twisted that "web design" is a very broad field and just doing a course in it isn't necessarily going to get you a career in it.

Also to highlight you don't have to be a "web designer" or "web developer" to get involved in this industry.

For example I have someone starting next week as an online marketing assistant who has no experience, how ever she has the right base skills and willingness to learn to potentially be a very good online marketeer.

Like Grombleton said, once you start in one area you can develop yourself in others. Just like any career/industry really.

 

[Gonzo]

OK, so after reading some really good guides online, I finally took the plunge and have started learning HTML5. I guess the fact I'm sitting here typing this at 3.45am when I started a good 4 and a half hours ago means I'm pretty hooked already! Got a bit of time off work at the moment due to an operation so will hopefully crack on and really get to grips with this over the coming weeks.

I did wonder though if, with the emergence of all of these 'Make your own' websites that I keep seeing advertised, will there be less demand for web designers/developers in general?

 

[Ex-Staffs Gull]

Just to add my thoughts, i can put all the code i want to on a web page, css3, javascript, Html5 etc, but i am and will never be a web designer. web design is very specialist and involves a lot of design knowledge. A good course in design is almost a must IMO unless ypu have a natural flair...