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How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
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Re: How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
#2I'm not a web design expert (or any kind of expert) but I would think:
1. Read/observe.
2. Design web pages.
Re: How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
#3Expertise in any artistic en devour, whether it be painting or chess is best learned by studying the masters. So find the website designs you like and take the time to try recreating them. If you need an design application I recommend the GIMP.
Re: How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
#4A good way to start is to find some templates on http://oswd.org & modify them. Then, once you can swing it, start building stuff from scratch.
Oh and find a copy of photoshop or a comparable graphics program. Gimp is good (and free), but if you can find PS for cheap, go for that.
Re: How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
#5A good way to start is to find some templates on http://oswd.org & modify them. Then, once you can swing it, start building stuff from scratch. Oh and find a copy of photoshop or a comparable graphics program. Gimp is good (and free), but if you can find PS for cheap, go for that.
I agree with Sam. I've long since decided that while I'm keenly interested in how to build clean and very usable sites I just don't have the skills to provide the level of polish I want.
If you find out that you don't have the eye for design, don't waste tons of time (like I have), use an open source web design and focus on what you're really good at doing.
Re: How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
#6One tag at a time?
Re: How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
#7Expertise in any artistic en devour, whether it be painting or chess is best learned by studying the masters. So find the website designs you like and take the time to try recreating them. If you need an design application I recommend the GIMP.
I've often wondered how much of the explosion in web creativity can be attributed to the transparency of HTML -- you can "view source" any page and find out exactly how the designer created that cool effect. By comparison, Flash is opaque. Yes, there are tools that let you dig in to the ActionScript and whatnot, but you don't have the immediacy of seeing it right there in your browser.
Re: How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
#8Read A List Apart's articles, it's dedicated to people who make websites. This is, "A Guide for New Readers":
Re: How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
#9A good way to start is to find some templates on http://oswd.org & modify them. Then, once you can swing it, start building stuff from scratch. Oh and find a copy of photoshop or a comparable graphics program. Gimp is good (and free), but if you can find PS for cheap, go for that.
Make a web page and iterate your design. Go through about 10 cycles of "read stuff about design" and "re-design". Then try another type of website. Different types of sites have different goals. There are business, blog, news, social networking, etc...
Software: I recommend Inkscape for drawing logos, Gimp for manipulating images. Photoshop is much better than either of them if you have the $$$.
Edit: Whoops, meant to reply to the parent thread.
Re: How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?
#10A couple of good books to read too:
1) Don't make me think
2) Designing interfaces (by Tidwell)
3) Defensive design for the web
Anyone have additional books that they've read?