The Student Room Group

Web Design

Hello I have an interest in web design but I don't know how to get involved. I did a google search but can't seem to filter out what I want.

It came to mind after my we had a taster of it in Art when someone came in to show us. They said that I was quite good and that I was capable of designing websites for comapnies, not big ones, but just some randoms.

Yeah, so anyone with an interest or is knowledgable in this subject or even just know anything at all, could they help me get started. It would be great if someone who is designing for companies could give me advice on how they started.

Sidenote, I really do want to design websites for little companies.

Thank you and please can you help! :please:
Reply 1
Create a website for yourself; do a few jobs for people friends and family for cheap or free, building up a portfolio. Join some site with people looking for designers, I like to use http://peopleperhour.com.

So you say your pretty good at design, but do you know how to code html, css? Set up a cms (content management system) optimise performance, hosting and management, and the rest associated with setting up a site. You either need to learn these things, or maybe partner up with someone.
Reply 2
Hi Neuro.

Most developers started off with HTML. It's very simple and very vital to the way most websites run.

Writing HTML is not at all difficult. But the applications are limitless because HTML can be integrated with more complicated languages and databases to make more functional websites.

Here's a good place to start:
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/170864562694?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&adtype=pla

After you're comfortable with HTML, tackle CSS to make your HTML look pretty.
If you're comfortable with that and have a flare for structures, you can then have a go at setting up databases (MySQL) and calling values from the tables using PHP into your HTML code (See how everything ties back to HTML? :smile: )

You can also use CMS (Content Management Systems) to spare yourself the hassle of coding, but I advise against skipping learning how to code.

Websites for companies? Well, why not. All you have to come in terms with, is that web design is not all like art in the sense that making the pretty object is enough. I'd say that more than half the work in web design is just writing the code to make it work.

Sin Cera et Vale Bene
Tamimi
Reply 3
I too like designing websites, but I just like making them for small thing like a hobby.
Although they still look like they were made in MS paint :frown:

I do enjoy the coding, but as I'm doing it in ICT copying a pasting from college is the way to go :smile:
Reply 4
The first thing you need to clarify is what you mean by 'web design'. You say you enjoy designing the look of websites but don't mention the code or technical aspect much. There is a distinction between a web developer and a web designer, and to be what you say you want to be requires a bit of both.

You say you study art so you obviously have graphic design knowledge. If you're not really thinking you'll be good at the coding and technical aspect of web design, then a good route would be to go into digital design work rather than web design purely. You could look into logo design, print design (brochures, posters, leaflets, learning Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator will be pretty much essential) etc along with purely designing web designs for a developer to then 'develop' into a functioning website. This is possible as a career too, you'd likely work in a design agency. However it's obviously better to be able to do both sides yourself.

If you think you are able to learn HTML & CSS (along with some extras, JavaScript, PHP etc if you want to make a career out of this) then you're likely to be able to do really well. You'll have to explore a lot about design and the general conventions of web design to be able to come up with unique but easy to use designs. You'll then need to translate these designs into code using HTML.

To start learning HTML I recommend WC3 schools. Build yourself a crappy little website about anything. Improve it, make a new one, just fiddle around doing your own thing to get the basics. There are plenty of books out there that will help you too. The best thing I could say is to get into a routine about building up your work from a wireframe to a full design (just like you build up each of your art projects with moodboards, research etc. The same applies to web design). When designing a site I'll start with a rough pencil sketch just scribbled out showing the general areas that I need to create. Websites are generally just collections of boxes of different sizes in terms of layout. Once I have that rough sketch I flesh it out in a design program like photoshop into a full 'comp' or design. Then take that back into Dreamweaver to write it up in a wireframe using divs, and then flesh out with colours, images, and content.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. I studied graphic design at A-Level which is when I decided I wanted to get into web design, like you. I'm studying Multimedia Technology and now I'm working as a client-side developer for a digital marketing company.
Reply 5
What fran.ha said: digital designers with a head for technical requirements are worth their weight in gold :yy:
Original post by -Neuro-
Hello I have an interest in web design but I don't know how to get involved. I did a google search but can't seem to filter out what I want.

It came to mind after my we had a taster of it in Art when someone came in to show us. They said that I was quite good and that I was capable of designing websites for comapnies, not big ones, but just some randoms.

Yeah, so anyone with an interest or is knowledgable in this subject or even just know anything at all, could they help me get started. It would be great if someone who is designing for companies could give me advice on how they started.

Sidenote, I really do want to design websites for little companies.

Thank you and please can you help! :please:



Hey,

I'm 19 and I work as a lead designer for a Web development company.

I had no commercial experience, no training & I started at Junior level. I worked my ass off every hour of every day. If you want to accomplish your goal of becoming a designer you should work hard at it.

Resources that you should Google:

- Dribbble.com

A showcase of some amazing design work. You have to be invited to post on Dribbble but its open for unregistered users to view freely. Some of the best digital designers in the world post on there, yo should check it out!

- Awwwards.com

Literally the best websites in the world, voted for by the best website developers in the world.

- SmashingMagazine

Great free articles on design related topics & they also sell e-books and hardcover books.

- Tutsplus

More great free articles and tutorials. They also offer an amazing premium package with some great ebooks and video tutorials. This is pretty much how I learnt the basics that got me my job.

If you need any more help ask me on Twitter @NathanJY or PM me on this (Twitter is preferred)

Hope this has been helpful :smile:
Reply 7
I am starting a talking therapy business and looking for a competent student to help design with me a website and make sure all the technical needs are included (I haven't a clue! ...middle aged mum with a fear of technology).
I would like to include twitter, facebook etc (again, limited understanding!) and be able to update the site with regular blogs and reading suggestions. I will need someone patient to explain how the site works for me.
I can't afford to hire an all singing all dancing web design company at this start up stage but can afford to pay a fair hourly rate to someone who knows what they are doing.
I have one more year of a post grad in CBT and know other (mostly mature) students in my year will be looking for similar over the next 12 months, so may be more business opportunities.
I have good friends in marketing so can access help with layout feedback, logos, promotional ideas to help.
If anyone interested please make contact.
I have purchased a .wales site as I am based in Wales and intend to practice here.
Reply 8
I'm a web developer so feel free to post a thead on here if you have questions on the technical aspects and i'll try answer.

HTML and CSS is the place to start.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 9
Thank you, appreciated. Not sure what is meant by HTML and CSS unfortunately.
Hoping to find someone who can patiently put a website together for me and teach me how to use the social network and blog feeds needed with it.
Reply 10
Original post by vah
Thank you, appreciated. Not sure what is meant by HTML and CSS unfortunately.
Hoping to find someone who can patiently put a website together for me and teach me how to use the social network and blog feeds needed with it.


Im in the same position as you, maybe we could work on something together at some point, might be good to have a partner and work as a team. Also try codecademy!

Posted from TSR Mobile
I used to be into web design and digital illustration when I was 12 or 13, and I taught myself HTML, CSS and PHP w/ MqSQL, how to use Photoshop, Flash and so on just in my spare time. I loved the design bit but am not a big fan of the coding, I just learnt it because without it you basically have nothing. If you're interested you really don't need somebody to sit down with you - firstly there are loads of resources out there to teach you these languages and skills for free. Secondly all of these languages are based on logic, so you can intuit most of it with some experimentation. Sitting and using trial and error to mess with the codes and seeing what the outcome is - that in my opinion is better than any textbook. There are even whole forums of people who'll help you out with the more complicated bits, for when you get lost.

Basically if you want to get into it a bit, go out and give it a go. You can google templates for most bits of code or just right click and View Source to grab some HTML and mess with it. It's one of those things you really can learn with just some initiative.

And if you don't really get the idea of coding you can use stuff like Dreamweaver that just does fairly basic HTML/CSS. HTML and CSS are essentially the window dressing of websites. If you want interactivity - the shop floor - you need to learn something like PHP.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by -Neuro-
Hello I have an interest in web design but I don't know how to get involved. I did a google search but can't seem to filter out what I want.

It came to mind after my we had a taster of it in Art when someone came in to show us. They said that I was quite good and that I was capable of designing websites for comapnies, not big ones, but just some randoms.

Yeah, so anyone with an interest or is knowledgable in this subject or even just know anything at all, could they help me get started. It would be great if someone who is designing for companies could give me advice on how they started.

Sidenote, I really do want to design websites for little companies.

Thank you and please can you help! :please:


Hey, we can give you some time to talk to our web and mobile app developers whenever they are free to have a chat with them on how they got started into web development. It's been a couple of years but if anyone else needs some help with that career we can do it freely. We are a web and mobile app development agency in London