Setting Up

Setting Up: NOTE! This Is A Work In Progress…

The great secret of web design is that it is not that difficult to do. I can’t tell you how often I hear designers and developers talk to people about their work, making it sound so ridiculously complex and out of touch from laypeople. Well, the truth is that they do not know anything that you can’t know with a little time and effort. Web design is not difficult at all. Once you gain an understanding of the basics, I think you will be shocked by how little you need to know to do so much, as well as how little you need to invest to get started.

In fact many designers are building their sites using  a web browser, FTP software, a  text editor,  a browser plug in or two, combined with XHTML and CSS, all of which are free.

The Process:

Each module is going to start with an audio clip discussing the what and why of the Module. From there you will be given directions and a link that will lead you to your study program.

For example, in the section on XHTML and CSS I will give you an overview and an explanation of how and what XHTML and CSS  are. Then I will guide you to the W3Schools.com lesson for you to study.

The W3School is one of the clearest and most concise sites for learning about web design coding. There is a lot of information on their site, too much. It’s my job to make sure you avoid the unnecessary code that will hinder you at this time.

That said, some day you may want to learn more about one of those languages, you should, but today is not the time. Trust me, the best thing you can do right now is gain a deep understanding of the basics, which are in lesson 2 and 3. Understanding the basics will allow you to build highly complex and sophisticated websites, if that is what you choose to do. For now we will keep it as simple as possible.

Investing in yourself:

Have you made the decision to be a webbie? Yes. Great, you are now a web designer. Your job is to study these modules, memorize these processes, and make the web a more entertaining, informative, and welcoming place. You build relationships on the internet, relationships between people. Take this duty upon yourself and make it work. Reach out to others in the design community. Open up your eyes to the world of design that is all around you,  pick up business cards, take pictures of signs and shapes, watch the way people move and communicate, observe sky lines, contemplate the visuals that attract you; ask yourself, why does it work; how does it work?  And be confident and tell people about yourself and your new skills.

If you want to do this for a living than you will. There is nothing to stop you. This is truly one of the most accessible businesses available today. So take your time seriously; put in the work that is needed and learn the material the first time out. Looking back three months from now I believe you will be flabbergasted at how far you have come and how much you now know.

Tools:

There are a few basic tools that you will need to do web work. Two of these things you must have, while the rest are highly beneficial.  All of them are free with the exception of Photoshop (use Gimp, the free, open source Image editor).

I suggest you use the web browser, “Mozilla Firefox,” with the plug-ins FireBug and WebDeveloper added in. To write the code you should use Notepad ++ or Text Wrangler. Later on if you feel like it you can search for another text editor. The FTP software we will use is Filezilla; FTP this allows you to upload files from your computer to another computer. The image editing software does just that; it let’s you edit photos, graphics, etc. making them usable for the web.

Finally, you don’t need to download any of these things as of yet. We won’t need them until module three; however feel free to download them after you finish module one.

Conclusion:

This has been a quick and simple module, fortunately the rest will be much more involved. I have seven modules for you at this time. As I continue to work I will continue to add modules. I will also create a resource page that will be updated with articles and other specific information that I think will benefit you.

The best that we can do as teachers is to give our students a great environment, positive direction, and encouragement. You will have to find the volition to do it, that is all it really takes to accomplish most everything. If you are serious about becoming a webbie than you have to put in the time. The more time you put in up front the easier it will be down the line.

Set a goal of a minimum of one hour a day of high quality concentrated effort where it is just you, your lesson, and pure focus. Set aside any distractions for that period of time.  At the end of your session take five minutes to layout what you will be doing the next day or the next session so that you can get right into it without having to think about it.  Finally, use pen and paper as often as you can. Even if this means writing things down twice, once on paper and once on the computer. You will be spending a lot of time on the computer, so any chance you have to engage another part of your mind is beneficial.

To your success,

T.