People often ask me how I learned web design. My first response is that I am still learning! The question comes from people who are curious about getting started in the field. In this blog I hope to share some techniques for learning web design especially aimed at beginners.
If you are interested in learning to design, build, and maintain web pages, read on. If you are already a web designer or developer, go build something, and use CSS to it’s maximum potential. (Jeremy Keith nails it again).
Web design is exciting, it changes day by day. It is a diverse field, and many have dabbled in it at some point in their online lives. As with web technology in general, there is room for a solid career in web design with potential for growth. Good web designers are very much in demand right now as the web expands and requires skilled people to build and maintain sites.
As with any career path, there are many ways to enter web design as a career. Most of my colleagues learned on their own, but I do know several web designers who took college courses and received degrees in computer-related fields. For the most part, though, web designers switched from other fields to dive into web design full-time. Web designers typically come from other backgrounds: graphic design, communications, journalism, art, business, and many more. Today, however, children and teenagers are exposed to web design early and are able to choose web design as a first career.
Whatever your current skill level or interest, there is a place for you on the web. The first thing to do is: try it! That is how I began: I signed up for a free Yahoo account (it was Geocities.com back then) and started my own web page. I enjoyed it, and eventually it expanded from a hobby to a full-time job.
I learned web design (and am still learning) through several methods: college classes, books, online tutorials, viewing source code, and experimenting. If you can do a little of everything, you will benefit from the variety of learning and teaching methods. Often designing a few web pages or sites on your own can be frustrating when you are a beginner, so team up with a friend, fellow student, colleague or family member. If they are an experienced web designer, so much the better. Looking over friends’ shoulders is another way I learned valuable web design skills.
College Classes
Take as many classes as you can. If your college offers a “webmaster” or web design degree, take it. Even if you think it’s too basic or hard, it will do you well.
Through my local community college I took basic computer programming, digital arts (Photoshop and Illustrator), and several web design-specific courses. I took one or two courses a semester, and was able to learn design and programming skills even as I was experimenting at home.
Books
There are lots of books out there. Here are some of my recommendations:
- Designing with Web Standards, by Jeffrey Zeldman (Amazon | Author’s site)
- Eric Meyer on CSS, by Eric Meyer (Amazon | Author’s site)
- Designing Web Graphics, 4th Edition, by Lynda Weinman (Amazon | Author’s web site)
- Web Standards Solutions, by Dan Cederholm (Amazon | Author’s site)
Online Tutorials
As with web design books there are many good online resources. They are mostly free, so take advantage of the wealth of knowledge out there. Here are some of my favorite web design blogs, tutorials, and references:
“View Source” and Experiment
One thing about web design is that most of your work is free for anyone to use: the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is visible to anyone with a computer and a web browser. This can be bad, as plagiarism, piracy, and stealing code is a common practice. But it can also be good for web designers because you can learn from other designers’ methods.
On any web site, hit “View Source” in your browser to see the HTML (in IE it’s under “View” toolbar, “Source”. In Firefox, go to “View”, “Page Source”). For CSS, use Firefox’s Web Developer Extension or copy and paste the URL for the CSS file from the source code. Feel free to look at and experiment with code, just make sure not to take it and use it as your own.
Learn Solid HTML and CSS Skills
Finally, a big part of being successful in web design is mastering HTML and CSS. Hypertext Markup Language is the de facto markup language for formatting web documents and Cascading Style Sheets is the language that gives the HTML markup it’s beautiful colors, typography, layout, spacing, and the rest of the visual elements. If you are a beginner, start with CSS and HTML basics and build up your skills from there. A solid foundation here will give you full control over your web pages and a deep understanding of how they work.
Note: A good resource: HTML and CSS: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide
Moving from Design to Web Design
If you are already working in the graphic or print design field, making the step to web design isn’t very difficult. Your skills will come in handy, and you can apply many of the same principles used in traditional design to web design.
For you, I recommend additional reading:
- Jeffrey Zeldman’s Taking Your Talent to the Web is a great book for transitioning designers (Amazon | Author site)
- Designing for the Web article on Digital-Web.com
Go Forth and Code
Whatever your skill level or desire, web design starts with solid HTML and CSS, training, reading, and experimenting. Don’t ever hesitate to ask for more information.
The Sensible Leader 