Why learn HTML5 & CSS3?

When it comes to learning new languages many front-end developers do not like to add on to their current bandwagon of knowledge. I think in most cases many developers think that there is absolutely no reason to learn a new language because they can already do it with the knowledge they currently have or just believe they should hold off until html5 and css3 starts to become “popular”.

Expand knowledge

Wouldn’t it be nice if new syntax just appeared in your brain without having to do the hardwork? If you’re a developer who already has experience with html and css then why not expand your knowledge in those fields? If someone were just begining in the web development field they would probably start with the new stuff like css3 and html5 because they would think the old syntax is outdated. If someone new to coding is learning the new stuff sooner or later they will past you up because of your lack and effort and not willing to learn mentality. Learning the new css3 and html5 syntax maybe a bit fustrating but once you get the hang of it you will become a better front end developer and will have both experience with both the old and new syntax. You will also have the best of both world considering you have experience with writing the old syntax.

Ability to do greater things

If you have noticed html5 and css3 has a variety of effects and fascinating things you can do with it. If you’re already writing css2 then you may have notice that you cannot create gradients without photoshop images and that you cannot use transitions without javascript. If you’re writing html4 then you many notice you cannot define regions or tags like

, or

This is a new article tag.

and or have the abilty to create functions like placeholders(name that appears inside of a form before you begin to type).

Expand Portfolio and build upon resume

If you have ever applied for a job then you know that employers loves someone who is up to date with current web standards and knows what they’re doing. Learning html5 and css3 now may seem alike it is nothing but when a job looks at your resume and sees you are constantly learning and expanding your skillset then you will look like gold in their eyes. Also learning the new syntax will give you the ability to showcase new websites you have completed using html5 and css3, and show future or potential clients that you’re up to par with your field of profession.

Innovate and demostrate new technquies

After learning the new html5 and css3 sytnax you can now begin to lead the industry. As as web designer, or developer we are always trying to innovate for our industry. If you have taken the time to learn new html and css sytnax and truly understand what you are doing then why not become a leader and help out the development community? Let’s take Internet Explorer 6 (IR) for example. Everyone used ie6 for a very long time but it took someone to say we’re not supporting ie6 anymore. As many people started to drop support for ie front-end developers were able to speed up coding process and promote the use of modern browsers like Firefox(FF) and Google Chrome(CH). You can teach others in areas in which you have struggled in or implement new solutions to current development problems.

Conslusion

Html5 and css3 are very great languages and the new sytnax for each version maybe a bit tricky when first learning but you can assume that learning it will be worth it. As a full time college student and full time working student I can assure you that I know how it feels not to have time to learn new things like you used to. Even if it is just for an hour a day or 30 minutes a day, check out some html5 & css3 books. If you’re not into reading books then check out video tutorials or tutorials from design blogs and mess around with the code. I hope the future of the new html and css are bright and hope to see you all using it and implementing it into your current projects. What are your thoughts on this subject?

Being Self Taught

Being self taught use to be something out of the norm but now days it seems as if everyone is teaching themselves somethings. I know many teenagers who taught themselves how to do something whether it be designing websites , coding websites, or creating web graphics they manage to take the time to learn it. I think it’s great when you’ve learn something but when reality hits you, have to ask yourself one question. Where will it get me? Being a self taught web designer myself i have faced many challenges such as, people not hiring me because i have nothing to show such as a college degree, lack of verbal communication skills , and not enough work experience. I know I am very capable of doing the work, I can type professional but when it comes a time for face to face communication I might sound a bit unprofessional, and no i do not have enough work experience but i am interested in gaining some. So being a self taught web designer or developer may be great because you’ve learn how to design and program website all by yourself(And of course with the help of resources) but when it comes time for you to get a job you will see how far it gets you.

The College

Many designers & developers despise the word college considering they’ve learned nothing from it or feel that they’re wasting money learning something they’ve already learned. I think college is a great place to go even if you’re self taught because web development and design is more then just writing code and designing. College opens up the doors for many individuals and helps you gain the skills you lack in. You might be considered one of the best designers or coder around online but when it comes to applying for a job offline you have nothing to show except what you have online. I have to agree that colleges are a bit behind in the teaching world when it comes to design but it will not hurt to learn something again plus you will receive an easy a. College is also a place to meet new people and designers who share the same interest as you, sure you can meet developers and designers online but we all know it’s nothing like a face to face conversation.

Do you really need college to be successful

The answer to that question is yes and no! Whether you like it or not most of us will have to attend college and get a degree and whatever we love to do. I think college will make you a professional because you’ve took the time to learn a skill on your own and you’re still learning new things. The day you graduate college you are ahead of everyone else. You have your self taught experience and your college experience and to top it off you will have a DEGREE! There are some individuals who are smart enough to create a website where they might not need to work but lets face it until that times comes we have to do something for ourselves to get by. So if you’re a designer or developer and know a lot like myself I still recommend going to college because you will meet new friends, learn new things, and best of all get a degree in something you’ve always loved doing. Who knows you might create the next big thing. What do you guys think about college vs being self-taught?

I lost a client?

Ever feel like it was the end of the world when you lost a potential client? I sure did when first starting off freelancing. I thought to myself I just lost X amount of dollars and another piece to my portfolio. I would be angry and try to contact clients back with lower prices and they would, most of the times try to go very low. As I got older I started to realize that I have to stand up for myself. Now that I stand up for myself I lose many clients. Now you’re probably thinking that is a bad thing but I will explain to you how it is not a bad thing.

So majority of the times a client will try to pursue you with one of the following lines:
1.

“The Economy is really bad and if you do it for X amount then we promise to bring you more work in the future”

2.

“My budget is very small right now but this would be a great piece to add to your portfolio”

3.

“I know a little bit of HTML so it should not take you that long. Probably 1-2 hours at the most”

So Above I have 3 quotes from clients that are trying to avoid spending cash. So how do I lose them? Well I usually lose them when I respond to their emails saying I am no longer interested in doing the job. Many times they say, “I’m sure I can find another designer” and my response to that is, OK!

I gained a clients

Gaining a client is the one of the greatest feelings in the world. I mean you have this amazing/fun project to work on and you have a client that is very loyal to you. So how do you gain a loyal client? Well gaining a loyal client can be very hard but is very much worth it in the long run. My tips to gaining a loyal client is listed below.

• Be Confident: – Being confident shows your client that you are very capable of doing the work.
• Give Reasonable prices: – How do you know when your price is too high or too low? You don’t so you have to go with what works best for YOU. This shows the client if you’re worth it or not.
• Give your opinion: – Clients love it when you give them an opinion(Some won’t). This let’s the client know that you care about their business and website and that you’re really there to help them.
• Don’t be afraid to say no: – Saying no is quite harsh sometimes and very difficult to do for some people. Saying no to client tells them that you love what you do and lets them know you will not be taking advantage of.
• Give them a general time frame: – Clients love when you can tell them when you will be completed with their project. If you can meet this requirement they will LOVE you. This lets the client know that you’re very serious when working and will not cheat them. Letting them know that they’re getting their money’s worth.

If you follow my tips above you should have great clients in no time. I mean I am not saying you won’t ever come across clients that will not drive you wild but just know that along your journey of freelancing you will find clients that will be very loyal and good to you.

Conclusion

Despite the clients I have lost I am very happy with the ones I have gained. I think standing up for yourself can be a good thing because that shows confidence. If you’re one of those designers that will work for peanuts that’s good for you. If you’re a designer that wants to change and start to get divine clients then I would suggest you to start being a braver freelancer and learn how to say enough is enough. I hope you all have learn something from my article today. Let me know if this worked for you.

Bookmarks:

As a Web designer we are always looking for inspirations, icons, backgrounds, textures etc online. When it comes to such things as listed before then it is very important that you keep those items organized. You might say that you’re already organize by having those items bookmarked but are they organize by group or just saved into your favorites? I organize all of my favorite sites by group and when the time comes to start a new project I then look back at my bookmark group and go to a site that best suites me. Saving websites to your bookmark and organizing your bookmarks is very time efficient because you’re not spending 1-2 hours searching for the right item. If you’re one of those unorganized designers then I recommend you start adding sites to your bookmark.

Frameworks:

Frameworks are very time efficient when it comes to starting a new project. Since this area is so broad I am going to break down all the important frameworks you can use to save time on your next project.

Photoshop Document(PSD)

Almost every website is design in photoshop before actually being turned into a live site. Many designers just get to work and other designer like me like to do mockups before actual designing is begun. To save yourself more time when creating a mockup or design in photoshop then you might like to design multiple layout frameworks. Multiple Layout Frameworks? By multiple layout frameworks I mean create many frameworks that best suites you. For example I have a photoshop folder just for mockup layout’s. Inside that folder are 2 column PSD’s, 3 column PSD’s, and etc. Having PSD frameworks are very good because when you design a website you are most likely going to use your most common settings. So for example I design most of my websites at 960px. So I would create mutiple PSD layouts with the width of 960px. If you use this PSD method then it will save yourself a great amount of time.

Html/Css/Javascript

Every website is created using some form of html/css. As a web designer we often slice our PSD then get ready for coding. Coding may be one of the most intense part of a web designer’s day. When actually coding a website many designers most of the time start out the same every time. By every time I mean that you’re constantly creating 2 column websites or etc. If you aware that you’re doing the exact same thing as before then why not create a framework for your html files. Creating and html framework will save you a ton of time considering most of your presets and basic codes are all ready to go. If you are wondering what to create
then I will explain below.

What to create:

• Site folder
• Javascript folder
• IE folder
• Images folder
• HTML File
• CSS File

Site folder – Contains all website files
Javascript folder – Contains Javascript files such as Jquery, Mootools, etc.
IE folder – Contains IE only stylesheets
Image folder – Contains images for website
HTML file – Basic HTML code
CSS file - Basic CSS markup and reset

Creating and setting up a HTML framework takes a bit of time but is very worth it in my opinion. There are some pretty cool frameworks out there that you can use. Check out this post via Noupe. Gives you a list of popular HTML, CSS, and Javascript Frameworks.

Keeping up with latest trend:

Keeping up with latest trend is very important if you would like to make a name for yourself or you work. By keeping up with latest trend I do not mean copy some else design or work. What I am trying to say is if everyone is creating wordpress themes because they see the potential in that market then why not start creating wordpress themes. Or if everyone is using table-less CSS layouts then why not use table-less css layouts. If you’re one of those designers that says “I like to be different” I do understand where you’re coming from. It’s great being different from everybody else and if you have great unique designs then people will know you different from everybody else. Just because you create a wordpress theme or a table-less layout doesn’t mean they all will look the same. Keeping up with the latest trends will save you a ton of time from trying to learn something months or years later.

Invoice systems:

Invoice systems are very good when you’re a freelancer or own a business. If you take your profession seriously and often find yourself getting work left and right then I recommend using an invoice system to keep track of payments and income. Yes you could used a spreadsheet if you have the time(free) but sometimes its better to invest in something that will later help you out in the long run. Also when the time comes around for you to file taxes then you will be ready since all of your work and payments are saved into an online invoice system. This will save you a big headache. Check out Freshbooks to learn more about invoice system.

Messenger, Email, Skype

Always being available or being available most of the time is very important when you are a web designer. Often I’m outside when I have no work to do but I always keep in contact with any potential clients I may have. As a web designer I recommend you always keep some form of contact up and available for clients to contact you. Whether it’s skype, phone call, email, aim or etc you are able to talk to your client. Many cell phones today have the ability to go on instant messenger chat, check email, and of course make phone calls. Often I am outside hanging with friends and most clients write me via email. I usually stay out but respond to their email via cell phone or give them a call if that was requested. If you are available most of the time this will help out your business or freelance career and will also help you build a strong relationship with that client.

Conclusion

There are probably hundreds of steps to helping you become a more efficient web designer. In the article above I’ve listed the main ones that I’ve struggle with over the last 4 years of doing web design. Many of us web designers face problems like not having a project ready or can’t find inspiration etc. I think if you follow steps and tips giving in this article you will become a more efficient designer. It might take a while to get going but once you’re going and moving you will be hard to stop. So what are you doing to becoming a more efficient web designer?

The Nice Designer

Ever since I have been freelancing I have considered myself to be the nice freelancer. By nice freelancer I mean I was the guy that would take projects when the client said they have x amount of dollars and I would just be the best guy to all my clients. As a freelancer when most of us begin we are open to take on anything and every time an offer and thrown our way we accept it. I mean your making money so what is there to argue about? Right? Well that’s not the point. See I’m going to give you guys an example of a situation where I was considered the Nice Freelancer.

Note: Story is just an example

BEFORE:

TOM: Hey Marcell! Great portfolio. I’ve just received your emailed and you said that you could create that website for us for X amount of dollars and in X amount of days. Also what is this wordpress CMS that you speak of? Can it help our business?

Marcell: Thanks Tom! Yes that is correct, I could have your website completed for X amount of dollars in just a matter of X days. WordPress is a Content Management System that allows you manage your website from the back-end but still giving you the ability to control what happens on the front end of the site. WordPress is also very easy to learn via admin section. Yes it can help your business out tremendously because there are tons of plugins which allow you to add anything you would like to the site.

TOM: Sounds good to me. So what do you need to begin? Also I would need a hosting company do you know of any?

Marcell: All I will need is your FTP information. Yes I know of a hosting company. Try Host gator, or media temple etc.

Ok so above I have contacted Tom about a website that he wants created. Your probably wondering what is the problem. Well if you read below I will tell you the mistakes I have made.

Mistakes

1. I went on craigslist for a job
2. I told the client about WordPress(Indepth)
3. I am working for “$200″
4. I told client about hosting companies
5. I did not ask for a payment up front
6. I did not show client a contract
7. I did not ask client what websites he like
8. I am not thinking straight

So I completed his website and I told him if he ever needed help with anything just email me. HELP. Yes that is the problem! The main problem is that I setup the client website on a Content Management System where he no longer needs my help after he gets the hang of it. I mean wordpress is pretty simple once you mess with it for a couple of days. In as for upgrades he can update his website with the click of a button. I also gave him hosting companies name and without putting my affiliate links in there. So as you can see I did not handle this client correctly and yes I may have gotten paid and he may of been happy but what I am not prepaid for is a time when there is no client and no cash rolling in.

Hard times

Hard times can/will approach you if you let your guard down. By guard I mean slacking. Many freelancers do work and get paid then they wait until their money is gone or low and try to find work again. Yes there are alternate ways to make money like sell stock, and etc but do you really want to compete with others in 1 market? Whenever times got difficult for me I would think should I create a stock files or how can I make more money asap. See my problem was I were trying to make money asap now because I did not have any more money and I was becoming very desperate. I even entered those contest where many designers submit a design and the client would choose one. I quickly found out that submitting my designs or trying to create stock was not for me.

The “Nice” designer

As a freelancer we try to be as nice as possible to clients. I like to call my next technique the “nice” freelancer. As you can see above I have made many bad mistakes. In my new example you will see how you can increase your payment by hundreds of dollars.

Note: Story is just an example

After:

TOM: Hey Marcell! Great portfolio. I’ve just received your emailed and you said that you could create that website for us for X amount of dollars and in X amount of time. Also what is this CMS that you speak of? Can it help our business?

Marcell: Thanks Tom! Yes that is correct, I could have your website completed for X amount of dollars in just a matter of X time. A CMS also known as a Content Management System allows you manage your website from the back-end but still giving you the ability to control what happens on the front end of the site. Yes, I think it is great for business and business owners because you can do many things with it like add workers to site and so forth. You will not have to write one line of code since everything is updated via back-end. Also the only thing that may need to be done is the updating and maintenance of your site. It may not seem important at the moment but I strongly recommend updating and impatience your site at least every 1-3 months to avoid getting hack.

TOM: Sounds good to me. As for maintenance I would be very interested in that service. How much would that cost if included? What do you need to begin? Also I would need a hosting company do you know of any?

Marcell: I could do update the site and do maintenance work for X amount of dollars every X amount of time. Well before I begin I will need you to read and agree to my terms/contract then once agreed I will need a X % of dollars paid then I can begin working. Yes I know of a great hosting company. Try

 <b><a href="affilate link here!">Hostgator</a></b>.

They are very good in they have customer support 24/7 so if something went wrong and I was not available at the moment then they would be able to assist you.

So above you can see that I have properly handle my client the right way. I told them when I can have the project done, I gave them information about the CMS but not too much detail, I offered a service that they will accept 90% of the time, gave them my contract so they can read/accept my requirements, then I added an affiliate link to the hosting service. See you are the same nice freelancer just a bit smoother.

Keeping a steady Income$

Keeping a steady income can be very difficult if you do not think situations through. Below I will list multiple ways you can sustain a steady income.

• Updating client website- After you have completed the clients website tell them you can keep their site safe and clean by doing maintenance work every 3 months or so.
• Tell client to spread the word- Tell your client to pass on the word about you to anyone he/she knows that may be interested in your service
• Keep work posted via design sites- Upload your work to places like flickr, deviant art, Creattica , and etc to showcase your work.
• Write for websites in your niche- Contribute a post or 2 to a website to get your name out there.
• Create stock files- Create stock files via Themeforest
• Post sign locally- Put up business cards or letters in your local area telling people about your service
• Pass out business cards- Pass out your business cards to people you think might be a potential client.
• Network with people-Network with others via social networking website and let them know what you do
• Make video blogs-Stay connected with your followers or bring in new followers
• Stay on top of your game- Always look for more work and when you have too much work sort it out so when you finish a project another one is waiting for you.

Freelancers make many mistakes and I must say that we all have had time where we would work for nothing, become desperately in need of cash and so fort. The important to remember that there are a colossal amount of clients out there they just do not know about you. By building yourself a name your building yourself to what I like to call a steady income.

Work full-time/ Part-time

When starting a new freelance business many people think to themselves if they should keep their job or go part-time. Quitting your job or going part-time may seem like a great thing to do but you really have to think it out before you actually make the final decision. If you have a job then I would recommend that you keep your job and save up cash. If you’re young or do not have a family to support then I recommend you stay part-time or leave your job.

When I was 16 I got my first job and was very excited about going to work but after a week or two I felt as if my pay checks were too small and decided to let my job go to work on something I knew I would not mind doing. After I quit my job I realize that I had no money to start my new business and keep my hosting going. Long story short, I did not think out my plan and just decided to jump directly into it not realizing the problems I was going to face. Working a part-time jobs gives you the opportunity to save money and work on projects when you’re not at your actual job. If you currently have a part-time job continue working it and saving money so that you do not experience the problems I have experience. If you currently have a full-time job then I recommend that you do web work as a side business and do not quit your full-time job until you have a stable income coming in.

Site Layout & Design

Creating a new portfolio is the next important thing to consider when starting a freelance business. I mean this is actually how people are going to see your work and learn a bit or two about yourself. Creating a new portfolio comes with a bunch of brainstorming. I mean you just cant put up a website and expect it to bring in customers. You have to think out your plan and I will do an example plan below.

Portfolio Plan

Theme: Your website theme is like cars, clouds, dirt, room etc

Layout: Your layout is like 1column, 2column, 3column etc

Color Scheme: What color would like for your website to have. 3 colors at the most.

Creativity: Graphics, or hand drawn elements, Typography etc.

Functions: Contact forms, javascript, ajax etc.

The plan above is the plan you should take when deciding to create a portfolio design. I will explain each one below more specific so you can get the basic understanding for each.

Theme: Your website theme is VERY VERY VERY important because it can sort you out from others and actually make people remember your site. When deciding upon a theme thinks which one bests fits you. For example my Portfolio theme is highway/road. So if you have visited my portfolio you will notice that I have somewhat of everything that a expressway/road might have. I have clouds for the sky and for the logo I have an exit sign to show visitors that they have exited onto cell-designs and for the footer i have grass hills and a road. So you get the hint of how a theme works.

Layout: A website layout is somewhat important. Many people decide to go with a two column layout. When deciding how many columns you would like to have it would be important that you think about what types of widgets of elements you would like to go into the sidebar or third column. 2 column layout, left column for content and right column for sidebar. 3 column layout, left column for content and one right column could be used for sidebar and last column could be used for social media.

Color Scheme: Choosing the right colors for your website is very important because it sets the tone or mood of your website. When deciding upon colors you might like to think about which colors goes with your theme or which colors you think sets the perfect vibe or mood for your customers. I usually pick 3 colors.

Creativity: Getting creative with your website is also a great thing to consider. Some people love to get graphic heavy with their website and some people do not like the whole graphic theme. I think graphics are very important because it shows neatness and shows that you actually took the time to create something elegant.

Functions: Your website functionality is another thing to consider. When a visitor visits your website they are going to want to interact with your web page. Whether you have a crazy navigation or nice scroll functions people will play with it. I know whenever I visit a website I always tend to stay on a website longer if there is something cool I can interact with.

Getting ready for take off

Now that you have your business plan sorted out you are now ready to launch your website. Well not quite, there are still a bit more to cover then you’re good to launch your new site. Before you launch the actual site it is important that you have the items listed below created and ready to go.

• Business cards
• Contract/Agreement forms
• Time Management Account(To clock hours/manage $)

I will explain each item listed above more specifically and to why you need each item.

Business Cards: Business cards are very important to have because they market your service when and when you’re not around. Many people believe that clients will just come to them but you really have to go find clients and build that relationship with them. Business cards are very efficient because you can post them at your local business, barber etc, and very most important hand them out to a future client.

Contract/ Agreement Forms: Contract and agreement forms are a MUST! Often times I hear about client’s not paying or bailing out in the middle of the project and you get the point. Before any project is started make sure your client has read and signed the contract so there are no misunderstandings in the long run .

Invoice System: An invoice system is very handy especially when it comes to filing taxes, Keeping clients organize or just keeping up with your income. Many newbie freelancers often charge by the hour but do not use any invoice software to keep track of their clients, time, and money. If you know or have a plan to make 4-5 digits with your business then I recommend that you get an invoice system to keep everything organize.

If you’re considering starting up a freelance business then I recommend you take my tips and advice from this article. I myself did not take each and everyone of the steps above when I first started my freelance business and let me tell you it was twice the work and twice the stress. Good luck with your new freelance business, go get’em tiger!

Website Designer

Many of you designers out there probably consider yourself as a web designer. A web designer can live up to more than just designing and often work with familiar web languages to create dynamic web pages.

What does it mean to be a Web designer

a person or business that designs and prepares content for the World Wide Web, including text, images, site architecture and multimedia.
Source

Web designers are mainly the ones who design the whole look and aspects of a website. As a web designer your job would be to stay up to date with the latest trends and produce great designs that you or a developer could code. Being a web designer may seem like an easy job or thing to do but if you actually break down the steps it can take quite sometime to produce a homepage with sub pages. So what is a web designer typical schedule?

A Web designer schedule is not exactly how I will list it below but I will just give you a prime example. I will skip the wake up and brush teeth steps, you should already have that down pack.

1. Find Inspiration
2. Sketch out a design on paper
3. Clean sketch up in Photoshop, use guide lines
4. Find Colors for website
5. Find clip arts, images, brushes, textures, etc
6. Start inserting textures, brushes, and icons into design
7. Name layers and group them
8. Slice the layout and get it ready for the developer
9. Save work

That may seem like it is nothing but each step can take a very long time. Whenever you design something it is very important that you design and send it off the right way. For example a developer expects for your design to be pixel perfect, layered & grouped, sliced, and ready to be coded.

Website Developer

Many of you designers out there probably consider yourself as a website designer/developer. If you’re wondering what is a web developer, then do not worry I will explain it below.

Web Developer is the person who deals with websites from a technical perspective
Source

Web developers are usually the ones doing all of the dirty work. What I mean by dirty work is coding the website in many different web languages. As a developer their jobs are to create web pages using front-end developer techniques or back-end developer techniques. If you’re lost then do not worry, I will explain it below.

Developer usually work with many web languages depending on whether its front-end work or back-end work. If you take a look at the list below you can see what type of languages web developers work with to create dynamic web pages.

• Markup languages (such as HTML, XHTML and XML)
• Style sheet languages (such as CSS and XSL)
• Client-side scripting (such as JavaScript)
• Server-side scripting (such as PHP and ASP)
• Database technologies (such as MySQL and PostgreSQL)
• Multimedia technologies (such as Flash and Silverlight)

Many designers consider themselves as Web developers but mainly know half of the languages. I know it is very difficult to learn new web languages while mainly working with a code that you’re familiar with. Each language above is very important if you’re one of those developers who has a plan to work for a company or keep a job.

Front-End
Front-End Developers mainly know some of the basic codes like HTML, CSS, Javascript, and might have a little understanding of PHP, and some back-end work. To learn more about Front-end developers check out this article from Fuel Your Coding.

Back-End
Back-End Developers are just as important as a Front-End developers. Back-End developer mainly work with web languages like Perl, PHP, ASP, JSP, ColdFusion, etc. What I love about working on the back-end of the site is that you can control the website and its functions. Say you wanted to create a membership website and you need a place to store the visitors user-name and password. You would need to create a database that stores the information and that is when the back-end developers come in.

What should I know to be considered a website designer/developer

To be considered a website designer and developers I would recommend that you spend time working with new lanuages that you normally do not work with and you keep designing the kick butt web pages and designs. You do not have to have every single web language down pack but it would be good to have a good understanding of what each languages does and how you can work with it to create something worth while. I hope this article gave you a basic understanding on what each field does and the main codes they use. If you’re looking forward to becoming a developer or designer keep working hard and you will be one in no time.

Time Consuming

When competing in a contest, trying to come up with a design can be very overwhelming and time consuming. Often designers get the picture in their heads that they can come up with a rocking pixel perfect design in just a matter of hours. I will agree that a design can be done within a mater of hours but I can guarantee that it will not be rocking nor pixel perfect. Designs roughly take about a day or more to complete if you’re trying to create something very fascinating. When designing a website or graphic, designers have to plan out many things such as.

• Color Scheme
• Typography
• Layout/Mockup
• Functions

Those are the main topics that designers often have to take time to think about before making a decision. I will explain below why each one is very important.

Color Scheme: Color Scheme is very important when designing a website or graphic. Whenever you’re trying to find the right colors for something you must always find at least 3 colors to use for your design. Choosing 3-5 colors will give you many options and will basically give your design a good look. I will give 2 sub examples why you will need about 3-5 colors for your design below.

Website

• Background
• Container
• Navigation
• Links
• Logo

Graphic

• Background
• Elements
• Image
• Environment
• Logo

Typography: Typography can be very frustrating when creating a new design. Whether its for a website or poster it can take time looking through thousands of fonts just to find the right one for you specific project. Typography can also determine the look and feel of your website. Thin fonts tend to be more elegant while bold fonts tend to be more fun-ish.

Layout: Creating a layout or Mockup can save you a ton of time. Most designers do not like sketching things out and just decide to open up photoshop in begin working. That fine if that works for you but for me I find sketching out my designs or creating a mockup can really make a difference with my designs rather then me just creating it step by step in photoshop.

Functions: This only applies for web designers. Whenever you create a design of a website make sure you keep in mind what functionality you might like your website to have when everything is over with. for example if you’re going to have a button and you want it to be a rollover button, make sure you create the rollover effect even if users cannot see it in the final layout.

Losing hope / inspiration

When competing in contest many designers often lose inspiration in their own work. The reason for such a thing is because when you’re in a contest you are competing against some of the best. Someone design will always be better than yours in most cases or at least you will think that and will not know what to create. For example I was once in a contest and I was very excited about it especially the cash prize but when I started to see designers entries I thought to myself that there was no way I could create something that good. I lost hope and inspiration. I could not think of a design and was very frustrated. Looking at others work made me feel like I was not designer and did not belong in the design community.

Less time for personal work

Most of the time when you enter contest you find that a design might take you quite the time to complete and yet you are unsure if you’re going to win it. I often hear many designers say “I lost but it will make me a better designer”. I strongly disagree with that. The time you spent designing that poster or website you could of been following a tutorial or creating something for yourself that is worth while. Working on personal projects or following a tutorial will add to your knowledge and make you better at designs. You can also learn new techniques that you did not know of. In a contest you are not guaranteed the prize so you’re basically taking a big risk. Why take a risk in lose time when you could do something productive with that time.

How to become a better designer

Becoming a better designer takes time in practice. If you would like to become a better designer just follow my steps.

1. Do not look at others work to often
2. Take a walk for inspiration
3. Always brainstorm & sketch ideas before turning to a computer
4. Work on personal projects instead of entering contest
5. Follow design tutorials and pick up various techniques from it
6. See what the latest trend is in design in creating something that is opposite from it

If you follow my steps above you will be a better designer in no time. Stay away from contest in work on personal projects so you can build your portfolio and become better at what you love to do. Sometimes you have to keep your secret hidden and release it when least expected(In terms of design). Good luck at becoming a better designer. Hope all goes well

Becoming an addiction

Once you get into the habit of taking a peak at someone else code and copying and pasting it, it all will become a habit to you. Ever heard of the saying if you steal something once and get away with it you will continue doing it until you’re finally caught. Well that saying is very true. People who steal code from other websites often make it a habit and continue doing it, hoping it will improve their work and skill-set.

Losing your skill-set

That’s right. Believe it or not if you’re constantly copying and pasting others people code to create a website then you’re most likely just damaging your very own skill-set. When you want to learn something or get better at something you have to work with it. For example you did not grow up knowing how to ride a bicycle without training wheels. You had to practice and practice until you finally got it. As you were practicing trying to learn how to ride a bicycle you sometimes looked at other kids to see how they have done it. Over the years you continues riding bikes and became very proficient at it , not cheating once at it. Didn’t that feel good knowing that you learned how to ride a bike all by yourself. That’s applies to web development also. If you constantly write code and continue to feed off of your own work then your skills will always be improving and proceeding to the next level, making you greater at what you do.

No ideas

Often when viewing or always browsing someone else work you may feel that you work will never be that good or amount to the value of their work. That is completely false. Every designer/Developer start off designing not knowing the latest tips and techniques. When I first started off designing I have to say that my designs were not great at all haha. I used fonts that could not be used, margins and padding were completely off, and the design was just bad. I looked at others works from time to time but I knew if I continued looking at their work I would continue belittling myself. The more you look at others work the more ideas you lose.

Finding inspiration

As a designer we often visit many websites for inspiration. What I have found out as being a designer/developer is I never find inspiration looking at others website or design. It might sound crazy but its the truth. I find inspirations from wallpapers, graphic posters, and videos. If you think about it Graphic designs posters are usually colorful, and very outgoing, and wallpapers are like backgrounds giving you an idea in your head on which background to create and videos are like websites in motion. If you’re watching TV on a network like spike TV or MTV you will often see some crazy motions graphics effects that can lead to a very nice design.

If you would like to avoid copying others source code or design then follow my tips and you will be on the road to becoming a better designer/coder. To this day I am constantly working on my coding skills and designing skills trying to become better at something that I love and enjoy doing. Quit stressing out and go watch a video or look at a poster for an idea.

Use Guides

Whenever You start a new website design and Photoshop I recommend that you Always you Photoshop guide lines. Guide lines help you keep your website centered and all of the elements inside of it align. I know there are newbies out there who just open up Photoshop and design and never turn on their guide lines.

To see your guide lines go to press ctrl+; and for mac I believe it is cmd+;

Use real font for Text

This is for all the beginners! I know when most people first start designing websites in Photoshop they often try to use fonts that are not supported on other browsers. It’s ok to use other fonts for logo’s and heading but for real text it is good to use some of the supported well known fonts. You’re probably thinking how do I know which font works for all computers. Well the answer to that is a font list from Ampsoft and they give a pretty well explain explanation on which fonts you should choose, so make sure you check out their article.

Use ruler

Photoshop rulers are a must! Whenever you start a design you should always have your ruler grid turned on. Ruler grid comes in handy for aligning your website, text, images, logo’s and other web elements. Without your ruler your design would be uneven and margins and padding would not equal each other.

Canvas Size

Starting a new design can be very frustrating for some designers. The reason it can be very frustrating sometimes is because you do not know what size canvas you should start with or create. I normally start my design using 960px width. I think 960 works the best considering it can fit all website screens. The graph below shows what screen size most people use as of August 29 2009.

All of the tips listed above all go hand and hand. Each tip should be took in consideration before or during every design process. I know this article was very short but I hoped you have learned something from it. I will try to make longer post in the future that are more valuable.