Web site design help please

[CiS]

So, I have to build a website for this class I am taking. And although I have been working in the IT field for over 5 years I do mostly network administration and have 0 experience in designing/creating web sites. Being the anal person that I am I decided that if I was going to do it I would try to do it pretty well. For all of you web admins/designers/gurus out there what is the best way to design and create a site from scratch? I am not going to write the code. I am planning on using Dreamweaver.

Is it easy to design it in Photoshop and the use that as a template for Dreamweaver? I have some videos that I need to watch but looking for some input on the best way to do it. Also if anyone has some good Photoshop or Dreamweaver sites that would be great too. Thanks for your help!

[jazzedup]

Yeah! Dreamweaver and Photoshop is a great combo for web designing.

Here are some resources:
http://www.designphase.net/
http://www.mickm.com/
http://www.capitaltutorials.com/


I recommend that you learn CSS and XHTML. They'll help you a lot when converting photoshop work into templates. For converting photoshop images into templates, you need to use the Slice technique.

Anyway, It'll take quite some time for learning CSS and XHTML from scratch(around a week or 2). But if you already have an idea of XHTML, then it'll be easy.

By the way, you can also google for Web Templates or something like that if you want to reduce the designing work. After downloading the templates, just change some CSS codes to make it look different. You can also use blog templates if you have enough skill to convert it to static pages (not a big deal).

All the best!

[enter8]

99.9% of all graphic designers are thieves. The polite term would be 'influenced by' but in reality, it's theft. Find a few sites you like, grab the source code, combine elements you like and tweak it just enough so that it's not a carbon copy of the original.

Photoshop is for images and, unless the newer versions have given it substantially increased functionality, it isn't suitable for web page design. Photoshop images are pixel based (rasterized) whereas web pages are defined by code (markup language).

Depending on the complexity of the design, Word can usually output to html fairly well. I haven't tried it, but I'd bet Powerpoint would output well also. Your best bet, though is probably Dreamweaver.

[CiS]

Thanks for the info so far. I'll be checking out the links today. I also got a few of the Linda.com tutorials on Dreamweaver to watch.

[SeaPlankton]

I agree with the posts thus far, the programs mentioned are good. Graphic designers freely admit to "heavily borrowing" others art, but few pass other's work off as work done by themselves. Think about what you like (on the Web, and use it as a basis for your design). This site is nice, and the culmination of a lot of work. If you don't want to enter code, it will be hard if not impossible to make it unique or add any special features.

I'm so bored with web-sites now, I don't even bother. I've made about 3 or 4.

[SeaPlankton]

Alternative to Photoshop is Corel Draw package. M$ do Frontpage I think in the Office package, that is an alt. to Dreamweaver.

[jazzedup]

Front page doesn't come close to Dreamweaver. Not even Expression Web.

As for Corel Draw, it's good, but I feel it's a bit complicated.

[Mohanish]

Well designers are not thief. I could help u with designing. I design with photoshop and code with notepad. Well if u are interested PM.

[HelenaP]

Can you hear me now?

[killahill]

Just download a free .css template and edit it to suit your needs.
www.freecsstemplates.org:icon_thum

[HelenaP]

Originally Posted by Mohanish

Well designers are not thief. I could help u with designing. I design with photoshop and code with notepad. Well if u are interested PM.

Um...yes we are. We call it borrowing, but it's the same thing. We modify the code of others. Of course they never really teach you this in school.

Here are a few more if you want to use CSS -

http://www.csszengarden.com/
(looking to list at the right, you can see different designs that can be made with the same CSS source. Also included is the HTML.)

http://www.mezzoblue.com/zengarden/alldesigns/

http://www.mezzoblue.com/zengarden/resources/

[zeroes00]

There are some pretty good tutorials in the DreamWeaver help that comes with the software. I don't think Corel Draw comes anywhere close to Photoshop.

[Mrs Robinson]

Sure the above mentioned packages are fine for arty types.

However if you like programming try Ruby on Rails.

It really is easy to get started and make really useful websites.

Websites like Twitter use it.

[arnoldsmithh]

Originally Posted by CiS

So, I have to build a website for this class I am taking. And although I have been working in the IT field for over 5 years I do mostly network administration and have 0 experience in designing/creating web sites. Being the anal person that I am I decided that if I was going to do it I would try to do it pretty well. For all of you web admins/designers/gurus out there what is the best way to design and create a site from scratch? I am not going to write the code. I am planning on using Dreamweaver.

Is it easy to design it in Photoshop and the use that as a template for Dreamweaver? I have some videos that I need to watch but looking for some input on the best way to do it. Also if anyone has some good Photoshop or Dreamweaver sites that would be great too. Thanks for your help!

Photoshop is for creating lay out or design and by the help of dreamweaver you mention links there. Though its a great combination.