How Do You Start ...

[Killian]

hi,
ive been doing website design for about 3 months now but have only just come across how to start a website, (From the top of the page i.e Banner) i was just interested to know how you people start, i know some ppl do all the graphics first then position them and various others. well just wondered and to give me new ideas and to se if your ways are easier.

Killian

 

[NetButch]

I start with a pad and a pencil.

I list what I want to present.. the the order of importance

next I rough sketch graphics and layout.

finally I get text figured out.

when doing the computer work.. I just work on whatever I feel like at the moment... maybe graphics, maybe text, maybe navigation.. etc.

not much to go on..

Good Luck.

 

[Killian]

hi,
ye i start with pad and pencil and make a basic layout. i meant the computer work incase any1 is wondering.

 

[blouis]

Well what I do is probably a little differnent from what others do. I just sit in photoshop and make and re-make a header image or an image I like. Once I got that, I just look at the picture and I see a site layout come to me. after I got that, then i draw on paper how I want the table positioned or where i want links, text, images, all that stuff, then i make the layout with nothing it(just the table fountation) Then I start putting images in there, and the links then CSS and then i worry about content when i get the stuff writtten up. Hope that helps.

 

[adam_uk]

i just make a mess in photoshop and in my code until im happy

the first attempt at a website i do is never the one i stick with i do it about 4 or 5 times

 

[CatsEyeDesigns]

As already stated, everyone works differently, so my way is not the only way or even the best way, but it's the way that works for me.

The first thing I do, is get a basic idea of how the site will work (navigation requirements, average page size, etc.) so that I have an idea of the size that things need to be and how much content is going to need to fit into the design.

The next thing is to gather a few visual concepts. If the site is going to sell widgets, I try to come think of photos or drawings of widgets to come up with a theme idea.

Once I've got a theme in mind, I open up photoshop to edit any photos or create any complex pices of art that will function as the basis for the website design. On some websites, I use 3DS Max to do 3D artwork instead of photoshop, but not very often. Then, I take it into fireworks to design the layout, the navigation and structure of the site. From fireworks, all the "pieces" get sliced up and exported.

Then, everything is handcoded in ColdFusion Studio (no particular reason, it's just my code editor of choice.)

Hope that helps.

 

[wicked_gal00]

I usually make the rough layout in photoshop and work from there.

 

[ntrance]

We do a lot of templates for websites, sometimes as many as 2 or 3 a day. Usually I start out with one idea in photoshop that becomes 2 or 3 ideas as I try different things.

Every PSD gets saved, wether it was crap or not, there is often the nugget of a good idea when you go back to look at it 3 or 4 days later.

 

[Darren]

I never use rough sketches on paper before I design. I also give my design alot of thought before jumping into it though.

I have a template on my computer which I call a 'Default Template'. I make a copy of it and start my websites using that. All it basically is are the main HTML headers/footers and some CSS code, with some pre-made tables.

Using that, I just work from the top down, starting on the header of my design and working down to the footer, trying several ideas before I move on.

 

[shyflower]

The most important thing on a page is the content. Without it, the page is just a "design".

Start by writing good content and then build your graphics around it to "frame it". Next add the xhtml and css to make it all work together (and the scripts if needed).

 

[Lord]

i sketch out an image, than try to set up the links first :p than the content :P

 

[Peachy]

I agree with Shyflower. The content should dictate the design.
Sometimes I just enjoy making banners, but for serious work I look first at the message I want to convey.

Most web sites are built to sell a product or idea. The visitor should first see the product followed by a factual description of it. Flash and all those extras we love can be very annoying to the visitor who is seeking information and is probably very impatient.

I am guilty of using meaningless graphics which appealed to me. A potential customer will probably not even notice them unless they evoke a pleasant emotional response. Someone who is thinking of buying an air compressor is not interested in an image of pretty people. On the other hand it is easier to sell a house design if you show previously satisfied customers and quote a few words as a testimonial.

 

[Kodeking]

Three words: Content then design

 

[x3knet]

Perfectly stated by kodeking...

See, I'm wierd... I sit at a computer for about 10 minutes... make a HUGE mess in photoshop... slice it up, and make it into a site starting from the top down... so i basically do graphics before images..

 

[Lauren Stephens]

Originally posted by Darren
I never use rough sketches on paper before I design. I also give my design alot of thought before jumping into it though.

I have a template on my computer which I call a 'Default Template'. I make a copy of it and start my websites using that. All it basically is are the main HTML headers/footers and some CSS code, with some pre-made tables.

Using that, I just work from the top down, starting on the header of my design and working down to the footer, trying several ideas before I move on.

ditto

and i was starting to think im a freak for not using paper!

Originally posted by x3knet
Perfectly stated by kodeking...

See, I'm wierd... I sit at a computer for about 10 minutes... make a HUGE mess in photoshop... slice it up, and make it into a site starting from the top down... so i basically do graphics before images..

can someone tell me how to slice up photoshop??

this must sound like a dumb question, but i have NO idea where or how this is done!

it is my understanding that you can just make one huge image, then slice it into little ones and then it gets all put together by code basically.

ya ive been doing this a few years, just never figured that part out.

and unfortunately, ive only got PS 5