What got you into webdesign?

Community
41

I don’t quite understand your reply. Did you enter webdesign because you like to attract people?

42

I started designing web pages in my semester course, and want to get good marks and in competition with my friends, i done very well, my teachers appreciated me, later on I started studying further and practicing designing on Photoshop. I love to design, its my passion.

43

First of all my friend opened a website for me and it was kind like had for me to run that website without any knowledge on websites and design, this was my fast step into webdesign and up to now am still in the same thing, I gain experience day by day through forums discussions and searching.

44

having the need to create my own website

45

I started a cartooning diploma about fours ago. It soon dawned on me that i was trying to enter a highly competitive industry and looked at trying to promote myself better. Someone suggested that i create a website to showcase my cartoons. But because i couldn’t afford to pay for one, i got myself and ebook on HTML off ebay and soon found myself hooked.

46

I needed an escape from my fulltime job… doing some freelance webdesign for local companies gave me some confidence to be independent. But I’d like to move on to other things like app development.

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47

Running a small family business 12 years ago (timber yard) I decided that we ‘needed to be online’. I set about learning html, css and built our business a static html site.
I used that website as my learning tool, created it for the customer’s use (NOT me as the designer) and it worked! I included prices, sizes, images, easy contact us forms and included technical specs that were ‘end-user’ readable. That first website I’m sure kept us in business for a few years more than had we not had a ‘working’ website. I often came out first page on Google for searches (early days then) and was proud of it.

From that very first website 12 years ago, by far the biggest thing I have learnt is that YOU HAVE TO BUILD A WEBSITE FOR THE END USER, not what YOU think is a good thing! It doesn’t need to look pretty (it helps though) but it just needs to work!

I’m not a programmer, nor a graphic designer, nor done any university degrees or read books, (but boy I’ve done lots of searching websites online!!). I’m just a practical small business person - been there done that, love what I do and work damned hard to keep happy and appreciative clients. And they refer me on - that has to be a good thing! I NEVER profess to any of my clients however, to being anything other than I am - totally self-taught but practical and honest.

I build my client sites, host them, provide 24/7 personal service, travel heaps with my retired husband, (I love an online business!!) and love life!

I believe there are “probably” 2 sets of web people out there - the real nerdy ones who’ve done the uni, the courses, know all the coding and programming stuff, work for others, go home each night with a clear head, build fabulous sites for corporate and major companies, and then there’s small business web folk like myself who prefer the small business end of town, been there done that, don’t need the hi tech stuff but create sites that - quite simply - work. We also tend to work weird hours!

Both sides have their pros and cons (and I’m not knocking any of you hi-tech folk, you do great stuff) - where do you fit in?

48

  1. I started a blog.

  2. I love the creativity I get to use!