Plus, I find forums very helpful, for example Estetica Design Forum, DesignForums.co.uk, Designer’s Talk, there’s Digital Point and Sitepoint for more code/technical queries, the WordPress forum is excellent and there’s Warrior Forum for internet marketing issues.
And, you can follow designers on Twitter, and LinkedIn groups and, maybe but not for me, FB groups?
Has anyone any other advice on how to learn web design?
For an introduction, I can recommend Graphic Design Theory by Helen Armstrong, Visual Grammar by Christian Leborg, and the ABC’s of the Bauhaus and Graphic Design Theory by Ellen Lupton and Abbot Miller.
Great recommendations i am looking for any and all input since i recently started working on web sites. If anyone has any other suggestions i would be grateful.
Since we’re on Sitepoint, MarkTheUser – I really found this book useful but this was 5-6 years ago, however the book has been updated twice since then: http://www.sitepoint.com/books/html3/ Build Your Own Website the Right Way Using HTML & CSS - it was a good introduction for me but it depends on your level. I knew a little bit of HTML and CSS before I read it.
There’s so much resource on the net now you can find almost any type of quality information. Books are great too for referencing or (as i’ve used them) to focus on specific elements of design (i.e typography, colour theory etc).
I think the main thing is that you have the self-motivation to play around, and that you enjoy it. I learned almost everything from making and breaking things, and filled the rest in with reading. Good luck!
I always recommend the book The Principles of Beautiful Web Design by Jason Beaird. It’s a fantastic book that goes through tons of the items that kohoutek mentioned. Not only that, but it’s a super interesting read and is very well written.
I recommend ebooks. Thats what i use and it really helps. Forums also…a forum like Sitepoint would be better as this forum has really impacted much in me compared to even my countrymen forumts
I would say the best way to learn web design, well for me anyway, is to read up on it and go along following tutorials whilst doing it. Kind of turning it into a trial and error and just playing around with settings and codes and see what turns out.
Best ways to learn web-design are:
(i)First of all Practice,it is the best way to learn. Practice, practice and practice.
(ii)Learn blogs and web tutorials.
(iii)Attend seminars and join public and private groups.
The best way to learn web design is to use your own “Thoughts & Ideas” and bring them all together.
For example I usually just go to the brooklyn bridge in New York & look at the scene & just come up with ideas from there.
I think the best approach is the so-called “Learn by doing” approach (it seems to apply to most things!) - of course in order to start doing things you will have to read up on how to get started, and add items to your “toolbox”.
My point is that a book in itself is great, but I think most people who read through a book will not remember half of the code examples etc. until they actually sit down and try them out.
A book to me is a “tool”, a source of information, but unless I want to have the book with me at all times to look up things or reference, I have to try out the examples and learn by doing.
I recommend ebooks. Thats what i use and it really helps. Forums also…a forum like Sitepoint would be better as this forum has really impacted much in me compared to even my countrymen forumts
Bingo! Ebooks for a PC/Tablet is the way to go. Plus, they are cheaper and they dont take up space in your crib. You dont need a tablet, but if you do get one, I recommend ASUS Transformer 300.
Disclamer: I don’t work for ASUS, just sharing my setup.
Web design. What do you want to learn? Web design is split two parts: a web designer and a coder. With the web designer, you can learn photoshop, illustrator . . . and with the coder, you can learn html, css, javascript, jquery, flash . . .
