New Web Designer

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1

Hi all,

I’m looking to become a web designer, however there are far to many books, and websites out there, which confuse. So i thought i would look to a forum for help. My main questions are:

Where do i start?
What do i need to be a web designer?
Programmes? Software? How expensive will it be?
Do i need to learn development code too?

I need some guidelines.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

New web designer

2

I suspect you’ll get dozens of different answers to this question. My own advice would be to start with basics of HTML and CSS. Get on top of that before you venture into programming languages, databases, etc. But that’s just my opinion, for what it’s worth.

But it’s also worth asking why you want to learn web design. If it’s because you like acquiring new skills, or you enjoy the challenge of something new, or because you fancy the idea of creating your own sites … in all those cases, I would encourage you to give it a try, and wish you the best of luck.

But if your reason is that you hope to get a job as a web designer, or perhaps set up your own web design company, then I would advise you to be cautious. It’s a competitive field, and if you are starting from absolute zero … well, to be brutally frank, it could be a long hard road to success.

Mike

3

Hi, newwebdesigner, and welcome to the forums.

Miki has given some good advice. I’ll try and answer your main questions.

Buy a good, basic book on HTML4 and CSS and start with that.

To get started, all you need is a basic text editor and a browser, so it won’t cost you anything at all. A code editor will help, but again there are a number of free programmes available. There is a thread on the subject which you may find helpful.

I’m not sure what you mean by that. You certainly need to learn HTML and CSS. After that, you’ll probably want to add JavaScript and a server-side language such as PHP, but learn the basics first and see where that takes you.

4

that is a good place to get started to learn different types of code and how they are used. Start with HTML. Also check out adobe’s website. They have a lot of video tutorials on different things. May be a little too advanced for you but check it out anyways. And also youtube. I am a visual person. So seeing what people do and how they do it is easier for me. also helps if they have sound and walk you through the steps. I’m sure there are plenty of videos there.

5

I used to think so, too, but I’ve since learned otherwise. See http://w3fools.com/ for an explanation of why, and links to more dependable resources.

6

Wow… Thanks for that link. Had no idea it was that bad. I’ve heard things in the past but didn’t think too much of it.

7

[OT]

Glad to help. You and me both are getting a great education at SitePoint :)[/OT]