Whether you want to pursue a career as a Web designer or you want to
create your own website, it is important to learn Web design the right
way. Many people think that because they can create websites in
Dreamweaver or some other WYSIWIG (What You See Is What You Get) editor,
they can skip all the technical computer stuff.
While it is possible to create a simple website without any technical
programming understanding, it is not wise. Eventually, you’ll run into a
problem that you won’t be able to fix without knowledge of computer
languages or style sheets. Advanced programming knowledge also opens up a
whole new world of Web design possibilities.
The following list represents the right way to learn Web design. The
principles listed are in order from most basic and foundational to most
advanced.
- Design Fundamentals
If you’re creating a website through a
WYSIWIG editor, the principles of design are the most important things
you need to know. Put together a website that is based on good use of
color, composition, visuals and type, and you’ll have a solid foundation
to build from which to build. Remember that any website can be
destroyed with bad design. - HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
HTML forms the
foundation of every website. By knowing HTML, you’ll know how your site
is put together. This knowledge is vital if you are going to fix bugs,
clean up messy code or make tweaks. If you want to work professionally
as a Web designer, you will not be hired without a firm grasp of HTML. - CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
Web designers use style
sheets to change Web elements like layout, font, color and size. Because
CSS is complicated, it can be difficult to learn on the job. Do
yourself a favor and get trained on CSS before you try to apply it to
your site. - JavaScript
You don’t need to know a lot of JavaScript to
design websites, but basic JavaScript knowledge can be a huge help if
you want to complete a simple task like creating a dropdown box, open a
new window through a link or create a rollover image. The more
JavaScript you know, the more extras you’ll be able to add to a site. - Web programming languages
Web programming languages like
PHP, C and Java are some of the tools that Web developers use to create
large websites. Many large companies hire programmers with knowledge of a
certain language to help them write software for their site. If you’re
serious about developing content for the Web or trying to get a Web
development position with a large company, you will need to learn some
of the most popular Web design languages.
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