Course for web developer to learn design?
My strength is in web development. I have a strong knowledge of HTML, Coldfusion, PHP, SQL and JavaScript. For design, I’m also very knowledgable in CSS and jQuery (including AJAX). I can put all of this together into a website or web application no problem. But, the end result is never something I’m very visually satisfied with. And I know if I’m not happy with it, others are going to feel the same way.
Can anyone recommend an outstanding course (up to 5 days) or online training that could help me out? I’m looking for something advanced enough to be able to teach me the principles, must-haves, must-avoids, tips, tricks, etc. to design a website that’s on par with popular websites of today (as opposed to basic, run-of-the-mill, brochure-like websites.) FYI: I have a budget through work, so I can pay for the training and for travel within the US if necessary.
Thanks!
Thank you for the answers thusfar. I appreciate it! I do need, however, some sort of knowledge of the techniques, which I think I can get from a class. "king," I think you’re right on… Looking at great site design is a good way to start. But, I need to know what I’m looking for. Ix, graphic design courses sound like they might work. Can you suggest any for professionals (as opposed to college courses)? Thanks again!
Tagged with: ajax • brochure • budget • coldfusion • end result • fyi • graphic design courses • jquery • necessary thanks • sql • web application
Filed under: Website Design Training
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First, I’ll answer your question directly, but then I’d like to suggest some online resources and books that could help accomplish your goal. I’m a web developer, too, and I struggle with aesthetically-pleasing designs. My best solution: hire a designer.
Adaptive Path offers a great conference (Aug 24-27 in San Francisco) on User Experience:
http://www.uxweek.com/
Adaptive Path (http://www.adaptivepath.com) also offers training, though it would probably be expensive for just a single person.
You may want to look at some online sources of inspiration for good design examples, and just learn from the sites that are successful. I have a few RSS feeds that I read regularly for great design tips:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com
The best way to make a good design is to look for other good designs, and mix elements from several of them to build your own.
I would also highly recommend these books:
The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Beautiful-Web-Design/dp/0975841963/ref=sr_1_1?tag=clearwish-20&ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271616372&sr=8-1
The Web Designer’s Idea Book
http://www.amazon.com/Web-Designers-Idea-Book-Ultimate/dp/1600610641/ref=sr_1_5?tag=clearwish-20&ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271616372&sr=8-5
The Design of Sites
http://www.amazon.com/Design-Sites-Patterns-Creating-Winning/dp/0131345559/ref=sr_1_15?tag=clearwish-20&ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271616372&sr=8-15
Good luck. Feel free to contact me through my website if I can be helpful.
http://www.buckeyeinnovation.com
Hello Dear.
I guess that if you want to get much of experiences at Web design you should do:
* Look at the most Websites which they are designed professionally ,then you should make like them.
You should use appropriate tools and techniques .
Don’t confuse ,you just start by the easiest part .
You should learn that design and building of websites is like painting,It is creative process,and can’t be studied.
Regards..
I’m a Visual Arts student in college and am currently in an Artistic Website Design course. Basically, you won’t be able to take a course to learn how to make them more appealing. To make a website more aesthetic is an artistic process that is something that you can study a little bit, but it will only really come from practice and your own eye for design. The basic way I create my websites, is I start out with a sketch of how I feel the website should look and then create mock ups in Photoshop and Illustrator to make sure that it is aesthetically pleasing and functional. From there, I actually build the website and make the subtle changes that are needed.
If you want to learn, take art courses for graphic design or similar studies. They will teach you a bit more about aesthetics and design as a whole and what all will impact different things. It will be in general and will apply to web design as well. It’s a long, tough road and something that you will have to devote a lot of time to. Study other successful websites and try and analyze what makes them good as well. It’s a lot of work, but it will pay off in the end.
Based on the requirements of you, a variety of programs are now available for designing.
123elearning.com
The online class will help you to understand how to design Web graphics and the techniques used in Paint Shop Pro came in useful when using other graphic programs. The projects are excellent.