I'm New to Web Design, Where Should I Start?

This is a question that has plagued many a budding Web Designer. First of all though, I would like to just quickly point out the difference between Web Design and Web Development. Again, this blog is aimed at helping out beginners and so if the examples and descriptions used here are a little on the simplistic side, please keep that in mind.

So, what is the difference then? Well, I always tend to think of development in terms of applications that go on a Web site and design in terms of the Web site itself. According to ProfitGate Incorporated, Web Design can be summed up like this: "The arrangement and creation of web pages that in turn make up a web site." Wikipedia on the other hand has this to say about Web Development: "among web professionals, 'web development' usually refers only to the non-design aspects of building web sites." These descriptions seem pretty lose huh? Well, the good news is that you shouldn't have to worry too much about that because you will be unlikely to fit in to both classes. I say that because Web design and development are such huge fields that you will never master everything, so your best bet is to find your niché and work at it to become proficient in that field. This doesn't mean that you don't dabble in other fields as this is a great way to gain further knowledge of the industry and practices. But don't let it become a distraction.

Okay, let's get back to the question posed in the title. As a Web designer, I have found the following sites to be essential viewing. SitePoint is a wealth of information with everything from books and articles to forums and blogs. I have a massive collection of their books and these have helped me to develop as a Web designer in a huge way over the course of 2008. Their forums are a great place to learn too as help is always just around the corner. Another good place for tips, tutorials and articles is A List Apart. This is usually my first port of call -other than my books of course- to find answers to the problems that arise when developing a web site. Once I'm sure I can't find the answer in there myself, I usually then head over to the forums and between the two, most things are able to be dealt with. On a side note, if you want to take a look at what is possible with css/html, for pure inspiration you need to check out CSS Zen Garden and the designs that have been put together there. They are truly amazing!

If you want to get straight in to the nitty-gritty of building (designing) a Web site, "Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way Using HTML & CSS" by Ian Lloyd (published by SitePoint) is the perfect place to start. You will find other books there that will tempt you, but this is the one to start with in my humble opinion. The most important thing when you first get into Web design is to build a solid foundation, and this is what this book will give you.

You can look at more formal courses etc. but in all honesty, this can be an expensive way to try something out only to find that you don't like it. This is why I suggested the book and the web sites to begin with, as it makes for a cheap way to test the waters. The other thing to keep in mind when considering a course is that many courses use outdated methods and techniques, but there is nothing to stop you taking the things you learn on the forums, in the books and through the articles and applying them to what you are learning in a course, should you decide to take that path. In all honesty though, there are only two reasons I would do a course:

1. I want to get a job in a big design firm. The unfortunate reality is that many of these big firms require people with qualifications. This is just the way it is. Maybe they just need to know that you can be a good little automaton and do everything they tell you to do, without question. But whatever the reason, it is usually a requirement for employment with these big design firms.
2. To further ground my knowledge in the fundamentals. Any course you do will only ever be a pre-apprenticeship and you need to keep in mind that your main learning will come on the job. Like anything though, being self taught can lead to the development of bad habits so it's sometimes good to have an experienced and knowledgeable person that you can go to to point out things you could do more efficiently.

So, you've decided that you want to give Web design a go. The links provided here should give you a fairly solid start. There are many other fantastic tutorials and web sites out there and a search on Google will help you to find them. But there is also a lot of rubbish out there too, so hopefully what I have provided you with here will help you to get through the maze a little bit.

I wish you all good luck with your designs and urge you to remember to be patient. You're not going to be a gun designer over night, so remember to take the good advice you get from others and most importantly, learn from the many mistakes that you will make.