Introduction
HTML
Website design begins with HTML. A common abbreviation for Hypertext Markup Language, HTML is the first component of the trio of technical abilities that every designer needs when performing website design.
HTML is used by designers to organize the content and structure of their sites. Titles, keywords, metadata, and textual content of a site can all be organized with HTML. In the early days of web design, designers could rely upon HTML and a decent graphics program to create good looking websites. Designers knew of certain ways to organize the style and content of their sites within one document, but this exceeded the original function of HTML.
HTML was only designed to be able to work specifically with content and a small number of images. Savvy designers could produce decent websites by pushing the parameters of HTML. Today, HTML is still a valuable necessity that can easily be learned to produce excellent websites, but only when it is used in conjunction with CSS.
CSS
Known as Cascade Style Sheets, CSS is HTML’s dynamic partner. CSS is essentially a set of rules that determine the look and feel of a web designer’s website. Using CSS, designers can add background images, change the size of banner font, and allow hyperlinks to interact and respond to user actions. For example, if a user were to scroll over a link to another site, CSS can be used to make the ink change color when the mouse hovers over it. Also, a few minor changes to the style sheet can result in dynamic cosmetic changes to the website that would take many more actions in HTML.
Learning CSS is not particularly difficult, and when it is properly used, it saves website designers valuable time in maintaining and making changes to the site. HTML and CSS are terrific ways to create appealing static pages that display information, but websites of today need to utilize JQuery or JavaScript as well in order to promote more user interaction.
Learn the Basics of Coding
JavaScript and JQuery
The internet is rapidly evolving from a directory of static informational pages to sites dictated by user interactivity. When combined with HTML and CSS, JavaScript and its simpler cousin, JQuery, provide websites with the interactivity that today’ users have come to expect in a website. With JavaScript or JQuery, website pages are no longer simply pages of text and images. Rather, they are essentially mini applications that promote user activity and provide users with interesting and appealing moving animation that captures their attention.
Search boxes, mouse over drop down boxes, and email submit forms are just a few examples of JavaScript that can be found on nearly every website today. Anyone interested in learning web design fast should take a little time to master the basics of HTML and CSS first, and then move on to JavaScript, as it is necessary in nearly every modern website.
A Good Graphics Program
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the only coding languages that someone interested in website design will need to learn. There is an abundance of tutorials that easily teach these languages, and a dedicated person can learn them all in a matter of a few weeks of study and practice.
The last necessity for effectively learning web design is to have a graphics package that enables the addition of vibrant images to a website. Photoshop is a handy program that can benefit every web designer, but it is by no means necessary. There are a few free shareware products that can perform almost the same function as Adobe’s flagship graphics product. However, a website designer needs to have the ability to adjust the colors, size, and quality of the pictures they plan on using on their sites.
While having the ability to customize images is critical to website design, aspiring web designers also need to learn color theory and how some color combinations work better than others. This can be done through simple observation, as many popular websites understand design layout and color theory. Often, simply mimicking their design choices is the fastest way to design a stellar website.
Final Words
Designing and constructing appealing websites is not expensive, but a little time commitment is necessary to learn the basics of HTML and CSS. After attaining a rudimentary understanding of how to use these essential coding languages and getting up and running in the design of a website, JavaScript or JQuery can be learned next in order to make the site more interesting and interactive. With these basics under your belt, you can be creating interesting and effective website designs in no time at all.
Andy Ross works for a web design company in Dallas TX and writes about all things web design.
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