In this economy many web site owners are becoming do it yourselfers where they take over actual web design and change maintenance. As in anything in life there are pros and cons to doing this, so before you jump into the web design pool you need to be aware of some of them. What is not included below is the use of a Content Management Systems (CMS), as that would be a whole new posting. If you still want to go ahead and DIY I have included a list of some free and not so free tools below to get you started.
Pros
- Absolute control of the cost. If your budget is $0.00 and you have a lot of time on your hands this may make sense
- This allows you to exercise your creative talents which can be a reward in itself.
- Your site will look and feel exactly the way you want it to look.
- If you must have it done right now this may make sense.
Cons
- A poorly designed site looks amateurish and may turn away customers.
- Site navigation may not allow your customers to find what they are looking for.
- Web design requires a complex skill set including the use of HTML tags, search engine optimization and tools.
- Profession web design tools can be expensive.
- You have to know how to upload your site and any changes via FTP.
- The learning curve – if you don’t know what you are doing it might never get done.
Tools
Tools can be broken down into 3 categories: Page or HTML Editors, Graphic Design Programs and Publishing Tools. There can be overlaps in some of the tools like Page Editors and Publishing Tools. The following lists include both free and commercial tools
.
HTML or Page Editors
- Komodo Edit $0.00 – While this free and open source editor makes writing code easy it may not be the best tool for a beginner.
- CoffeeCup HTML Editor $0.00 to $49 – Designed for those getting started in Web Design the free version is only a text editor. To get the full WYSIWYG experience you need to purchase the Full Version CoffeeCup HTML Editor
- SeaMonkey all-in-one internet application suite $0.00 – Supported by the Mozilla Foundation SeaMonkey includes a browser, mail client and web design tools.
- Amaya Web Editor for WIndows, Mac and Linux $0.00 – Hosted by W3C the organization which sets the standards for Web Design and Applications.
- Adobe Dreamweaver $399 – This is the most popular web development tool with professional web designers.
Graphic Editors
- Photoshop $699 to $999 – The tool of first choice for graphics artists.
- Adobe Illustrator for the Web $599 – A professional tool for designing vector graphics.
- Paint Shop Photo Pro $99.99 – Many designers start with this tool and then upgrade to Photoshop. There are many tutorials available for using it for web site graphic design.
- Free Graphics Software list at About.com
Publishing Tools (FTP Software)
- FileZilla $0.00 – This is what we use when we need to FTP pages outside of our development environment. The price is right and it does everything most web designers need. Versions for both Windows and MAC are available.
- Comparison of various other FTP software at Wikipedia
Skill Sets – Learning how to do it
The following list gives links to several websites which provide HTML design tips, tutorials and advice. This list is not complete and will probably be added to as time goes on.
- Getting started with HTML
- Web Design Basics at About.com
- w3schools free tutorials
- W3C Web Design and Applications
- Smashing Magazine
- Net Tuts+ Tutorials
- Web Designer Wall – Tutorials
- A List Apart
This is too much for me!
Overwhelmed by all this? We can help you with small changes to an existing site, a design of a new site or a complete redesign of your existing website. Contact contact our Help Desk and let us know what needs to be done. Someone will get back to you within one working day to provide a free quote.
No related posts.
