Creating web layouts, logo’s and other graphics is even harder than it looks like. Starting is the hardest part. If you have no experience in Photoshop, or any other software, it’s hard to create the thing you had in your mind. So for all the people who would like to learn some web design, here are some notes, tricks and hints:
- Look carefully at other web layouts. Example: www.webshopsoverzicht.nl/images/webshop1.png (one of my designs)
You might wonder how I got the borders this way. If you zoom in on the picture you will see this: www.boonwebdesign.nl/images/zoom1.png
As you can see, I used a white border and add a soft grey shadow. By zooming in on pictures you can see how other people do it. This way you might learn some “techniques”. But do not copy other peoples’ website.
- Be careful with colors.
Colors are very important! Colors are almost everything. They give people a feeling. Example: Blue calms people, a combination of red and yellow makes people hungry (example: McDonalds). Also, colors can (literally) hurt peoples eyes. Example: www.boonwebdesign.nl/images/colors.png looks worse than www.boonwebdesign.nl/images/colors2.png .
A lot of people make the mistake by choosing the wrong colors.
Last note about the colors: If you are a beginner, do not make dark designs. Dark designs are very hard to make for a lot of people. Try out some colors first.
- Let people review your designs.
If you’re new at designing, ask some people for feedback before you post it on Tbforum, and try to sell it. Everyone gets proud of their own creations, no matter how bad it looks like. Not everyone will find your designs as nice as you do. By asking some members on Tbforum to give you some feedback you can improve your designs en get better at making them. Example: I’ll show you one of my first web layouts: www.boonwebdesign.nl/images/oudelayout.jpg
At that time a really loved it, but as I look back now it looks like crap to me. I did not add some nice details, no titles, no navigation, nothing!
- How to handle negative reactions.
As I already said: everyone loves his or her own layouts at the beginning. This does not mean everyone loves it. Here at Tbforum we like to comment if we do not like a design. Don’t be stubborn, but improve your designs with the comments. This will not only improve your creations, but also yourself. Learn how to deal with negative reactions and comments, even if you do not agree with the owner of the comment.
- Create a “balance” between text and graphics.
There are two things visitors like to see: Text to read and graphics to look at. Don’t ever create a website with text and without graphics or vice versa. To much text will scare people away. No one likes to read a lot as they enter your website! But on the other side: people do want to know what the site is about. If your website only contains graphics and no text they have no clue what the site is about. Try to use text and graphics so there becomes some kind of “balance”. As I started I forgot to use graphics. I only added text. Big mistake!
- The usability
Very important in designing is the usability. Every design has a goal. Banners should inspire you to click on it. A web shop-layout should inspire you to buy a product, etc. Some web designs have in “log-options” or “sign-up options”. You should think about all of these things before you even start creating a design. My advice to you is making sketches on paper. Also mark everything that has to be on the design, such as a Top 3 or a menu. This way you have a good view of how your design should look like. If your primary goal is having people to sign up for your newsletter, you should put that at a place where everyone can see it instantly. Or maybe use a different colour for this section.
Also very important: your website should not look “messy”. Everything should be clear and easy to understand. Example: www.webshopsoverzicht.nl/images/webshop1.png is easier to understand than www.boonwebdesign.nl/images/webshopfout.png
- Setting a price for your design.
This is really hard if you just entered the world of web design. First thing you could do is check out the prices of other designs on Tbforum. This might teach you a lot. An other thing you could do is ask some experts on Tbforum to set a price for you. They can tell you how much your design is worth. Of course, everyone has a different way to set their prices. But this might give you an indication.
- Using images and photos
Most people don’t even know that copying images from other websites is illegal, while this is very important! My advice to you: do not ever copy other peoples images! The fines can be enormous. You might wonder where you should find images instead. There are quite a few websites that sell images and photos for just one or two dollars. Also, there are websites with free images. I would like to refer you to these websites: www.stockxpert.com (my favorite) www.sxc.hu (free stock) www.shutterstock.com www.istockphoto.com www.pdphoto.org/
- And of course, last but not least, read some tutorials!
There are way much more tricks, hints etc. that might help you. This is my advice.
