If you want to be a graphic designer, print designer, or creative, stop procrastinating. You are one step behind everyone every day if you don’t take the first step.
These steps will help you learn how to build your first website and industry best practices. All this in just 30 days!
1. Start a website
It is the best way to learn web design is to actually do it. David Kadavy, the author of Design Hackers. It is a good idea to start a blog. My blog was started to provide a place for web designers, and seven years later I published a book about the subject. A blog is a personal project that allows you to try new things and your boss won’t fire you for it. Start small. You don’t need a huge website or a crazy design. You can play with the website and figure out what works. You can begin to understand the basics of how your website works by inspecting the code. You want to quickly get started? First, create a visual sitemap. Wix, a website builder, can give you a head start with a beautiful website design as you learn the building blocks and concepts of a website.
2. Learn Everything You Can
Learn everything you can about website design trends and best practices. Follow the designers you admire on Facebook. You can also browse the internet for information about website design. Learn the basics of code and design theory, and see tutorials.
3. Be An Effective Communicator
You don’t have to be the most articulate person in the world. Communication is a key part of website design. Designers of websites need to communicate regularly with clients to determine the problem they are trying to solve. They also have to communicate their solutions and then implement them.
4. Subscribe to Tuts+ and Envato Elements
Tuts+ offers regular courses in graphic and web design. These range from the basics to the most advanced techniques and developments. The course is completely self-paced and taught by experienced instructors. Envato Elements is also available, which can be used to find templates and graphics to add to your web design projects.
5. Think HTML
HTML (or hypertext markup language) is the cornerstone of website design. HTML is the foundation of website design. Once you are able to read it, everything else will be easier. W3Schools offers a great HTML starter tutorial that includes hundreds of HTML examples you can use on the screen to learn how it works. It might be easier than you thought.
6. Codeacademy – Play with Code
HTML is a great place to start. Codeacademy can teach you almost every programming language. This free tool teaches you how to
code interactively using games and activities. Codeacademy courses can be taken wherever and whenever you want them. You can also stop and start as often as you like. Choose a topic to learn: web development, programming or data science. Or choose a language to focus on: HTML & CSS (a great starting point), Python, Java SQL, Ruby and many more.
7. Learn how to understand CSS
Mozilla has an excellent collection of CSS resources that can be used to help you get started. These include selectors, properties, writing CSS rules and applying CSS to HTML. You will also learn how to specify length, colors, inheritance, box models basics, and how to debug CSS. Modules then explain styling text and boxes.
8. Use your design skills to create the web
You may already be working in graphic design or creative fields. Think about what you know and how you can use it to design websites. You can still make something visually appealing regardless of the medium, and all the design theory you know will be useful in digital spaces. Even though learning how to code may not feel natural, it is an advantage to have a background in design. If one doesn’t want to interact with a website that is beautifully coded, what good is it?