Becoming a better designer

Hey people.

I have been a coder for the past 6 years or so, but I have not really took a big step into the world of graphics, hence when my (or someones) site is finished, there are normally no graphics, and if there are graphics, they are not of the best quality.

I advertise locally and work is kind of starting to come around, so I would appreciate any guidance/tips on how to create visually attractive sites, as I only produce plain, text based.

Thanks guys

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...I would appreciate any guidance/tips on how to create visually attractive sites

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Set yourself a target to learn some of the principles that apply to Graphic Design. You make attractive pages by utilizing basic things like: Alignment, Space, Proximity, Colour, Repeating page elements etc. These will affect how easy to use and 'attractive' a page will visually look. The good thing is you don't even need a graphics package to start using these things.

All you need to do is scan some of the websites featured in the "How's my site" forum here at WDF to see that a lot of people have the mindset that some how the fundamentals of Graphic Design do not apply when designing for the web.

If you dive head first into something like Photoshop for producing graphics at this stage you will be pumping out cheap bevel & emboss styled text.

In short, master the basics first.

http://www.mundidesign.com/presentation/index2.html
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/graph...signbasics.htm
http://www.msu.edu/~glazered/tc801/graphic.html

Have you thought about taking a class?

bfsog,

Design is a very involved process. The best way, I think, to begin is to look at what other people are doing and try to duplicate their work. Also, read tutorials and practice with design software to learn all the latest tricks and techniques. Once you have the necessary skills, try to find creative ways to apply them to each client's needs. Each client is different, and thus should look different. You have to market clients appropriately - make their website fit their business.

thanks

Thanks for the responses. Since starting this thread I have been reading design tutorials (mainly from about.

As transio put it, each client should be different, which was one of the factors for me seeking advice. Regardless of the site, I only think in one way, I have to try and open my eyes more huh?

Also it probably doesnt help that I have had only one client, other than my site, to design?