Website templates are very affordable and they save you a lot of effort and time when you want to create a new layout for your website. However, a lot of people make mistakes in the process of choosing and using a web template and end up with something that was unlike the image they had in mind. Here are some guidelines to help you avoid those mistakes.

1. The first obvious mistake you should be aware of is using a template that is very popular. If many people use the same template, your website will not appear unique at all and your credibility as a solid, different website will be tarnished. In other words, you will appear generic just like your next-door neighbours. So you should ensure you look for unique website templates so that you can put a unique website. You may have to set aside certain amount of money for unique templates as the free webdesign templates on the internet may not really give you the opportunity to have a unique website since most webmasters will using these free web design templates. You can even pay so that your very own unique templates can be designed for you.

2. The whole point of using a web template is to save time and effort. You just change the title and appropriate details and you’re done. The biggest mistake one makes is to customize the template beyond recognisation. While that may be good in the sense that you’re creating a unique graphic, you’re defying the very purpose of using a web template — saving time and effort.

However, on the opposite side, if a template you purchase is suitable but some changes must be made to suit your site’s theme, then you will have to take some time to make the changes. For example, you can find a very nice template that suits your hobby site except the original designer has put an image of stamps in the header. You can find images of garden plants and spades to replace the stamps for your gardening hobby site. However, do only make the necessary changes and don’t redesign the whole template.

3. In some circumstances, some people simply make the wrong choice of templates. This is a very subjective issue but you have to be careful in selecting templates to suit your audience. Do not choose templates just because they are pretty, choose them because they serve your purpose.

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]]> http://1designers.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/web-design3-mistakes-to-avoid-when-using-web-templates/feed/ 0 1designers http://1designers.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/how-to-become-a-professional-web-designer/ http://1designers.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/how-to-become-a-professional-web-designer/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:50:43 +0000 1designers http://1designers.wordpress.com/?p=10 ]]> How to become a professional web designerWhat is a Website?

A website is a collection of web pages or a location within the worldwide web that serves individuals, organizations, businesses, government and non-government agencies without which noting will operate on the global platform know as the internet.

Who is a web designer?

Web designers are those who are experts in the art of web designing. They are those who see to the day-to-day running of thousands of virtual home and online businesses over the internet network.

Web designing involves the unleashing of creativity in artistic design and the whole basic structure or navigational flow of a website.

Therefore, a major duty of a web designer is to ensure the proper front end designer of a website using tools html, css, JavaScript, WYSIWYG tools like Microsoft Front page, dream weaver, Macromedia fireworks etc.

What to know:

Presently, you are required to have a good understanding of the WYSIWYG tools. Meant for building professional websites,WYSIWG means “What You See Is What You Get”. They are software applications specifically meant for building professional websites.

Several years ago, we are made to understand that you must have good knowledge of HTML or XHTML before you can design a website. But all these have changed with the coming of WYSIWG tools. Some of the WYSIWG tools also allow you to upload your website when you are through with it for the whole world to see.

Personally I use Microsoft Front Page and Macromedia Dream Weaver to design my websites. I use them because they are simple to use.

Other WYSIWG softwares that are available are Nano web editor, instant site maker, web easy professional etc. These softwares generate the html codes the moment you place your work into them from word environment.

Now a day, however, the use of web templates are common. You can create a fully developed, interactive web page in few minutes using web templates.

You can search for top websites on the internet to see how most of the great websites are designed. Most time I have done this to have a feel of what templates I am going to use for a particular website or how I am going to design the template if I am designing from the scratch.

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The first thing you will need to build a Web site is basic computer skills. In other words, you need to know how to find your way around a computer. This may seem a ridiculously obvious skill, but you would be surprised at the number of people today who feel the need to build a Web site without being entirely sure of what a Web site is. Of course, since you are reading this article, you should already have the basic skills needed to build a site.

First of all, you will need to have a reliable computer with access to the Internet. Clearly, you cannot build a Web site using pen and paper. A Web site may be created using any computer that can connect to the Internet, but if you are a beginner, it is to your advantage to have a high-quality machine. This will enable you to find the tools to use quickly, and will also help you to achieve much faster results.

Planning

If you want a truly superior Web site, then you need to start planning it properly. This will help you to envision your site. The first thing you should consider is your goal. What do you want your site to do? Is it for business? Do you plan to use it to sell an item or service? Do you want your site to act as a hub for a specific group of people? Do you want it to provide information to visitors? Answering these questions will help you understand what your site must do, which in turn will help to achieve your goals.

In defining your objectives, you actually pave the way to attain them. This is because once you start visualizing goals, you cannot help but think of ways to achieve those goals. Once you know what your site will do, the next step is to design your site. This is still part of the planning process. For many people, the word “design” conjures up the aesthetic aspects of an object. However, Web design is not just about how your site will look. Designing your site involves taking into consideration the various objectives of your site, and then thinking about how your site will achieve them. Designing your Web site means learning which features to incorporate, and how they can help achieve your objectives.

Many people, especially beginners, who create Web sites tend to “wing it” and begin constructing a site without a proper plan. They come up with design ideas during the construction process and just incorporate whatever occurs to them while the site is being built. Although this may work for a very few people, beginners are generally discouraged from doing this. Why? Well, thinking about what you need just as you are constructing the site can cause unnecessary delays. This can eat up your time and resources, which is something that you definitely cannot afford.

Another effect produced by lack of planning is that you will be easily distracted from actually completing the Web site. Although it is said that a Web site needs continuous improvement, you must realize that you cannot keep working on it without actually opening the site. People who fail to make Web site design plans before they begin construction often end up taking a very long time to launch a site with which they are fully satisfied. Without a clear goal, you will never reach your objective.

Construction

The construction stage is, of course, the next step. When building a website, a beginner is usually encouraged to use a program that enables him or her to easily construct a website without personally writing the code. A good HTML editor will allow you to form a simple Web site. The advantage of using an editor is that it is very simple. If you know how to operate a computer, you will be able to build a site using this tool.

The disadvantage to using an HTML editor is that you are somewhat limited in the scope of what the program will allow you to create. Although programs today offer a number of options build your Web site, those options still may not duplicate the precise appearance you envision for your Web site. This means that you may not be able to realize your vision in its entirety.

Another option is to code the website yourself. Learning to use HTML and other computer languages will certainly help you to create a proper Web site by yourself. The disadvantage of this is that it can be a somewhat slow process. Still, the knowledge can be very valuable and you will be able to fully customize your Web site.

If you are a beginner and still plan to create a site for business, then you should consider hiring a programmer. Since you already have plans and web designs, all you will need to do is translate those plans into code that computers can understand. Rather than doing the translation yourself, you can hire people who know the language and who can build the site for you. Of course, this can be much more expensive than using an editor program or encoding the site yourself.

Launching

Building a website is typically done offline, although there are a few online programs, such as WordPress, that allow you to construct the site over the Internet. Online publishing programs are great tools for practicing and are ideal for beginners, since they come with a user interface that is simple and can help you to easily put together a site. Still, the major of sites are built offline and then launched on the Internet through a host.

“Launching” is a term that refers to the activity of actually putting your site on the Internet. When a site is launched, it immediately becomes accessible to people online. In order to launch, you first have to find space on the Internet for your site. In order to do this, you must have a host. There are a number of hosting companies today that will allow you to place your site on the Internet and keep it there for a small fee. However, be sure to find a secure host so that your Web site cannot be taken down or compromised. This is very important, especially if you are putting up an online business. You must be able to protect your investment as well as your customers and visitors.

Fine-Tuning

Once you have completed these steps, you have a fully functional online presence. However, launching the site is just the beginning of the journey to becoming the owner of a successful site. You need to improve your site constantly, using the opinions of your web visitors as a guide. This will help you to produce the best site for your objectives.

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Another major aspect of your website design is the originality factor. You don’t want a cookie cutter website that looks just like everyone else’s. You should make sure your logo and slogan are used in your website, and that any photos you use are original for your site. You will find that many website companies now allow you to use templates to create your website design and these can be great to quickly get online. However, you will find that your creativity is severely limited and you may not be able to create what you want. The best thing to do is build a website completely from scratch and lay it out the way you feel is best.

If you are unfamiliar with building websites, you may want to go with a professional website design company. Many companies will even design your logo for you and help you come up with a tag line. These companies also have sophisticated programs that can make your web pages look completely unique when compared to other sites online. They can even include custom boxes about your products or videos made for your company. These companies often offer packages to build and maintain your website for a certain amount of time. You can have your site built and then make changes as needed throughout the term of the contract. This is often the best way to go since your products or services may change throughout the year.

In order to be successful online, you need to have a unique, user friendly, website. Having your site custom built is the best way to guarantee both aspects. The best part is that you get complete control over what is done and you say when things should be changed. With a professional company, they will allow you full input into the creative process.

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