Great Vid.. since I've started watching your Vids I have come on leaps & bounds.. I was intimidated to get my portfolio up as I'm making a transition from a freelance print designer to a digital/web designer.. But after taking your advice, and getting it up and applying for some jobs I've had lots of feedback and several interviews.. You're definitely giving something back and making a significant contribution.. Keep up the good work and thanks for your help, inspiration and motivation..
How do you handle clients that have little to no content. They want a website, but they don't really have a slogan or any kind of marketing text. I run across this a lot.
@MrAgatonovic Arial and Georgia are fonts that show up the same way no matter what system, device, or browser you are viewing from. Myriad Pro is not a universal font.
ML! I'm curious. I really like the color theme you have going in the site example. Is the content area with the two shades of grey and white at the bottom just a background image? or is it 3 separate divs with a background color applied. I tried to replicate this (using a different color theme) but I couldn't get it to work! Any feedback is appreciated!!
@derickamundo Actually, the background as you see in the video can be applied two ways as you described. You can just have a background image, a 1px image of the color repeating across. Or you can have two separate divs containing those colors as the background. If I were to code this page, I would probably just have separate divs and the color as the background.
Thank you very much for these videoes. Im currently studying Media and Communication and I love webdesign so this helps me a lot! If I had not found your channel I would have had a much harder time doing webdesign. Once again thank you and keep up the great work! :)
Hey Mike, how important would you say xhtml and css coding is for being a web designer or graphic designer? I'd like to advance my skills in web design but at the moment have yet to take courses related to the programming aspect.
I would only suggest that the choice between Arial and Georgia should be dependent on the context of the site you are designing. As one is a serif and one a sans serif there are some pretty big distinctions between the two.
I think a greater issue with the capitalizing sentences is that it just reads like the person is shouting. It's fine to shout one important word, but if you shout everything it gets exhausting.
Somewhat surprised you didn't mention the use of font families so that you would have something like
body { font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; }
In the style sheet to ensure the page renders correctly; though I appreciate this was more of a principles video rather than coding practice.
@jonnydarkmusic Right, didn't have time to go into laying out style sheet but you're dead on with showing how you should mark-up your style sheet using font-family. Thanks for sharing.
@jonnydarkmusic the shouting connotation depends on: the font; the size. If you have a boring font, all caps would look like it's shouting. if you have a more stylized font, all caps could lend itself very well. All caps can create excitement, in small doses, but that would be in a flash type design more than a static html div or whatever. if you had a funbox or lightbox that faded in with an all cap sentence then regular paragraph, you could make some dynamic looking sites.
@XxSoldxOutxX That layout I designed in the video was pretty simple. If it was a "real" site, you would have more pages, photos, product descriptions, possibly additional products, shopping cart integration. I generally start all websites out around $2,500. If it was super simple, I'd drop it to $1,500. That's if I could do it all in one weekend. It all depends on how many hours I think it might take me. But generally I start around $2,500.
Hey, great video! Any tips regarding alignment? I generally like to have the text on justify, but I notice most websites just have their paragraphs left aligned (like in your video). Am I missing something?
@dghorban79 Justify is generally an alignment used in newspapers and is kind of weird in other documents. It creates irregular spaces between words. I think you can generally assume that a ragged right is going to be cleaner and easier to read.
@dghorban79 You're right, justifying text is also a nice way of aligning, but I generally just stick with left align. Also, I rarely ever center align text. I just left align everything probably 95% of the time.
These design theory videos are excellent Michael. Everyone has videos on how to do "tricks" with Dreamweaver or Photoshop or Flash. Your videos that focus on layout theory or styling techniques are unique and very helpful. I can look at a page and know it looks polished and professional. But it wasn't until I started to watch your videos that I understood WHY they looked that way, and how I could make my pages look more professional. Many thanks! Please keep this type of video coming.
@mlwebco That is a good point Pete makes. It's also what I appreciate about your videos. You can be an expert on code or a pro with Adobe software, but if you don't know basics about good design, usability, etc. your webdesign will still fail. Thx for sharing some of your knowledge. About the typefaces: I also try to stick to 2 types, but there's much to say about the choice of type. with Alot of support for webfonts nowadays. For.ex check out fontsquirrel d0t kom.
Great Vid.. since I've started watching your Vids I have come on leaps & bounds.. I was intimidated to get my portfolio up as I'm making a transition from a freelance print designer to a digital/web designer.. But after taking your advice, and getting it up and applying for some jobs I've had lots of feedback and several interviews.. You're definitely giving something back and making a significant contribution.. Keep up the good work and thanks for your help, inspiration and motivation..
olandosky 1 week ago
How do you handle clients that have little to no content. They want a website, but they don't really have a slogan or any kind of marketing text. I run across this a lot.
detroitluv82 2 months ago
Which program would be an ideal app for web designers? You do magic on Fireworks!
scarecrovv 4 months ago in playlist More videos from mlwebco
@MrAgatonovic Arial and Georgia are fonts that show up the same way no matter what system, device, or browser you are viewing from. Myriad Pro is not a universal font.
primefirst 7 months ago
Love your videos! You are a great instructor - great pace and clear speaking. Please keep the videos coming!
primefirst 7 months ago
Great video! Set up your ecommerce business for free with our Easy Help Zen Cart Tutorials:
ZenCartEasyHelp 7 months ago
Hi Mike! after designing your website in Fireworks, what do you do next? do you export it to photoshop and then slice it or do you code it with css?
enriquesoyyo 8 months ago
@enriquesoyyo I slice out my images within Fireworks and then I'll build my HTML page manually with HTML/CSS, etc.
mlwebco 8 months ago
ML! I'm curious. I really like the color theme you have going in the site example. Is the content area with the two shades of grey and white at the bottom just a background image? or is it 3 separate divs with a background color applied. I tried to replicate this (using a different color theme) but I couldn't get it to work! Any feedback is appreciated!!
derickamundo 8 months ago
@derickamundo Actually, the background as you see in the video can be applied two ways as you described. You can just have a background image, a 1px image of the color repeating across. Or you can have two separate divs containing those colors as the background. If I were to code this page, I would probably just have separate divs and the color as the background.
mlwebco 8 months ago
@mlwebco Got it to work. Gracias:)
derickamundo 8 months ago
Hi Michael, What are your thoughts on Verdana?
Really enjoying your videos btw!
keesql 8 months ago
I like how it gets brighter towards the bottom of the page, very nice.
weirdwordcombo 8 months ago
Hi Mike great video got a question do you use the 960 grid system if you do please show use how you use it thanks :)
ruusky415 8 months ago
Thank you very much for these videoes. Im currently studying Media and Communication and I love webdesign so this helps me a lot! If I had not found your channel I would have had a much harder time doing webdesign. Once again thank you and keep up the great work! :)
thefai222 8 months ago
what's your opinion on trebuchet and tahoma?
shakaama 8 months ago
Hey Mike, how important would you say xhtml and css coding is for being a web designer or graphic designer? I'd like to advance my skills in web design but at the moment have yet to take courses related to the programming aspect.
Metalaseylypse 8 months ago
Hey Mike, great vid! I wish you could make videos more often. They are always really informative and relevant to today's web design.
Keep up the good work : )
JasonMiller1991 8 months ago
I would only suggest that the choice between Arial and Georgia should be dependent on the context of the site you are designing. As one is a serif and one a sans serif there are some pretty big distinctions between the two.
scootgeorge 8 months ago
@scootgeorge Yes, great advice. Definitely use Arial or Georgia based on the context of the site design and the content.
mlwebco 8 months ago
I think a greater issue with the capitalizing sentences is that it just reads like the person is shouting. It's fine to shout one important word, but if you shout everything it gets exhausting.
Somewhat surprised you didn't mention the use of font families so that you would have something like
body { font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; }
In the style sheet to ensure the page renders correctly; though I appreciate this was more of a principles video rather than coding practice.
jonnydarkmusic 8 months ago
@jonnydarkmusic Right, didn't have time to go into laying out style sheet but you're dead on with showing how you should mark-up your style sheet using font-family. Thanks for sharing.
mlwebco 8 months ago
@jonnydarkmusic the shouting connotation depends on: the font; the size. If you have a boring font, all caps would look like it's shouting. if you have a more stylized font, all caps could lend itself very well. All caps can create excitement, in small doses, but that would be in a flash type design more than a static html div or whatever. if you had a funbox or lightbox that faded in with an all cap sentence then regular paragraph, you could make some dynamic looking sites.
shakaama 8 months ago
Awesome! Very Helpful, What would you charge for a simple site like that?
XxSoldxOutxX 8 months ago
@XxSoldxOutxX That layout I designed in the video was pretty simple. If it was a "real" site, you would have more pages, photos, product descriptions, possibly additional products, shopping cart integration. I generally start all websites out around $2,500. If it was super simple, I'd drop it to $1,500. That's if I could do it all in one weekend. It all depends on how many hours I think it might take me. But generally I start around $2,500.
mlwebco 8 months ago
Hey, great video! Any tips regarding alignment? I generally like to have the text on justify, but I notice most websites just have their paragraphs left aligned (like in your video). Am I missing something?
dghorban79 8 months ago
@dghorban79 Justify is generally an alignment used in newspapers and is kind of weird in other documents. It creates irregular spaces between words. I think you can generally assume that a ragged right is going to be cleaner and easier to read.
scootgeorge 8 months ago
@dghorban79 You're right, justifying text is also a nice way of aligning, but I generally just stick with left align. Also, I rarely ever center align text. I just left align everything probably 95% of the time.
mlwebco 8 months ago
These design theory videos are excellent Michael. Everyone has videos on how to do "tricks" with Dreamweaver or Photoshop or Flash. Your videos that focus on layout theory or styling techniques are unique and very helpful. I can look at a page and know it looks polished and professional. But it wasn't until I started to watch your videos that I understood WHY they looked that way, and how I could make my pages look more professional. Many thanks! Please keep this type of video coming.
PeteD333 8 months ago
@PeteD333 Thanks for the positive feedback. I'm glad you see the difference and gain some value from these types of videos. ;)
mlwebco 8 months ago
@mlwebco That is a good point Pete makes. It's also what I appreciate about your videos. You can be an expert on code or a pro with Adobe software, but if you don't know basics about good design, usability, etc. your webdesign will still fail. Thx for sharing some of your knowledge. About the typefaces: I also try to stick to 2 types, but there's much to say about the choice of type. with Alot of support for webfonts nowadays. For.ex check out fontsquirrel d0t kom.
wwl777 8 months ago