Designing a Website
Taking the first steps in becoming a Web Head
May 15, 2007
If you are reading this article, you've most likely already come to the decision to make your own presence on the web. But developing your own web site is a lot more than just learning HTML code, and so on. You need a starting point; and that starting point has more to do with considerations and research you should undertake, than building the site itself.
So before you fire up Dreamweaver or whatever program you want to use, here are some things that were helpful to me when I was redeveloping and redesigning TheTrukstoP.com:
Step Number 1 - Grab a piece of paper and a pen:
That's right; before you kick open whatever application you're going to use for web design, start with paper. I don't mean drawing out your site (though that is a method some have found helpful), but beginning to brainstorm ideas is the true first step into designing your site.
Write down your ideas and considerations - but do not lose that paper! Even during the designing process, you may still need to refer back to it, or add to it, depending upon your needs.
Research online suggestions and ideas:
While doing your brainstorming, it is also handy to research some current concepts, benchmarks, ideas, and suggestions from web sites. Digg.com has a great section on a design, and if you have a browse there or even search the site, you will find some excellent articles to read and to keep in consideration.
Bear in mind that while professional web heads follow certain buzz words and trends, their opinions are varied from one end of the spectrum to the other. So do not start your research with the intent on following every single recommendation; because you'll be driven to self mutilation before you know it. Best bet is to read up on what's out there, and grab what you think and feel will work for you and your site.
Analyze your commitment level:
Anyone who makes a web site wants people to visit it. But if you want a constant stream of visitors, you need to commit yourself to regularly updating your site. In other words, you are probably not going to get a lot of regular visitors if your site is two pages describing yourself and your pet dog Fluffy. Identify how often you can commit to updating, adding information, writing articles, and/or maintaining your site. Daily? Every couple of days? Once a week? If you cannot commit within those timeframes, and all you are going to do is a site for Fluffy, you might want to consider just using MySpace or Facebook...
To Blog or Not To Blog:
Blogs have pretty much oversaturated the web in the last couple of years. So the first question you really should consider is whether you're going to make a blog or make a web site. If you want to just post your thoughts and feelings, and how much you like your dog Fluffy; then perhaps a blog might be more up your alley.
It is in web site design and maintenance where the real challenges lay. Blogs have recently become more of an avenue for people to post links to stuff that other people have already found on Digg or StumbleUpon - in other words, they are becoming glorified links pages (and in some cases, blogspam, where the "designer" is actually hoping for visitors to click on ads to make a buck or two). If you want more than just a blog, then plan a web site. If not, go back to MySpace or Blogger as they have automated tools in place for you to talk about Fluffy.
If you take a look at some of the higher quality blogs online, most of them are run by journalists (from all fields) with excellent sources. The other popular ones are by web designers with a keen sense of effective web development and design (in other words, it's really a web site disguised as a blog).
Unless you fit into either of those categories, avoid "designing a blog". You can blog in the online services I mentioned above, so having said that, work on making a web site that is YOUR site; something unique to you and something that represents who you are.
Determine your focus:
One of the most common pieces of advice about web design is to decide what the focus of your site is going to be; and for it to be specific. My concept is, on the other hand, how broad your focus should be.
Let me explain...
When TheTrukstoP.com first started, the focus was very specific: I am a KISS fan and a Star Wars geek, so I focused on KISS and Star Wars. But after KISS evolved into more of a brand and less of a band; and after the Star Wars prequels were out and released, there was not very much for me to focus on as far as news was concerned.
I needed to broaden the scope of what to focus on at TheTrukstoP.com. I decided to focus on developing articles, not blogs, on a wide range of issues in online geek culture and other things that were of interest to me.
So, before actually making your first page, decide what your focus is going to be, and how specific or broad you want it. For example, if you want to make a site focusing on tech news and gadgets, are you going to specifically focus on one area, or encompass all tech news?
Choose your weapons:
How are you going to approach your design? Are you going to use PHP and MySQL? Or are you going to focus on good old HTML? Is your design going to be within the realm of Web 2.0 or not? When I was redeveloping this site, I did not want to dive into the Web 2.0 trend completely. At the same time, I didn't want to leave behind handy techniques that were often used in Web 2.0 designs.
I decided on a compromise, and worked with some CSS elements to sharpen the site somewhat, but kept aspects of older web design like tables, which has always worked well for this site.
How you approach your site design is entirely up to you, though I would add and recommend for you not to join the bandwagon and immediately discount anything Web 1.0. Believe it or not, there are some handy tools from that era of design that still work well today, and should be kept in your arsenal for consideration.
In other words, decide what is going to work for you and your design. There is a vast range of awesome designs from the Web 2.0 style for you to check out, but there's also some older techniques that still are effectively used.
Pick your color:
When I was redeveloping and redesigning this site, one of my first steps was to determine what my color scheme was going to be. Some web heads start their design in Photoshop, deciding on layout and image in one swoop. Personally, I find that approach a little self-defeating; as you will often find your finished web-product does not match to your dream photoshopped vision.
Choosing color themes for a site is actually harder than what you think it is. It takes time to work out a good mix of colors that are not going to be too hurtful on the eyes, or too dark, or too light. For me, I knew exactly what approach I was going to take. I call it the Web Negative Two Point Oh.
Web 2.0 sites usually love their gradient and rounded graphics, usually blue and/or green, with black text on a white background. I wanted to have the negative effect of that... So I went with white text on a black background, with orange/gold colors for links and banners.
The best bet if you're a beginner is to start in a program like Photoshop, and play with some color schemes. If you are on MySpace, you might want to play with your color schemes there, to see what matches.
All in all, the first major steps you will take into designing your web site come in the form of brainstorming, thinking, putting pen to paper, and researching.
When TheTrukstoP.com underwent its last major redesign, the majority of my work time was committed to the brainstorming and researching, and that work has paid off. It may not be the best site in the universe, but it is an accomplishment I am happy with; and ultimately, that's the main goal when you're designing a site: making something you are happy with.
And now, your next step is to learn some actual HTML...
If you are reading this article, you've most likely already come to the decision to 
While doing your brainstorming, it is also handy to research some current concepts, benchmarks, ideas, and suggestions from web sites. Digg.com has a great section on a design, and if you have a 
When I was redeveloping and redesigning this site, one of my first steps was to determine what my color scheme was going to be. Some web heads start their design in Photoshop, deciding on layout and image in one swoop. Personally, I find that approach a little self-defeating; as you will often find your finished web-product does not match to your dream 
