I have been designing websites for a couple of years, often relying on my graphic design skills rather than my coding skills, as I tended to use WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) software, such as Adobe Dreamweaver to put the HTML web pages together. This produces messy and sometimes out-dated code, which makes it difficult to maintain and update and can also cause problems in future. I also created my html layouts using tables, a technique which I have read is an old and out-dated technique and there are now far better alternatives.
I decided I needed to cean up my knowledge of html and css and be able to code a website by hand, without the use of WYSIWYG software. I purcased a massive book, which details what you can do with xhtml and css and how to create good looking websites with clean and valid xhtml code. The book also goes on to discuss other programming languages such as PHP and javascript, which I plan to read at some point.
After reading about how to produce css based layouts and valid xhtml code, I set about creating my own personal website. I designed the entire website in Adobe Photoshop, ensuring I put my graphic design strengths to full use, before coding the website from scratch using a text editor. I constantly checked that my code was 100% correct and valid, using an online code validator.
My website can be found here; www.stephengreig.com however I intend to modify the site further, mostly in terms of content.
I also attracted the attention of a new, American based website design company and have signed a contract with them to produce websites on request. This should hopefully provide some insight into how professional web design companies operate and what standards are expected in the industry. www.vertigocreations.com (I designed the basic website before it as manipulated to meet the owner's specific needs). Other websites I have made via this company;
www.tier-10.com
www.neumodemedia.com
So that's what I'm doing to develop myself as a web designer; I've read a book, made my own website and signed a contract with a web design company.
Oh, also, in terms of graphic design, I designed many pages (including front/back cover) for a recently published Hereford United book;
http://www.stephengreig.com/wagu.html
http://www.herefordunited.co.uk/buy/2288613/The-Whites-Are-Going-Up
