Web-Design and Indie-Resource

[Zorber]

Would it be possible to use the skills you learn from Halls video tutorials to go into web-design?

[hallsofvallhalla]

Because I am teaching the basics of PHP, JS, and HTML i would say yes. Would you instantly be a pro? no. But it is a good foundation. Build a few sites and see how you like it.

[Zorber]

Thanks Halls
I was wondering, do you know any CSS?

P.S. What happened to your crappy t-shirt?

[hallsofvallhalla]

yes, css is taught a little in my tutorials but if I need to do a video I can.

[Chris]

CSS is really easy to learn. http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp. Don't be afraid to hit the 'Try it yourself' button

[Zorber]

Thanks, I'll check that out.

[Jackolantern]

CSS is really easy to learn. http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp. Don't be afraid to hit the 'Try it yourself' button

CSS is, however, like chess. It takes a couple of hours to learn, and a lifetime to master since it goes hand-in-hand with visual graphic design, a dense, subjective field.

[Zorber]

Thanks, I use gimp a lot myself.
I'll definitely let you guys know if I get stuck at any point. For now, however, I am going to finish halls tutorials.



Sincerely,
Zorber.

[Ark]

"CSS is, however, like chess."

I defy you!

[fang]

Here's my bit -

Just to clarify from my experience in the field, a designer is someone who uses an image editor, modeling program, or visual UI design program. This is an aesthetics, usability, and branding area.

A front-end developer or UI developer handles the html/css/user-facing interface development based off of the design/layout from the designer, while a back-end developer writes the server side/backbone of the software and the complex bits of the front-end code.

You'll often see a skill overlap and there are more descriptive terms, but these are the most common titles I see. With indie projects and start-ups you'll usually end up doing most or all of it, so it's mostly pointless to argue semantics over titles.

Personally, I specialize in back-end development, can do front-end when I need to, but fail miserably at design. For me, the best way to learn front-end development was to get a template from a designer and duplicate it to a web page exactly; it has to be pixel-perfect. There are lots of places you can get free templates to practice with; here's one I found with a quick search: http://www.free-psd.com/. They may seem daunting at first but stick with it!

You'll want to use a CSS Reset; every browser has it's own initial rules for styling, and often they are different enough to break a site's appearance. A css reset will let you start from a mostly-even playing field. I'd recommend yahoo's or eric meyer's.