My work as a web designer so far has involved all aspects of the developement of a website from start to finish. This includes consulting with the client about their aims, developing site structure, producing mock up designs, editing content text and images, hand coding and publishing websites.
All stages of the process are equally important in achieving a good result.
I enjoy the visual aspect of web design and adding fun effects, but as I have found, good web design is also about paying attention to the end user's needs and following good coding practices.
Web design & web standards
The Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C)'s recommendation of using HTML and CSS to seperate the content from the styling of a website has made it possible to develop cleaner, standard HTML code. This makes the web easier to build on for the future, and more flexible for end users with different tools for accessing the web.
This method of web development is now known as the Web Standards method. Using this method allows me to be creative and develop websites that are appealing to eye, enhancing the user's experience, safe in the knowledge that the code I produce will give maximum accessibility to a wide range of users.
The standards method also makes it easier to manage cross-browser compatibility on the web. Many older versions of common browsers are still in wide use, and need to be catered for. This will continue to be an issue for years to come given the time lag in updating systems in large organisations, and between developed and developing countries.
Accessibility and usability
The W3C have developed a set of guidelines for web designers and developers to refer to, to ensure that the web does not exclude people with different abilities. It is my aim to become familiar with these guidelines to a point where they become second nature in my design work.
Accessibilty is also about making a site 'usable', ie easy to navigate and to read. This means using plain language, and providing familiar visual clues to guide users to find what they are looking for.
My software skills and knowledge
I work confidently in Adobe CS4 Photoshop and Illustrator, and I have some knowledge of Flash and Dreamweaver.
I code websites using XHTML transitional and CSS2.1, and I'm familiar with the developments in CSS3 which are still waiting approval by the W3C.
I have used Javascript files and libraries, and I am also familiar with the use of php in web development. I am interested in learning more.
I can develop interactive websites using 'open source' code. Examples of interactive sites are sites which the owner can amend using a Content Management System, e-commerce sites, and sites with forums or blogs.
Find out more..
If you have a web project you would like to discuss, or are interested in hiring me to work on a large scale project, or for agency work, please don't hesitate to contact me to find out more.
