[Andrex]

So should i use that site as my main portfolio or do you know something else?

There was another site I remember using but it's escaped me at this moment... was cutesy and pink if I recall...

You could try your hand at making your own, would be a good exercise.

[Fancy Corndog]

I use HTML5Rocks a lot, probably because I do a lot of Chrome-centric development (not that the site specializes in it, it's just Chrome supports that stuff first usually)

Thanks, I will probably hit that right after I get through the the stuff on the Google page.

Noob question: How big of a deal is HTML5? I guess I'm asking what the actual impact is. Is it basically just a fusion of HTML and XHTML?

[Syphon Filter]

Well if i'm serious about this i guess i need to get a server right? What do you recommend?

[rhfb]

Well if i'm serious about this i guess i need to get a server right? What do you recommend?

You don't need a server. You can develop and test on your own machine and see if you are going to get serious about this before spending any extra cash. Do you know if you are going to just do basic HTML/JS/CSS or were you looking at doing some stuff with PHP/ASP.Net/Ruby/ect as well? Even then though you can still run stuff locally.

[Syphon Filter]

You don't need a server. You can develop and test on your own machine and see if you are going to get serious about this before spending any extra cash. Do you know if you are going to just do basic HTML/JS/CSS or were you looking at doing some stuff with PHP/ASP.Net/Ruby/ect as well? Even then though you can still run stuff locally.

I want to be a web designer and am currently in college taking classes but also i am doing learning on my own. If i don't need a server then how will i show my portfolio when looking for a job?

[Andrex]

Well if i'm serious about this i guess i need to get a server right? What do you recommend?

I use Web Faction. Pretty good rates. If you're just getting started, NearlyFreeSpeech might be a better deal, but if you get any kind of traffic it doesn't stay cost-effective. If you're not using PHP/etc. (which you shouldn't if you're just starting out.) Pure HTML+JS+CSS doesn't need a server if you're testing.

Thanks, I will probably hit that right after I get through the the stuff on the Google page. Noob question: How big of a deal is HTML5? I guess I'm asking what the actual impact is. Is it basically just a fusion of HTML and XHTML?

It's kinda big. In one way it is a fusion, you can mix HTML (SGML) and XHTML syntax freely or do one or the other, but it's also so much more.

HTML5 itself adds a couple tags, <video>, <audio>, <canvas>, some less sexy but still important tags like <section> and attributes like data-*. The real story is the accompanying JavaScript APIs to go along with HTML5. File API, AppCache, WebWorkers, LocalStorage, IndexedDB, WebGL, WebSockets, WebRTC, etc. etc. Lots of cool stuff there bringing the Web closer to parity to native applications.

Of course, a lot of new CSS stuff (even beyond CSS3 at this point) is labelled HTML5 as well, like 3D transforms, responsive design, etc.

So it is kind of a big deal. It's the One True Platform™.

I want to be a web designer and am currently in college taking classes but also i am doing learning on my own. If i don't need a server then how will i show my portfolio when looking for a job?

You can host static files on Dropbox or use Carbonmade if you don't want to pay for hosting.

[Syphon Filter]

I use Web Faction. Pretty good rates. If you're just getting started, NearlyFreeSpeech might be a better deal, but if you get any kind of traffic it doesn't stay cost-effective. If you're not using PHP/etc. (which you shouldn't if you're just starting out.) Pure HTML+JS+CSS doesn't need a server if you're testing. It's kinda big. In one way it is a fusion, you can mix HTML (SGML) and XHTML syntax freely or do one or the other, but it's also so much more. HTML5 itself adds a couple tags, <video>, <audio>, <canvas>, some less sexy but still important tags like <section> and attributes like data-*. The real story is the accompanying JavaScript APIs to go along with HTML5. File API, AppCache, WebWorkers, LocalStorage, IndexedDB, WebGL, WebSockets, WebRTC, etc. etc. Lots of cool stuff there bringing the Web closer to parity to native applications. Of course, a lot of new CSS stuff (even beyond CSS3 at this point) is labelled HTML5 as well, like 3D transforms, responsive design, etc. So it is kind of a big deal. It's the One True Platform™. You can host static files on Dropbox or use Carbonmade if you don't want to pay for hosting.

ok i will use carbonmade. So at what point should i be thinking about getting my own server or domain?

[$200]

Learn ASP.NET/C#. Learn PHP. Learn HTML. Learn JavaScript. Learn CSS. Learn MySQL.

[Andrex]

ok i will use carbonmade. So at what point should i be thinking about getting my own server or domain?

When you have a dynamic website (e.g., learn PHP, JSPs, etc.)

[Syphon Filter]

When you have a dynamic website (e.g., learn PHP, JSPs, etc.)

ok but i should still put sites on my portfolio right now as i'm learning or should i just wait till i learn it all?

[Andrex]

ok but i should still put sites on my portfolio right now as i'm learning or should i just wait till i learn it all?

I'd put it up as you go to motivate yourself, but keep in mind the free version of Carbonmade only allows up to five sites.

[Syphon Filter]

I'd put it up as you go to motivate yourself, but keep in mind the free version of Carbonmade only allows up to five sites.

Can you delete them?

[Andrex]

Can you delete them?

Yup. That's what I did. I only had my five bests site on it at any particular time.

[Dragon]

If you're going to learn CSS, I recommend moving towards twitter bootstrap. Once you're familiar with CSS, it makes things so much easier it's insane.

[D4Danger]

Thanks, I will probably hit that right after I get through the the stuff on the Google page. Noob question: How big of a deal is HTML5? I guess I'm asking what the actual impact is. Is it basically just a fusion of HTML and XHTML?

'HTML5' has become an umbrella term for every new API someone thinks up (think of it like Web 3.0... but don't ever call it that because I'll cut you)

http://platform.html5.org/

in that sense it's a big deal. The actual HTML5 spec (the one that is about HTML) is pretty boring imo. There's a few new things, some changes here and there but the exciting changes are in the platform as a whole.

[SpinningBirdKick]

Web Design and Web Development (frontend and backend) are broad topics.

Out of the two, I would recommend choosing just one as both require broad knowledge and expertise if you are going to do it well.

At the low end you'll be competing with freelancers from Eastern Europe and India which will be able to undercut any price you quote due to their low cost of living expenses.

At the high end, you have to devote a tremendous amount of time to maintain and constantly improve your skill set. This is because the technology and methods used in both Design and Development is pretty much constantly in flux and remains relatively stable for only short periods of time.

For both design and development, you'll need a good understanding of at least the basics of following:

• HTML5
• CSS3
• Javascript
• jQuery (inc AJAX and JSON)
• PhotoShop
• UX
• Analytics
• Version Control (Git / Mercurial / SVN)
• Time management / Estimates / Billing

This is really only scratching the surface.

Going into more detail will require much more time and effort than I'm willing to put into this post, sorry!

[Zoe]

.Uhhh... >_>

Have something to say?

I use Dreamweaver for my mockups before I turn them into Razor. I also use it to maintain old Coldfusion sites. And coming from Visual Studio, it's silly to turn down the convenience of something similar to IntelliSense, property views, and preview windows if it's available to you.

[Boards of Canada]

Learn ASP.NET/C#. Learn PHP. Learn HTML. Learn JavaScript. Learn CSS. Learn MySQL.

I want to learn ASP.NET, where should I start?

[Zoe]

I want to learn ASP.NET, where should I start?

http://www.asp.net/

Do you know C#?

[mugurumakensei]

Aptana is a good ide for developing web applications.

http://aptana.com/

I'd also suggesting learning full enterprise javascript frameworks like Kendo UI, dojo toolkit, and ExtJS (all free for non-commercial use and in dojo's case free for commercial as well).

[PhatSaqs]

http://www.asp.net/ Do you know C#?

Or Vb.Net....

[spoonztt]

This might be a good thread to ask this. Is there any webhosting site that actually allows you to pay for hosting monthly rather than having to pay an entire year up front ?

[bubnbob]

Notepad++ is okay. SublimeText 2 is the new hotness, as is Intype. They're glorified text editors that offer syntax highlighting, code snippets and auto-completion for certain languages like CSS. Whether they help you learn how to code is questionable, but it'll definitely make the process more efficient. If you want to go more graphical, consider Dreamweaver or Adobe Muse. Muse right now still has a free beta, and though it is a glorified page layout program that exports HTML, you can still learn the ropes by examining and playing with the output afterwards.

The site says ST2 is in beta. Is it still worth downloading, or at least the original?

edit: NVM SublimeText requires a license. PASS

[mugurumakensei]

Or Vb.Net....

I would never suggest to anyone to learn vb.net. I mean it's good for the fact that you are likely to encounter it since some of the old VB guys initially used VB.Net but most transitioned over to C# at some point or left development altogether.

[Andrex]

The site says ST2 is in beta. Is it still worth downloading, or at least the original? edit: NVM SublimeText requires a license. PASS

It doesn't require it. Just nags you a bit.

It's worth the money btw.

[GooderThan]

I'd just find a good editor that generates most HTML code for you. Only when the editor fails or doesn't let you do something in particular, you can cherry pick HTML code. Definitely wouldn't want to type all the HTML out.

Some things are important to learn about on your own such as content type, styles, importing javascript.

learn lots of javascript! JQuery rocks! AJAX is amazing, it's a lot of fun. I haven't used PHP in a while but it's very easy to learn too and the same concept as JSP, communication to your webserver.

CSS is very important as well... Although I am mediocre with it. See this site, it's pretty cool and hits the point home. On the right is a bunch of themes. Each theme looks very different but the HTML is exactly the same. http://www.csszengarden.com/

[PhatSaqs]

I would never suggest to anyone to learn vb.net. I mean it's good for the fact that you are likely to encounter it since some of the old VB guys initially used VB.Net but most transitioned over to C# at some point or left development altogether.

C# is now the "accepted standard" (mostly due to the egos of programmers IMO lol) but there's plenty of work out there for VB.Net devs. Especially in the gov contracting sector...

[mugurumakensei]

http://dabblet.com/

this is a fun little tool to play around with CSS.

[Zoe]

C# is now the "accepted standard" (mostly due to the egos of programmers IMO lol) but there's plenty of work out there for VB.Net devs. Especially in the gov contracting sector...

He would have more opportunities open to him by learning the C# version and then going to MSDN to look up the VB equivalent if necessary.

[PhatSaqs]

He would have more opportunities open to him by learning the C# version and then going to MSDN to look up the VB equivalent if necessary.

Definitely.

[Andrex]

I'd just find a good editor that generates most HTML code for you. Only when the editor fails or doesn't let you do something in particular, you can cherry pick HTML code. Definitely wouldn't want to type all the HTML out.

Only way to go IMO.

[Syphon Filter]

Anyone do freance or have a job in web design? how does it work. do you work at home or a workplace?

[bubnbob]

Anyone do freance or have a job in web design? how does it work. do you work at home or a workplace?

They both work the same. You are the client's bitch. Except in the workplace you are guaranteed to get paid. At least, you should anyway...

[reilo]

So, I say first things first: http://www.w3schools.com/

If you have access to it, Dreamweaver is good.

No non ononooo.

[Syphon Filter]

They both work the same. You are the client's bitch. Except in the workplace you are guaranteed to get paid. At least, you should anyway...

so at home i guess they check what you did and then decide if they will pay?

[Andrex]

No non ononooo.

Lol I had the same reactions.

[rhfb]

I want to learn ASP.NET, where should I start?

Download Visual Studio Express and get to it.

Love being spoiled by ASP.Net and LINQ, even though I'm kinda stuck with VB.Net :p

[reilo]

LINQ is magic.

[rhfb]

LINQ is magic.

That is an understatement. Makes querying stuff so much easier, not to mention automatic class generation. It also helps when I'm designing tables, trying to keep things Normal.

[bubnbob]

so at home i guess they check what you did and then decide if they will pay?

A lot of "web design firms" make you work technically freelance, they just set up the deals/clients and you get to work. No clients, no job, no pay.

Honestly your best bet is to find a company that doesnt work primarily in web design, perhaps a marketing firm that does emailers for other companies, or a web store and latch yourself in there. I work for a company selling items online, and I handle the development of the web store, be it design or actual development (mostly javascript/jQuery).

A lot of stores will look for a designer to make them a kickass looking theme for their e-commerce store, with software such as Magento, Volusion, etc. (theres a ton of these out there).

With so many people looking to get into this market (well, just based off the recent threads alone), I can see it getting harder to find a job moreso than it already is.

Look on your local CraigsList under web section and see what crops up. I've found some leads through there, but most fell through unfortunately.

[reilo]

A lot of "web design firms" make you work technically freelance, they just set up the deals/clients and you get to work. No clients, no job, no pay.

Those are called contractors.

Honestly your best bet is to find a company that doesnt work primarily in web design, perhaps a marketing firm that does emailers for other companies, or a web store and latch yourself in there. I work for a company selling items online, and I handle the development of the web store, be it design or actual development (mostly javascript/jQuery).

If he wants to be stuck making $40k/yr... I guess.

A lot of stores will look for a designer to make them a kickass looking theme for their e-commerce store, with software such as Magento, Volusion, etc. (theres a ton of these out there).

That's not really web-design/web-development, in my opinion.

With so many people looking to get into this market (well, just based off the recent threads alone), I can see it getting harder to find a job moreso than it already is. Look on your local CraigsList under web section and see what crops up. I've found some leads through there, but most fell through unfortunately.

My biggest suggestion to up-and-coming web peeps (if they are worth a lick) is to do a bunch of informational interviews with as many local agencies as they can.

[bubnbob]

Excuuuuuse me, princess.

[Syphon Filter]

Are web design jobs project based? Is there any consistent pay or is it dependent on projects?

[kodecraft]

Excuuuuuse me, princess.

Haha, yea reilo called the hell out of you bubnbob

Anyways, whats the difference between a UX designer and a web designer?

[Andrex]

Haha, yea reilo called the hell out of you bubnbob Anyways, whats the difference between a UX designer and a web designer?

UX design is how the user interacts with the site. Pressing this button does this. When you click this text field, this part expands.

It also encompasses quite a bit of web design, but it's more focused on making the user's use as smooth and frictionless as possible.

Think of it like this: user experience designer lay out all the structure of the site and how it works, and the web designer decides the color scheme and visual identity (along with other things.) Only applies if there is a UX designer on the team, otherwise the web designer usually handles it.

[ConvenientBox]

They are hourly mainly, some can range. If you have a major client, it's usually a stream of hourly work.

I'd say get your domain and server now. Unless you are incredibly poor, it costs about 7 a month to run a site. Who knows when a potential client or employer will come your way and ask for some sample work? Don't be at the mercy of whatever free tutorials you see out there. Learn the fundamentals and explore. Have fun and good luck, the industry is incredibly saturated.

Also please don't put stitches in your designs :)

[Zilch]

If you want to know how careers in the industry work wouldn't it be a good idea to just look at some job openings at digital agencies and startups?

http://canvas.is/#/join-us
http://www.bigspaceship.com/join-us/
http://www.hugeinc.com/careers/
http://www.rga.com/careers/apply/job-openings

etc...

[kodecraft]

UX design is how the user interacts with the site. Pressing this button does this. When you click this text field, this part expands. It also encompasses quite a bit of web design, but it's more focused on making the user's use as smooth and frictionless as possible. Think of it like this: user experience designer lay out all the structure of the site and how it works, and the web designer decides the color scheme and visual identity (along with other things.) Only applies if there is a UX designer on the team, otherwise the web designer usually handles it.

Thanks.

[Syphon Filter]

edit:nm

[Kinitari]

Squeezing by all the hate I got for my W3Schools comment (C'mon! It's not that bad! I remember using the fuck out of that when I started web dev!) - wanted to know if anyone could suggest a good jQuery plugin repository? I'm tired of making my own shit in jQuery when people make the same thing like 10x better and simpler and leave them open source.