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CSS

Posted by Leland Foster
Leland Foster
Courses Plus Student 2,089 Points

Learning the design...

I'm at a point where I want to practice building webs with what I learned and everytime I look for ways to do so I'm at a lost of what to look for to practice or what web page to start practicing. I'm a hands-on type and would really like to practice like something fierce so I can feel comfortable with building/designing web pages. Any suggestions will GREATLY appreciated.

2 Answers

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

Now that you've covered the basics of webdesign it's time to focus in on the most important part ...

I had my first ah-ha moment with CSS when I figured out how to do this using floats. No absolute positioning, that would be cheating. Piet Mondrian - Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow - 1930

Source: Piet Mondrian Composition II

For building your first site I recommend the following process ...

  • Make a wireframe using Cacoo
  • Write the semantic HTML, don't worry about the CSS yet
  • Build a fixed width site
  • Keep it simple to start with, don't try to solve problems you don't have yet
  • Add in some small CSS3 if the design calls for it, maybe border-radius or box-shadow
  • If you need a form add in some HTML5

  • Try to stay away from a lot of Javascript for now

  • Once you've got the first version fully working post it here and get some critques on your design

Then it's time for version 2

  • Watch the Build a Responsive Website course
  • Transform your website into responsive version
  • Then post it here to get some feedback on the responsive version

Time for version 3

  • If you are sick of cutting and pasting your header and footer on every page
  • It's time to add in some templating using PHP.
  • Very basic PHP is all you need, it makes it easier to not repeat yourself (see also: DRY).
  • Watch the Build a Simple PHP Website course
  • Convert your site to using PHP templates
  • Post it here to get some feedback on the new templated version
Allison Grayce Marshall
STAFF
Allison Grayce Marshall
Treehouse Guest Teacher
Allison Grayce Marshall
Allison Grayce Marshall
Treehouse Guest Teacher

Leland,

First off it's awesome that you are ready to start diving in! That is the best way to learn! :) I would suggest building a website about anything that interests you. Doing this before taking on any work that involves a client is a lot less pressure and gives you creative freedom.

Jessica Hische is great at this. And she's primarily an illustrator, not a professional web designer.

She created a website called "Mom, this is how Twitter works.", Don't Fear the Internet, and a simple website called Quotes and Accents.

Think of your favorite hobby, favorite movie, or something you're passionate about and just start building!

Allison