web tips (computer arts)

Computer arts, April 2006 issue, Page 50.

web tips for graphic artists
This was an interesting article for me. As I have only a basic knowledge of web design I found these tip useful. They talked about how to go about designing a website without being put off by all the code. They also relate web design to print design and attempt to embrace the differences.

stick to what you know:
A lot of designers use Photoshop to design and Dreamweaver too build, and then drop in Flash elements to add something dynamic to static HTML sites. the best advice is to use the tools you know and forget about aiming to design all-Flash websites.

experience over aesthetic:
There are some fantastic disciplines that you learn from being a print designer, such as layout, appreciation of space and typography. However, the big difference is the word 'Interactive' - web is a two-way interaction. When someone engages with print, that's it, but when someone engages with your web design it's the begginning reather than the end of the journey. You're effectively designing for an experience, so keep that experience froint and centre.

learn the work flow:
Converting Photoshop layouts into web designs requires skills in HTML, CSS and Dreamweaver. First, you slice the Photoshop content into headers, footers, body and menus, and export these as sliced components. Next, in Dreamweaver you code a clean layout in XHTML and then import the sliced photoshop elements. HTML is used to code the layout and text.

how much do you need to know?:
The level of Flash coding you need depends on both the type of work you're doing and the kind of company you work for. If the organisation is producing advertising banners and rich media, then the gap isn't as huge as it is for those agencies that are producing large-scale retailing websites for those agencies that require complicated page design.They talked about web design and career prospect. They say that the principles are just as important as the skills in some cases.
"People from a print background get hired by web companies because good information design stands the test of time. Remember, it's fine to showcase print work in a portfolio that you're sending to a web agency."