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A Tutorial describing How to Design a Website from scratch, in about 3 hours |
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Sheet
1 -
Basic
Index of all Dolphin Design Sites
© David Lawrence 2009
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This tutorial is intended for those with no previous knowledge of Website design. It has been carefully fashioned so that it can be taken in small easy bites. If you complete the tutorial, you should be in a position to construct a reasonabliy looking website. You will doubtless have questions. The form at the bottom of the page is there to handle these, provided time permits. Whilst there are nowadays several website software programs which greatly assist in the making of websites, it is almost essential - when you need to make changes - that you know your way around the coding so that you can alter or add to the site in whatever maner you wish. This tutorial aims at describing, in small steps, how the site comes together. Each Sheet will show one or more features to add to your knowledge, until we have a complete site. Start with Sheet 1 - it shows the coding used. The tutorial won't be explaining every comma. See if you can figure the use of each item, and see how they change when the design changes in later sheets. Your first attempt will probably not be exactly as you intended, but when you have your initial design completed, if you intend to put it online you will need to obtain an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program (costing about $30) enabling you to 'upload' it - put it on the Internet, so that it's able to be seen by anyone with a Browser. The FTP software programs are quite easy to use. Try and search for one with a 'drag & drop' function. You will also need to sign-up with a Hosting company. Some are free. Some ISP's offer a small hosting service without charge. Although there are designers spending 24/7 learning about every new fad, the real degree of 'effectiveness' of a site is the 'ease' with which a visitor can 'find whatever he/she is looking for' on your site - the navigation. And this is down to the skill of the design, more than the inclusion of every latest gadget. We've all been to sites where after 10 minutes of confusing searching we become lost in a sort of perpetual maze, and just give up. Be careful not to let your site become one of those. This tutorial uses the navigation method where all major links - jumps to other pages - occur on the Home Page, and all other pages have a Return to Home Page button. The great advantage with this system is that you can add new pages without needing to alter every previous page when you do so. If you have a hundred or more pages, this can be tedious. Prior thought should be given to the page layout. If you are not able to visualize a page in your head, it would help to sketch out a rough draft on paper beforehand. Consider how the visitor is going to approach your site. Notice how this site minimizes the movement of the mouse by placing the inner pages 'Home' button near the 'Sheet Links' on the Home Page. A small point maybe, but after they've worked the site for some time, a visitor will be thankful you made this design feature.
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