Designing - at a glance

First let me introduce myself.

Im currently rooted in Texas, and I'm not new to web design at all. I was into HTML a lot when I was younger but stopped with web design untill recently when I created a small website for an organization. I know the basics about HTML but I realized that there was still a long way to go till I will be satisfied with my work, as I am now planning to start web designing commercially sometime next year.

Right now i'm reading "Visual Quickstart Guide - HTML, XHTML & CSS 6th edition", and "Web design for dummies". Im curious to know if i'm going about this the right way.

I'm also curious to know how you all learned web design. Where did you start, and how long did it take you? Also, do you always do your sites by hand (text editor), or do you use dreamweaver? And if you make it by hand, have you memorized most the code you have used, or do you find yourself referencing books alot as you go?

Thanks for your time reading this, I look foward to your responces.

I code everything by hand and yes all the syntax is in my head. I use skEdit myself but there are many many options out there. I learned by just doing it and reading other peoples code to see how they did certain things. I would then start with a blank file and no reference and start pumping out code until I got it right, valid and working the way I intended. Now, its pretty quick and easy.

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Cool. So im guessing you use xhtml and css.

Do you photoshop your own graphics?

I also code by hand and use skEdit. I never used books, but I looked at a lot of sites that were coded correctly. http://csszengarden.com/ is a great example for you. I also use Photoshop and Illustrator for graphics.

hehehe...me too...lol

Somebody get Jacob a cookie!

I started years ago with Dreamweaver. Now I'm relearning by moving away from table design and using XHTML and CSS. I still use Dreamweaver to code by using their code view. I'm learning as I said and find the web helpful and books helpful. I prefer to scan a book rather than surf the net. (CSS The Missing Manual is excellent). I also look at code in websites I like and learn that way. It's taking much longer to design sites now than it did in tables but I am getting faster at it every day. Apparently you can teach an old new tricks!

3 questions. (As you can tell, I love asking questions)

So how long did it take you before you memorized the syntax?

What did some of your earlier sites look like? (If you still have them)

About how much do you charge for each freelance project?

Oh, my earlier sites aren't pretty in my eyes today. It took quite a while for me to know all the sytax. The problem with CSS is that you can't do much until you know most of it. There are a number of properties you'll never use, but to create complex site, you need to be familiar with how they work, what values you can use, and most importantly: you need to have an understanding about what effect a property has on the rest of the page.

Oh, and about charging, it depends on the project. For a 5-10 page site with a design only, I charge about 800 dollars.

hehehe...I won't say how much I charge then...lol

*starts chanting* Do it, do it, do it.

Well I am a flash designer, so for a 5 page website completely in flash I charge in the neighborhood of about $1000 - $1500. But keep in mind flash websites contain a large amount of animation, and also are much harder to get listed on google, and other search engines...but when I do an XHTML/CSS website I charge about what Ryan does. But I hardly EVER do XHTML/CSS websites, because I make much more designing websites in flash...but in when business is slow…I do accept XHTML/CSS websites, but only when it is slow, for example now, I would laugh hysterically if you asked me to design a website in XHTML/CSS…hehehe

Yeah, I'm way faster in XHTML and CSS, though. If I have an idea, I can usually whip out a site in 6-8 hours.

Yeah, me too, but flash is just more fun!!

If by fun you mean migraine.

hehehe...lol

I just love ActionScript, and animating stuff...that's why I love flash!

Well, I can't argue with you.

This thread's title sounds like a magazine:

Designing - at a glance. $9.99 an issue.

hahaha...lol

Do we make any money off being in the magazine??

If so how much!!