Advice on Building a Website

DaisyGirlDesigns

DaisyGirlDesigns

Junior Member
Hello all :)

Right my dilemma...

I am about to graduate from uni so i am starting to want to apply to jobs, i have a website, but it was built back in my first year at uni, and because my degree is in graphic design they never bothered to teach us how to use dreamweaver properly. We were taught to build our websites using tables...and well you all know how naff that is!!!

So i am wanting to neaten my web space up and design a simple new website. I like the concept behind indexhibit, but everyone has that and i wondered if anybody could advise me on how i can achieve somehting similiar of my own. I can not currently afford to pay a web designer to do my site, as currently its only function is going to be as an online portfolio.

I have spent a lot of wasted nights trawling the internet trying to find a starting point or attempt to gain an understanding of codes but its just further confused! I just want something neat and functional so my work can be the centre of attention, not fancy bits on the site if you get what i mean.

ANY help or direction will be gratefully receieved!! :D

Rach
 
I would recommend that you look into setting your site up in a CMS like wordpress or the like :) If you have a domain and webspace already available that is an easy way to make a site that is user friendly (and update friendly too).

You could follow this guide to making a theme for wordpress: Dreamweaver Templates into Wordpress Themes
 
I do already have a webspace available, i have had the domain name for two years now :) and it has done me well, but nows the time to showcase my work properly! I will look into that link, thank you for your quick reply, i definitely need something user friendly!
 
Hello Rach,

I'm afraid I can't be of any help, I am in the same boat.

I graduated from University in July with a degree in Journalism and Editorial Design, and I have been working as a freelance graphic designer for 7 months.

I haven't had the chance to sit down and work out how to build a professional website that shows off my work to it's potential, and hopefully lands me a job.

So like you I am looking for some advice and guidance. I haven't a clue where to start.

Would you like to be a graphic designer? Freelance? What do you like designing?
 
Thats the one I was going to link to aswell tbwcf :) very cool wordpress gallery :D

Smashing Mag is a brilliant site :D
 
Hello Miss P

Well i begun as more of a fine artist, but i decided that i couldn't make a living from being just an artist so i looked for a course at uni where i could use my artistic talent and put it to a more functional use, and thats when i found graphic design :D

I have just finished work experience at a good local company and i really fitted in well but they currently do not have any vacancies but i am top of the list should one occur...but i cant sit around waiting, i need to get up and do!!! I have done some paid work as a graphic designer freelance but i do not think i have the knowledge yet to go totally freelance... as for my style of graphic design, i am a very hands on person and like hand drawn and written design, i like messy things :D

ooo tbwcf avoiding coding for now sounds good to me for now!
 
chrismitchell said:
Thats the one I was going to link to aswell tbwcf :) very cool wordpress gallery :D

Smashing Mag is a brilliant site :D
Click to expand...

Great minds think alike!
 
Iv downloaded the two thing it says i need but them i am confused as to what instruction 3 wants me to do... I think tomorrow is going to involve a trip to the uni library to see if i can find an idiots guide to this :s
 
Hi Daisy I can try and help...

What stage are you at installing wordpress manually or on your control panel?
 
i am still attempting to install wordpress, 'attempt' being the operative word... i need to go out for an hour to run some errands but will be back in to re-attempt this afterwards. i think i just get confused by the terminology, i am not a fully computer literate designer as my tutors nurtured my hand made design and never bothered to teach us things like this, i find it hard to read things like this and understand, prefer to watch and learn or be instructed...and once i get it, i don't forget it...it is just the getting it phase haha
 
I guess i could email the person who registered my domain name for me and helped me with uploading that...

Currently i have a domain address, i can view my page statistics and i was told to use filezilla to upload my dreamweaver pages so i have passwords and usernames for that...
 
How do i create a new mySQL database? the only new things my control panel appears to let me do is add a new user or subdomain...
 
Iv given up and emailed my host provider for help :confused:

Luckily he is local guy so i should get a response quickly, i just really wanted to give it a shot myself :lol:

Lets just say i have learnt a lot of respect for all you web designers out there in my last few hours :up:
 
each control panel will be slightly different... it could be that your hosting package doesn't include databases or php but if that's the case it shouldn't cost you to much to get it added on or if it is change your hosting!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top