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Plan and Design First Attitude
This is for the benefit of those interested on learning how to get started on creating a website and by that I don’t mean using blogger or Tumblr which you probably already know.
For that person who asked, I haven’t found and read a great book for dummies about “how to create a website properly.” It’s so broad that you have to break it down, learn so many things and read several books. My friend Rad shared Bootstrapping Design and it’s best for non-designers or even those with some experience but want to gain more confidence with their work.
Prior to being a web application developer, I was more of a designer. But for the past three years or more, I have not done so much of it that it seems like the skill is lost.
I have become a minimalist. I dislike looking at websites that have great visuals but poor content. Gone are the days wherein CSS Zen Garden is the most popular site for web designers. Probably most real and competitive designers are using Dribbble.
Before you actually bother learning HTML, database design and all that, I think the most fundamental skill of anyone focused on creating a website for their business is planning. Planning entails market research and things I’d rather not talk about even did all that in college as a business administration graduate.
It also involve designing, sketching and writing stories. They usually use the term “prototyping” but I found out that a prototype means different things to different people. The best term is “mockup” or “wireframe.” You have to create mockups. Wireframes and mockups are helpful for both designers and non-designers.
Useful Apps for Wireframing
I worked for a non-designer CTO who used this. He used it a lot. For instruction, it’s better than words and talking for hours over the phone. It’s not a substitute for communicating with a team but I found that so much was done within a short period of time because they knew what they wanted very well. It may also reduce design costs in the long run.
Omnigraffle has a lot of stencils for mobile devices. You might want to check out iOS Design Stencils by Dave Morford. There are a lot more stencils available at Graffletopia.
Adobe Photoshop
I honestly still use Photoshop. It seems easier to use Omnigraffle but I already want assets I can use for the app.