[shmay]

I am a newbie designer. I've gone through sitepoint's Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way Using HTML & CSS and HTML Utopia: Designing Without Tables Using CSS, so I know the basics.

However, each site I attempt to create looks like garbage. I just don't know how to design good looking sites.

I have a certain website idea in mind, and I need the perfect design.

One design I especially like is protolize.org, any tips for designing like that? Thank you.

[LukeV]

What software are you using for the graphics of the website. It looks like that site you mentioned uses photoshop looking at some of the shapes used.

[rustybones]

Maybe this might give you a nudge in the right direction: PSDTUTS - Photoshop Tutorials and Links - Create a Sleek, High-End Web Design from Scratch

Though you'll be designing a site like a billion others, which will effectively make it a "cookie cutter" site with no originality... though that's hard to come by these days

[Dusteh]

protolize is hardly groundbreaking - I wouldn't use that as a yardstick.

[RaelRode]

[pgo]

That's not relevant. He said he's new and learning. Sheesh.

@shmay - Follow tutorials to learn software (they won't teach you good design - just good software tricks and techniques), read articles, and so on. Go to (a real, 4 year) college for design if you can.

But there's no underestimating natural ability. And Dusteh's right - you should set the bar a little higher than "boring generic Web 2.0 site".

I learn from doing most of the time. One thing you might consider - and I just thought of this as a technique learning exercise - is looking at your favorite site and trying to duplicate it in Photoshop.

[RaelRode]

I posted the Freelance Freedom thing in the wrong thread...oops.

[arsholdings]

I would recommend getting away from sitepoint all together. I find it best to design sites from scratch, directly from the code. I would use dreamweaver or expressions, and get used to designing in the code. Uses the design interface only for checking your work. If you do it this way you will become much more efficient and better at coding.

[shmay]

Originally Posted by arsholdings

I would recommend getting away from sitepoint all together. I find it best to design sites from scratch, directly from the code. I would use dreamweaver or expressions, and get used to designing in the code. Uses the design interface only for checking your work. If you do it this way you will become much more efficient and better at coding.

That's just how sitepoint teaches it. Their products are great. It's the graphics part I'm having trouble with.

[chetan]

Many more web sites can give u idea to learn build web sites with the help of using HTML and CSS.
One of the other good site is w3schools where u can learn basics of HTML and CSS.

[hyperzzzz]

tutorials. Best way, it worked for me and Ive been using ps for over a year and im only 17. Go to web layouts and start following what they say (VIDEO TUTORIALS ARE BETTER ).

Whats your interests? Try and find some sites that attract your attention and look what works well and try to re-create it within your designing program.

Its best not to just stop at web layouts, learn other tutorials such as 3d logo's gradients and icons. As eventually you will pick up the ability to apply it with-in your work without referring to anything.

As it will then come naturally.

[texo]

Originally Posted by shmay

I am a newbie designer. I've gone through sitepoint's Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way Using HTML & CSS and HTML Utopia: Designing Without Tables Using CSS, so I know the basics.
However, each site I attempt to create looks like garbage. I just don't know how to design good looking sites.

HTML and CSS are not used to design sites, and that is perhaps why your designs are not turning out well. A well-designed site always starts with a blank piece of paper and a pencil, or a blank canvas in Fireworks (or photoshop or whatever you prefer) and progresses from there.

Only once you have the site looking good in your graphics program, does the html/css come into play.

[abbasinho]

not neccessarily texo, you could get the site looking good in a graphics program then you could come unstuck when you try to recreate the design using html/css.

learn. learn. learn.

[texo]

Agreed, you could come unstuck trying to recreate the design using html/css, but if you start off with a crappy design in your graphics program, no amount of html/css can fix it.

I always find the first part (designing in Fireworks) the most frustrating (because I'm no artist) ... but I love the challenge of getting it all working using html/css

[NicolaFred]

start at the basics and learn how to create good design... learn the grid structures, its a good basis for any website. Oh and wireframes will be your best friend...