Coming from a design background, I still feel most comfortable doing all mockups and design work in editing programs. I do all preliminary work on paper, transfer into Photoshop and finish all logo work in Illustrator. One of the things you have to remember is unless you're doing a personal site, when being paid to do web (or print) design, you have somebody to answer to. I find that if I'm presenting designs to higher-ups, it's far easier to change design elements in Photoshop than it is to do so if working only in CSS. It also helps to have something to work from, as opposed to just trying to push things around on the screen. As far as books on the matter, I've really been helped by the following:
Designers in Handcuffs: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1581803311/104-1438187-6628745 ?v=glance The Art and Science of Web Design: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0789723700/104-1438187-6628745 ?v=glance Return on Design: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0201756072/104-1438187-6628745 ?v=glance >>What do you think? Where are there resources on how to start "thinking" >>about designing a web site. Not the actual coding of it. Of course, there >>are tons of books on HTML/XHTML, CSS, and all that, but I'm talking more >>of design theory. How wide should columns be? What is the standard sixe, >>1024x768 or 800 x 600? How wide and tall should your headers be? How tall >>should your logo be in the top left corner? Conceptual things of that >>nature. The best resources to follow regarding design concepts like those you mention are other sites. Find sites that strike you aesthetically, then identify what moves you about them. Look to the luminaries of the field, such as Jeffrey Zeldman, Eric Meyer, Andy Budd, Brian Alvey, Dan Cederholm and see what they do. Before I begin any design process for a new website, brochure, CD cover, advertisement, etc. the first thing I do is spend a couple of days getting ideas. Magazines, websites, billboards, product labeling, etc. can all be points of inspiration. Hope this helps, and remember: it's only my opinion. :) Cheers, Collin Davis Web Architect Stromberg Architectural Products p 903.454.0904 f 903.454.3642 e [EMAIL PROTECTED] web www.strombergarchitectural.com ****************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help ******************************************************
