Re: Intro to Web Design

After looking at lots of people's posts, I have a few things to share:

1. I love web design, just the bare bones coding aspect of it, for the sheer reason that it's one of the only things I do that has a definite "right" or "wrong" answer. Since I spend so much of my time in the subjective world of aesthetics, it's really gratifying to fix a problem in a more definite sense.

Another cool thing about coding is that, even though there is generally one right answer, you can often get to it in a variety of ways. I think that gives me the sense that it's still a creative work, and it makes me appreciate the creativity that goes into the sciences

2. I can definitely understand everyone's frustrations about Intro to Web Design just scratching the surface, but given how much you can do with web design, I don't see how it could be any other way.

I, personally, have to remind myself that I'm not here to become an expert in every single aspect of design. I'm here to study the languages of as many aspects as possible, but not to become fluent in every single one.

So, if you decide that web design doesn't float your boat, you don't have to be a web designer.

I actually don't think that most companies want someone who knows how to do everything. They certainly want someone who can speak the language, or who at least knows how to use a dictionary.

And, so, I agree—it's important to keep up with the trends all throughout the field, not just where you're directly working. Design trends have impact everywhere. I didn't realize this before I started studying design.

Parallax sites are very in right now, but soon they won't be. Keep up with the trends so that you can stretch and push the trends to a new territory or, at the very least, not be too far behind.

3. Getting started on a website probably just means using your own process, which we discussed a couple of weeks ago. Don't overthink it—it's a new project, just like anything else.

As far as where to look for inspiration: what brands do you like? Chances are, you'll like their web presence.

P.S. Since you mentioned Parallax scrolling, here's one of my favorites: http://keepbigbirdalive.com/.