Web design...

I have been known to say, "I know just enough HTML to get me into trouble.".... That is the truth. I know just enough to "design" (I use this word loosely, trust me!) a website: a simple site with a few, or even several, pages, with links that work and content that's easy to find.

I already have a few sites up that I did design:
www.cindycaraway.com
www.carawaymusic.com
...and even one for my father-in-law's real estate business:
www.eastiowaland.com

I have designed sites for other artists and community organizations (and even been reimbursed for it, on occasion!).

Sounds good, right? Well, actually, it's not bad... it's maybe even pretty good... but my Scorpio-born sensibilities would like it to be better than good. I would really, truly like to be able to design a great website from the ground up with appealing pictures, cool graphics and an interesting lay-out that does exactly what I want it to do at all times and on all browsers. Oh, and I'd like to do it without having to invest in expensive software. OK, I'll be honest... I'm a big ol' cheapskate, so I would like to be able to do it with free stuff. Is this just too much to ask? Well, we'll have to see now, won't we?

So, after a quick trip to the library (Yay! Free!) and a little searching on my own bookshelf (Imagine that...!), I found these books:

The book on the left is HTML, XHTML, and CSS, Sixth Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide by Elizabeth Castro. It has lots of pictures which is perfect for a visual girl like myself. There's nothing that puts me to sleep quicker than a big page full o' tiny type and no color anywhere to be seen. This book is loaded with nice, large and colorful photos and illustrations. Of course, I haven't delved very deeply into it yet, let's cross our fingers that there is some substance along with the pictures!

The other book, creative html design by Lynda and William Wiseman, is maybe slightly out-of-date since it's publication date is 1998 (I hear you laughing out there....). OK, I know that 1998 in technology terms is like the age of the dinosaur but there may still be some information I can glean from it (...quit laughing... I can hear you, you know...). My knowledge of HTML dates from earlier than that and is still "serviceable" in many cases. And since this book was purchased 5 years ago for fifty cents at a thrift shop and whatever value it had then has certainly depreciated to nothing, it counts as one of those free resources! Yay! And the first image in this post is a shot I took of one of the pages from that book. I liked the idea of "Ducks in a Row" and thought it was something to keep in mind while learning a new skill.

So, I'll try to keep you posted and let you know what I find out, especially about the free resources. My first thought on that subject: The library ROCKS as a place for free resources! Go to the library! :)