Learning Web Design – should you learn Dreamweaver?
November 15, 2013
Hi!
A common question I get from people who are new to web design, is whether they should learn Dreamweaver?
… A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that the process of building websites, is basically using Dreamweaver or some other web design program.
Short answer: NO!
What is the best way to learn web design?
I’ve been building websites since 1994 and been teaching web design since around 2003, in all these years (besides losing some hair) I’ve discovered that trying to learn web design and Dreamweaver at the same time will slow you down.
The key to learning web design as quickly as possible, is to slow down and learn the basics first and then learn Dreamweaver … if you really want to!
What are the basics of web design?
Short answer: code!
No, not code!! Code may sound boring but in fact, once you get it … it’s really pretty easy to work with, it gives you a lot of power and finally, you can use your code skills to impress the ladies or if you’re are a lady, to impress the guys!
… Nothing gets a man more interested than a code-savy lady! 😉
What code do you use in web design?
The main code/languages used in web design are HTML and CSS. If you want to get fancy (and raise your pay a lot!) … you would need to learn the JavaScript language and the PHP language – but that is gettin super nerdy!
The how-to-build-websites.com written tutorial covers the basics and the basic code (HTML and CSS) … it makes it pretty easy. But, if you are one who likes to see it done in front of you and have it explained, then my popular beginners course on web design will be great for you.
But I’m an artist and I hate the idea of code!!
Don’t worry about code, once you get it, you will find it pretty easy and fun to use. If you are still not convinced about the overall importance of learning how to code in HTML and CSS, check out my article on the subject:
http://www.studioweb.com/articles/coding-in-curriculum
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
