Web Design with Mike

Web Design with Mike

Web Design is a useful tool to be able to have at your disposal. With Web Design, it becomes possible to create web pages that others can view(of course there is more knowledge required than just that, but I will elaborate on that at a later date). There are 3 things that typically make up your standard web pages in today's world. They are HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and Javascript. These individual coding languages help make a web page come to life. Each does their own special thing to make a page interesting.

• HTML (think of it as the "Bones" of a web page) You provide the structure and the items it will contain within the page. Headers, Paragraphs, Links, Images, Navigation Bars, and much more. This is where you need to think about placement, form, functionality, presentation, and ease of use for those that are viewing and using the web page. If a web page is not user-friendly, people will let you know. Typically, pages are most visually appealing when they are built from the top on down. It's not impossible to build a different way, but this is general rule of thumb. Take some time and sketch out your idea. It doesn't have to be perfect on the first go around. It just needs to be started. You can refine it as you go along and adapt your design and thought processes to what you you require. It's not an exact science because everyone learns differently. But having these ideas in mind will get you ready for the next steps that will need to be taken in your Web Design journey.
• CSS (this is how you'll style your web page) You get to let your creative side shine with what you get to do with this. You get to edit, change, and update things such as Fonts, Colors, Sizes, Width, Height, Background Colors, and so much more. With all the options available to you in CSS, you can create a page that is entirely unique and custom to your vision of what this web page should be. A good way to start off would be to have a color scheme in mind. Don't get too carried away with all the bright, neon, and flashy colors though. You will still want your viewers to be able to clearly read and understand the message you wish to convey to them. Maybe a recommended complementary color scheme (off of the primary color you choose to work with) would be best to start off with while you are still getting the hang of everything. Fonts are also important . Some fonts, such as sans-serifs for instance, can make things easier to view over. They have rounded edges and are viewer friendly. Serif's are more rigid and have been used primarily for newspaper articles. Do you want some text to have more of an impact? Adjust the size to clearly portray that this text is clearly very important. There are so many options available to creatively stylize your web page. Be sure to carve out some extra time to dedicate and learn these elements because there are more than have been mentioned in this short post.
• Javascript (this is how things move on the web page) You can have many different things move on your web page. This language helps to make items contained on the page have interactive elements with them. It adds a layer of reactivity on things such as hovering over a button, clicking, or releasing a clicked button. It gives things a less static feel and allows for it to become more dynamic. Viewers enjoy seeing dropdowns, shapes, and words be able to change all within a web page. It gives a "WOW" factor to a page. Without this scripting language, many pages would not have the visual excitement that we have all grown to know and enjoy. Javascript is capable of reaching inside of HTML & CSS to activate and change events upon certain actions. It has many features and is quite robust as a coding language. If Javascript is not enabled on internet browsers, the pages themselves can fall flat and not operate as intended for the viewer. (Think not just movement, but activation in real time)

These are not the only coding languages that are used in today's modern web, but they are some of the most commonly utilized. They have many resources and documentation backing their use up. Web Design is primarily front-end/ surface level. Later on, we'll visit some of the back-end languages and get to know those as well. But for the time being, take your time, get to know, each of these languages in their respective categories. With time and dedication, you can learn how to put things together piece by piece, create a page where you have strong visuals that stand out, and can put action and movement within your viewers grasp. An excellent resource to familiarize yourself with these languages is: 

https://www.w3schools.com/

There you can learn not only HTML, CSS, and Javascript, but you can also see what other coding languages are offered in order to make the most of your Web Design adventure!