Wide World Of Web Design

Web Design has come under some scrutiny with the presumption that anyone who acquires a textbook and applies themselves on weekends is then worthy of the profession, and there are a lot of self proclaimed Web Designers out there (their work is usually pretty easy to spot). And for some code purists and web development professionals, it is the software program I am about to discuss that they say is largely to blame.

With that, I’ll start my very first Post on the WIDE WORLD OF WEB DESIGN by stating that when it comes to creating web pages, the most important piece of software you could ever hope to own is Dreamweaver.

No, I don’t work for ADOBE, but this is one of the sweetest programs around, and although you still need at least some understanding of HTML and CSS coding, this little baby will make your life significantly easier because . . . it can do so much, it makes the entire process faster, and of course it fully integrates with the other industry leading programs essential for design . . . Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, and Flash.

And the extensions … my gawd, the extensions! There are a ton of these written for Dreamweaver which can add invaluable functionality to your pages, and although they come from a large variety of sources, they can all be easily perused at the Adobe Exchange where they are categorized and rated. I will highlight some of my favorites throughout this website.

As with most new versions of software programs there are major feature changes and upgrades, fuelled by industry feedback to improve on the previous incarnations, and Dreamweaver CS3 is no exception. This is the “must have” version over DW8 which had little in the way of enhancements over DreamweaverMX 2004, and here are the main reasons why:

• Not only does it have the integration with Photoshop and Illustrator it was lacking before, but if you were to get a CS3 package that included Fireworks, you can install an extension for that program making it possible to export your mockup web pages right into Dreamweaver with the HTML and CSS written for you.
• Dreamweaver now has starter pages bundled in which utilize CSS layouts provided by long time Macromedia/Adobe contributor and CSS expert Stephanie Sullivan, actually making them useful for the modern day web designer. These can get you started quickly with a variety of flavors that include Fixed, Liquid, Elastic, and Hybrid Layouts.
• There’s the Spry Widgets fueled by an AJAX Framework to give your pages that modern interactivity and pizazz, with simple point and click steps to inject Javascript and CSS for things such as Flyout Navigation and Collapsible Divs among other effects. No more having to scrounge for those ajax scripts from various sources (mostly javascript programmers who throw stuff up out of generosity …)

This is just a teaser, but I think if you could ever only own one piece of software as a web professional, this would be it, and as an owner of previous versions DWMX2004 and DW8, Dreamweaver CS3 is the crown jewel in web design. But does owning it make you a web designer ? Not by a long shot. That’s where all those handy tutorials come in . . .

JKB