How do you make a good web site design

Question

• What resources do you use to make a good and beautiful web site design?
• Do you use templates?
• What patterns you use?
• Are there any web site with good resources and ideas?

Answer 1

I look at beautiful design examples to get inspiration. Then try out ideas, experiment with elements and colors. After a while, sometimes after a long while, something new and beautiful is born.

Answer 2

10 top blogs for Web Developers is one place that lists some blogs to follow to get some ideas.

Answer 3

960 grid has a good set of templates to start with.

Take inspiration from other websites you like, noting their techniques. As Smandoli suggested organize what you like by the feature (navigation, CSS, colors, layout, etc)

Keep your markup clean and as simple as possible, but no simpler.

Answer 4

I use a good designer.

Answer 5

I use templates provided by my designer.

Answer 6

Start with pen and paper.

Answer 7

My steps typically consist of:

1. What kind of site do I want to make? How can I best captivate the audience of this kind of site?

2. Sketch out a simple structural layout on a paper with a pencil (1, 2, or 3 columns? what goes where?)

3. Decide on colors and color combinations: www.colourlovers.com helps me most.

4. Build the structure of the site in CSS and use filler words to test fluidity if you want a fluid site.

5. Think of how I want to bring the colors into the layout. Font color, background color, etc.. Some testing here.

6. Add javascript features, images, and other misc things.

7. Test like crazy; browser compatible? Show people and find out what looks good/bad.

Answer 8

This tip is not about tools -- it's about aesthetics.
Start with color choices. Color is everything.
I'd provide an online color chooser, but I've never found one that makes me very happy.
UPDATE: Whoo! Flam's post may have helped me there!

Answer 9

What about Yet Another Multicolumn Layout (YAML)? It is a css framework to create flexible multi column layouts tested with all common browsers.

1. Choose a base layout fitting your needs - what kind and depth of navigation do you need?
2. Choose colors and fonts pleasuring you (or your customer)
3. Create custom background and border images

Thats a good start...

Answer 10

Get a dedicated, experienced designer with a strong portfolio (you'll know it's a good portfolio when you see it) and expert level HTML/CSS skills. This is something that can't be replaced with ready to use templates.

Answer 11

killersites.com is one classic reference. Design generally is somewhere between OS (more physical) and AI (more logic). The new design rule I newly started is the less numbers to the user, the better. They say the more numbers the more facts the text has, think self people respond more natural to shapes and color than numbers.

Answer 12

http://www.aclick.in/ is one good reference.

Answer 13

http://www.coolartz.wordpress.com/

I look at beautiful design examples

Answer 14

I find a real-world problem that can usefully be solved with software. The design flows from the problem.

Answer 15

Inspiring article. Thanks for your information.