Guide to Web Design and Website Creation

Web design is similar to print design. The layout, fonts, colors and space must be considered when attempting to reach an audience. There are principles and elements that help create visually appealing useful designs. The following resources will help increase your understanding of principles and elements when creating powerful web pages. The following links may help design a more accessible, user-friendly website.

Web Design

• Design Notes - Balance Symmetry: Achieve balance and symmetry when developing a website.
• Web Page Layout: A Caltech guide to creating a well-designed web page.
• Images and Graphics Guide: A guide for using static images dictated by Eastern Michigan University, but is useful when dealing with images and graphics for any web design.
• Font Faces: Find out which fonts are the best for web page design.
• Principle of Design: Explains the five principles of design that come together effectively.
• The Process: Explains the six-step process for web design.
• Introduction to Web Design: Video and PowerPoint lectures on getting started with web design.
• Design Tips: 10 website creation tips to design and effective website.

Languages

• Cascading Style Sheets: The World Wide Web Consortium provides recommendation for us Cascading Style Sheets.
• HTML Tags: Shows the basic tags used in web pages.
• Writing HTML: 29 lessons with many allowing downloads to your computer. Create tutorial pages that you can easily access when designing your website.
• Introduction to JavaScript: A module introducing JavaScript.
• JavaScript: Provides 14 examples for using JavaScript.
• XML: Explains the basics to XML design.
• XML Parser: Explains how use XML parser.
• HTML & CSS Style Guide: Describes how to use GTML and CSS code.
• PHP &My SQl: A thorough guide to creating websites databases with PHP & MySQL.      

Accessibility

• Accessible Web Pages: Create effective and efficient navigation with these tips.
• Designing Accessible Web Sites: A comprehensive booklet focused on designing accessible web pages for people with disabilities.
• Web Accessibility: 14 lessons that help web designers create web accessible pages.
• Building Accessible Websites: Author of Serialization shares advice from the book for building accessible websites.
• Guide to Accessible Web Sites: Tips for designing accessible web pages and implementing Section 508 guidelines.
• Measure Your Accessibility: See if your website meets web accessibility guidelines.
• Design for Users with Disabilities: Explains how to design for several types of disabilities.
• Cognitive Disabilities: A great guide to creating and designing for those with cognitive disabilities.
• Blind and Visually Impaired: This guide covers designing for the blind and visually impaired.  
• Developing an Accessible Web Page: 10 tips for designing and developing accessible web pages.

Colors and Color Theory

• Color & Design: A brief description on hoe to choose colors for web design.
• Color Theory: A module explaining the concepts of color in web design. 
• Color Vision Confusion: This web design page focuses on providing tips to creating color safe design and accessibility.
• Web Safe Color Chart: Shows the colors that are web safe.
• HTML Color Chart: A list of colors safe to reference in HTML and CSS.
• Hexadecimal Colors: An introduction to hexadecimal colors for web graphics.
• Brower-Safe Color Chart: A RGB color chart of colors that is acceptable for browsing.
• Colors in HTML: Learn how to create colors of your likening with HTML.
• Basic Color Theory: Describes the premise of color theory.

Tutorials

• Basic Design: An introductory interactive web design tutorial that takes about 30 minutes.
• Working with Images and Graphics: A guide to working with images and graphics and creating figures and diagrams.
• Creating Links: Create links for web pages with this composer tutorial.
• HTML Tutorial: A comprehensive introductory tutorial to using HTML to create text, graphics and tables.
• HTML Basic Tutorial: A HTML web design tutorial of the basics.
• Animated GIF: Create a simple animated Gif with step-by-step instructions.
• Dreavweaver: A tutorial teaching the basics of Dreamweaver, a web editor.
• Flash: Learn how to use Macromedia Flash and Generator with this guide.
• Custom Layouts: Create a custom layout using this tutorial.