I've hit a brick wall in designing....help!

[mariahlullaby]

I love doing web design and running a web site, but my site has been closed this past year due to lack of time and inspiration. I really want to get it back up, but every time I sit down to work, I can't do what I want to do -- I have an image in mind I just can't get it onto a layout.

For the past 3 or 4 years, I have been doing my designs completely by hand coding the HTML or CSS. Now, I really feel constrained in this and decided to jump into a web publishing software. I've downloaded a trial version of GoLive and Photoshop (I no longer have a graphics program since my switch) to get started.

My site, which is closed, can be accessed via this link: http://www.mariahplanet.com/main2.html
That is about as far as my HTML coding skills will go. I'm really interested in making some still kind of simple, but with nested tables/frames.
Something kind of like: http://www.forevermariah.com/sweet16.php
or http://www.sweet-fantasy.com/ (I promise that's not a porn site, though it sounds like one lol)
I just have NO idea where to get started. Any suggestions??? Thank you so much!!!

[evilernie]

You really like Mariah huh?

Looks like your html skills are just fine, but there is really no need in this day and age to hand code everything. I suggest Dreamweaver. And avoid frames at all cost. They just wreak havok with browsers and are really unnecessary.

[superbovine]

You really like Mariah huh?

Looks like your html skills are just fine, but there is really no need in this day and age to hand code everything. I suggest Dreamweaver. And avoid frames at all cost. They just wreak havok with browsers and are really unnecessary.

some shops only hire you if you can code html without the aid of dreamweaver/frontpage.

[lazyboy922]

He will have the best of both worlds then. Since he can already code. I know that you arent doing flash, but I visit www.bestflashanimationsite.com quite often, just for inspiration. I also flip through print magazine as well. Anything that will keep me motivated.

Good luck!

[MontyZ]

I'm not really sure exactly what you're asking for, but, have you tried Dreamweaver? If you code by hand, you might find Dreamweaver the best tool, although a little heavy on bells-and-whistles.

[Cleopatra]

When I'm starting to design a web-page I use to start in a graphic program where I can do all the fancy stuff. E.g. in Photoshop I use 800x600 and find pic I want to use and play a bit with the tools. Here you can get some tips: http://www.good-tutorials.com/tutorials/5

And for inspiration: http://www.webaward.org

[MontyZ]

And for inspiration: http://www.webaward.org
I really hate those talking web pages.

[Cleopatra]

I really hate those talking web pages.

Okeeey - I did not hear him because I had turned off the sound on my Mac. :rolleyes:

[snkTab]

Best thing that gets me back is learning something new.

How about ruby on rails.

[mariahlullaby]

Wow, thanks for all the advice guys :). Maybe I'll download Dreamweaver and try that out too; I used it once for about 6 weeks and the result was a scathingly awful website completely done in layers (it looked ok on one computer, just the layers were :eek: and messed up every five seconds) for the Georgia Governor's Program. Maybe I'll give it another go. The only thing is, once the trials are done, I can't afford to buy them so I'm back to square one. But hopefully I'll get the bulk of my site done.

Thanks guys!!!!

[MontyZ]

Yea, Dreamweaver and layers have never worked well together. I never do an entire site with layers, the results are too unreliable in most browsers. I use a table for the basic page structure. CSS purists will scowl at that, but, there's nothing wrong with using tables to structure a page and the good thing is that nearly every browser intreprets tables consistently, even old ones.