Ask HN: Getting started with graphic design for the web
This could be an online study course that's basically just a website where you move sequentially through the site.
Here's kind of what I want, but not really.
http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/inspiration/teach-yourself-graphic-design-a-self-study-course-outline/
Here's basically want I want:
1. Principles of Design (contrast, etc)
2. Typography - what you can do with just fonts in an entirely colorless design.
3. Color Theory (what do colors mean? picking color schemes? what background colors are readable with fonts and how does that influence choosing a color scheme for a mildly text-heavy page? Lots of examples
4. Layouts and grids - how to use a grid layout, where to put the color, box model. Lots of examples
5. Logos
6. Quick photoshop tutorial
7. Photoshop workbook i.e. do it yourself, possibly with pre-supplied images i.e. here some images, make this poster with the end result shown to you.
8. Now revise the end result to do something that you think looks better.
9. Post revision for peer review
10. Assignment where you have to come up with your own photoshop re-design of a shitty website.
11. Post design for peer review.
12. Quick html/css tutorial
13. Take this photoshop mockup and turn it into html/css. Html/css made available if you have trouble.
14. Revise design straight in html/css and post for peer review.
10 comments
[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 39.0 ms ] threadhttp://www.microsoft.com/design/toolbox/
fuck, that sucks man.
It covers the basics of design, color theory and typography. It's a great start.
The best way to learn graphic design (and web design/development and even programmer) is to just get started and do it practically. You learn as you go, making mistakes along the way.
I understand that many of you prefer to get a nice structure for your education, but its not really practical.
Good luck.
As far as I can tell as a non-designer, there seem to be (essentially) two phases to graphic design for the web: wireframes and final design. The first phase is sort of a high volatility phase where one tries out many different approaches, mocking them up with extremely basic wireframes (in something like Balsamiq or even on paper for the best designers), figuring out what the client really wants (they don't know) and figuring out what you want. The second phase is making something nice looking based on the wireframes and other details from the first phase.
These two phases are completely different. They can, and often are, done by completely different people. To be good at either, you need to have spent years developing a good sense of design. However, other than that the skills seem quite different. For the first phase, one might need layout and communication skills. For the second, one might need to know about typography and color theory, maybe be able to draw proficiently, and so on. Often, the second phase includes turning the design into HTML and CSS, but this is rarely a good use of the designer's time, and can be delegated to specialty providers like psd2html.
Without more knowledge about what your background is, and why you want to study graphic design for the web, I think it is difficult for anyone to suggest what you need to study first. However, given how little of the above was really specific to web design, I think you might be better served by a more general design program, which might also be easier to find.