i want to become a web and graphic designer. from where should i start or how should i enter the profession?
450897
If you want to become a web and graphic designer, you should have hands on eperience in many technologies, I suggest you to be more specific in what you really want to do, because high end graphics design will involve lot of creativity and more expensive to learn like (maya 3dMax) etc. whereas low level involves working in photoshop, coral draw, flash etc. web designer will generally need to learn basic technologies like html, XML, php etc and database technologies like Mysql, ORACLE, SQL Server etc. to design good websites. I suggest you to learn these technologies to start with and flash parallely so that you can complete the courses soon. Best wishes
510087
If you want to do it the hard way just open a text editor (ie. notepad) and type in the HTML code. Otherwise, if you want a wysiwyg(graphical) editor, the good ones cost money.\n\nI find dreamweaver to be a good all-round program; easy enough to pick up but also powerful enough to be useful to professionals.\n\nIf you want to make it look good you may have to lay out for a good graphics editor too, but that's up to you.\n\nIf you don't want anything too fancy then this (http://www.alleycode.com/) looks quite good.\nNB. you can still produce professional looking website with this but the tasks may not be automated in the same way as with using a program like dreamweaver. This would make using it a little more time consuming but in the end would probably give you more working knowledge of the HTML code.\n\nI would also recommend having a look at these sites:\n\nhttp://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp\n\nhttp://www.htmltutorials.ca/\n\nhttp://www.webdiner.com/webadv/index.htm\n\nOh, as a last point you will need a company to host your page and a web address so that people can browse to your site.\n\nAlmost all ISPs provide you with a minimal amount of space and a subdomain name. They will probably provide website editing pages too-take a look on your ISPs homepage and see if there is an option to "log in" and then one for something to do with "webspace". The webpages to edit your personal site will be user friendly but not as powerful as an HTML editor.\n\nFor business purposes paying for a domain name can be of use and lends a more professional edge to a site(costs less than $30 a year depending on the domain name). I won't, however, recommend any hosting or domain name registration sites in case I give an overpriced one.
62723
You are entering one of the most competitive fields in Internet services. There are hundreds of thousands of people offering their web design services. If you go to onfocus.com and use the googlesmackdown tool you can see how many web sites are currently offering a web designer (666,000 as I write this). And the number of web sites advertising as a web design business, 34,200. You will absolutely need to develop a very specialized skill set and it would be to your extreme benefit to have many thousands of personal contacts to help spread -- word-of-mouth advertising. \n\nMy business contracts with web designers, web developers, and web programmers almost daily. There are very few who actually know how to design a web site that provides customer loyalty, sells a product, provides search engine compliance and marketability, provides Internet directory compliance and marketability, and promotes brand awareness. All of which are absolute musts for an online business. \n\nAs with any business, success is determined by how well you plan and how well you execute the plan. Don't sell your talent, education, uniqueness, etc. Sell solutions, solve customer problems, illustrate a direct impact to bottom line profitability for those who would hire your services.
284546
Graphic Design is a major which you can design ads, logos, posters and web, you will design by different programs like adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Indesign...etc\n\nGraphic animation is similar to graphic design but you basically will design for video games and animation ads
756870
Graphics design, interior design, and any of the visual arts would be good places to start.  Web design might not be a bad idea either except that line of work is very saturated these days and it's not easy to find work.  Landscape design is an up-and-coming line of work, especially with golf courses and country clubs.  Some of the engineering feilds might be a good match, too, as long as it deals with spatial relationships (engineering for roadways, drainage systems, etc) instead of mechanics or electrical.
781744
Most popular programs are Adobe Photostop, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, and GIMPshop. It all depends on your creativity and your ability to design well and tutorials will come in handy at that stage. However, here's a link that has many, many more links that can help you get started on Photoshop and sebsite resources: http://www.createblog.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14636 .\n\nI've designed website layouts myself so feel free to ask any questions and I may be able to help you out or refer you to another site.
455458
There are many good places including online schools such as the University of Phoenix online.  They teach web site design in phoenix arizona but you can take the classes online anywhere.  Download the free trial of Dreamweaver 8 here: http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/ and start learning it to create websites.  There are a few tutorials built into the program itself and more online: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/search/index.cfm?loc=en_us&term=dreamweaver+tutorials  This is how i got started before working for a phoenix web design company http://www.websiteaz.com
1014065
It depends really but we can look at the following, depending which area within the video games you want to get into:\n\nYou could be a character design, who creates the characters for games.\n\nBut if you also learn software development, then companies are going to go for you because you don't only create characters for vidoe games but also know how to make the game.\n\nYou might want to just be a graphic designer and do illustrations for their packaging, which means you need to start drawing now, get use to using different design packages.\n\nThe best think I would advise though it visit not a college but a university that specialise in that kind of field, so you can foresee what studies you need to do.\n\nThat way you can plan way ahead and get yourself ready. Also, you can contact a company or even go to community association of games that hold events where people from around the world come and many of them create games, or do illustrations for games, or create characters for games.\n\nNow, that's exciting because you have a full day meeting loads of people to talk, to ask questions from grass roots level. And its fun.\n\nBut best place is definitley contact a university that has courses for this so you can see which area you want to get yourself in. By doing this you get to know exactly what a tester does, what a programmer does.\n\nIt's best to go and see with your own eyes and see if you can imagine yourself doing this or that. It's worth doing.\n\nGood luck!
635338
A degree that focuses on the following fundumental skills:\n\n- HTML, SGML, XML,\n- Web page designs.\n- Web Server, HTTP\n- Front Page (any web design application)\n\nIt is nice to have a degree, but to become a web designer, all you need is to take classes that focuses on these specific skillsets. Most local colleges offers these programs.
1179668
Starting a small business takes a lot of courage. But, as they say, courage does not pay the bills. To be successful – to stay in business – you need more than courage. You need a combination of hard work, skill, perseverance, and lots of luck. \n\nSome things you need to consider:\n- "How can I support my family while I build up by business?" \n- "What are my abilities?" \n- "Is there a market for the product or service I have chosen?" \n- "How long will it take this business to reach the financial goal I have?" \n\nYou may want to read the article "How to Start a New Business Successfully" http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol51/launch.htm , which lists six steps to launch a new business successfully:\n\n1. Provide a benefit.\n2. Determine the fit with your market.\n3. Right timing is everything\n4. Be ready to support your business\n5. Develop a blueprint for success\n6. Market, market, market\n\nStart by researching the business and preparing your business plan. Here are some resources on starting a web/graphic design business\n\nHow to Start a Web Design Business http://webdesign.about.com/od/jobs/a/aa052404.htm\n\nI suggest you check out these sites to gain more info on the going rates for freelance graphic/web design\n\nhttp://www.elance.com\nhttp://www.guru.com\n\nImportant thing to remember: don't forget the contracts. Here are some resources to guide you in preparing contracts\n\nNeed for Written Web Design Contract http://www.ivanhoffman.com/written.html \nSample web design contract http://www.wilsonweb.com/worksheet/pkg-con.htm\n\nFor in-depth information, I suggest checking out the following books:\n\n- How to Start a Home-Based Web Design Business by Jim Smith http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0762705612/ref=nosim/powerhomebizguid\n- The Real Business of Web Design by John Waters http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1581153163/ref=nosim/powerhomebizguid
1015900
A good designer needs to know XHTML and CSS to implement his design ideas on the Web. There are many tools and technologies that can help you see how it's going to look before you publish the site, such as Dreamweaver, FrontPage, Visual Web Designer, etc. But I strongly recommend learning XHTML and CSS first.
397345
I am also trying to start a graphic design company. I think the best way is to advertise yourself where ever you can. Local newspapers, flyers and definately get yourself a business card. \nFor me so far its mainly been word of mouth. So get yourself out there and see what happens.
118526
I think it's an awesome choice. If you're thinking about doing it, go with it! There are wonderful oppurtunities available in graphic designing. You can make a very comfortable living designing for websites and making company logo(s), etc... Flash, Photoshop, Dreamweaver... Good place to start.
794194
I think you are truly amazing!  Go to the art/design school you like the most.  Then attend business classes at your local junior college.  \n\nMost importantly, find a good/successful designer or design business you can work for when you get out of school so that you can learn the 'real world' knowledge you will need to succeed.\n\nBest wishes and good luck.
721991
Webdesign can be a lot of fun to learn, however it's very time consuming.  Different professionals go different directions... Linux based and Windows Based.\n\nLinux is more of CGI, Python, Perl\nWindows is more ASP, ASP.NET, .NET (which is how I design all my websites.. if it's good enough for companies like Jaguar, it's good enough for me)\n\nThere is also software.\nYou can learn stuff like FrontPage, Coolpage, LiquidFX, and you can be ridiculed by professionals.\nOr you can use the industry standard which is Dreamweaver.  It's the best, hand's down.  Anyone whose been in the business on a professional level will tell you to go with Dreamweaver.\n\nYou need to know basic photo editing.\nFireworks, Photoshop, JASC and Corel, all provide great photoediting software.  JASC for it's money ($99) will work just fine for basic web editing.  \n\nSo, from my standpoint if you know the following setup, people will be crawling to you...\n\nASP.NET\nASP 3.0\nHTML 4.0\nCGI / PERL\nPython\nPhotoshop CS2\nDreamweaver 8
961091
Hi,\n\nFor a futured web designer, you have to learn about some software i.e. Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver & Flash (All For Designing and Animation). Beside these you also have to learn about HTML, ASP, PHP, .net Framework (All for Development) and SQL, Access, Oracle (For Database).......\n\nBut, beside these one more thing will be there, and that is creativity and Presence of mind, because if you don't have creativity, all knowledge of software is useless........\n\nThe starting salary of a web designer is abt. 6K to 8K. When you go to development, this is abt. 10K to 15K. The Salary of a team leader is between 20K to 25K.\n\nAnd, the salary of Senior Art Director is between 30K to 50K.\n\nYou can learn these software at Arena Multimedia and Aptech Institutes for best Knowledge.................\n\nSankalp Gupta\nIT Consultant\nFor e-xpert Media Lab\n+919336812520
941010
somthing like that will cost you BIG $$$ - If you don't know anything about web design, I suggest you start learning asap. It would cost you 5 digits just to hire a designer. Thats not including, hosting, advertising, or anything else that you will need.