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Just getting started in web design? This guide will get you ready to tackle your first project as a beginner. Just getting started in web design? This guide will get you ready to tackle your first project as a beginner. From 101 to advanced, learn how to build sites in Webflow with over 100 lessons - including the basics of HTML and CSS. Web design is a crucial component of the web development process. If you're interested in web design, we're guessing you have a creative streak. And how could you not be excited about jumping in and making your first website? Web design is about crafting a functional piece of art - but where do you start? If you're wondering what you need to know before you begin, this is a simple web design guide that will help you start. This seems like a no brainer, right? But sometimes we can get overly ambitious and end up discouraged.
For your first project, it’s a good idea to choose something simple and fun. An ecommerce site is more complicated and would be better to tackle once you have more experience. A blog is a great place to start. It will be a good design exercise and you’ll learn how a Content Management System (CMS) works, which will be important to know for future site designs. Best of all - you don’t have to start from scratch. There are plenty of blog templates that make it easy to put one together. Templates are a valuable learning tool. Watching how HTML, CSS, and Javascript elements are styled and come together will give you deeper insight into what makes a design work. You can use templates as a foundation to make changes and customizations. Maybe you don't want to start a blog - try pulling from your creative pursuits or hobbies. How about building a showcase for your photography skills or for your collection of short stories?
Creating a design to feature a passion of yours makes for an enjoyable first project. You've no doubt come across websites that have wowed you with their stunning design. Create an inspiration doc with links to sites you love, or bookmark them as you go. Pinterest is a great place to find great site design - you can find and pins illustrations, book covers, posters, blogs, and other types of design work to refer to. Designers use the term "mood board" for these collections. Mood boards are a quick reference resource if you find yourself stuck. Outside the discoveries you make on your own, there are some curated collections you should check out. And of course, head over to Made in Webflow to see the variety of ways people are using our design platform. There’s so much cool stuff to check out and so many templates available to clone as your very own. Web design is informed by a visual language that can be found anywhere, like the cover of a graphic novel or the digital kiosk at your bank.
Develop an eye for recognizing good design and start analyzing why something works or doesn’t work, whatever the medium. We often read without even being aware of typefaces. Pay attention to the effect type has on as you consume content. Is that font on the menu readable? What makes that hand-lettered sign for the local business work so well? Letters are everywhere. Make note of both good and bad uses of typography. Typewolf is an excellent resource to keep tabs on popular fonts. It has plenty of lists to explore, a featured site of the day, and lookbooks that have spectacular font combinations. It’s helpful to see actual examples of typography being used, and websites like Typewolf are a great place to see their practical applications. Getting familiar with different fonts will help you pick the right type for your first site design. Oh, did we mention there’s an entire history of art to draw from? So many movements and artists still shape the work of creatives today - especially web designers.
Take a stroll through our Web design and art history piece to discover many monumental artistic achievements. Not only is filled with valuable information, it’s an excellent example of how content and artistry can come together to tell a story. There are so many disciplines of design to be familiar with. A knowledge of product design, illustration, and even branding can further develop your creative senses. For inspiration that goes beyond web design, Abduzeedo offers brilliant examples. Whether it’s poster art, luggage, or furniture, you’ll see fantastic examples of design done right. Be open to different types of design and actively seek out inspiration. The more knowledge you have, the easier it will be to design your first website. Putting content first means having content ready to work with before you start designing your first website. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You can always edit and optimize for Google SEO (search engine optimization) later. But having at least a rough draft of what will go live will help make sure the design is laid out to accommodate it.
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