How did you learn webdesign?

[Agenator]

Well its another one of my infamous questions... How did you learn web design or css or php or whatever scripting language you know... Simply put, I learned the hard way (correction: am learning the hard way). Instead of doing the smart thing and reading the one chapter of one of the many html/css books (to learn css I mean, I actually read alot of the html parts of the book) I just jumped right into the pond and started hacking up wordpress templates to get the desired effect. Actually this has been a really effective way for me to learn, but its taken me hours to learn something that would have taken only minuets by reading the book (finally learned it thanks to W3 schools)... Anyway, I learned photoshop close to the same way but instead of just experimenting I looked up tutorials on how to use it and then just applied the skills. I also reflect on how I built up my PS skill... I went through many phases of using various tools in photoshop (IE. cropping images out, bevel and emboss, gradient, etc.) and now Im finally pulling it all together to make something using many of the different tools (I remember making a template based off of emboss in May, lets just say it wasn't that great...). I guess I'm just hands on, so how do you learn???

 

[reichiru]

Basically one day I saw my best friend starting to get interested in web design and stuff and I got interested in it as well. Almost all of the scripting and coding I know I learned myself through tutorials or observations. I have a knack for it, I think, my parents were both computer programmers at one point. Some javascripts and stuff I learned in school, when I took a web design course which was pretty much useless, I wasted most of my class time playing cards with my friends. I also took a class in the summer, but alas it was the same teacher, so I really learned nothing except how to use Macromedia Flash. Photoshopping was pretty much the same deal, I learned everything myself, through tutorials and whatnot. Took a graphics class in eighth grade, but I only learned how to use the brush tool there XD

 

[IllusionGames]

well i learned because before when i would just visit webpages and forums i'd just post on forums then one day i decided to make my own so i searched on the net and found some free forum hosting, from they're i decided i should learn how to make a website for the forums. So then i went asking people for tutorials or links to good web sites to learn and then i would also look at peoples page source code =) for an example of they're page if i didn't understand how they did something. and thats how i learned =P

 

[shaunak]

A bit from books ........ a bit from online resources ....... a bit by example... and a whole lot by actually trying it.

So i guess all i know is "bits" and pieces!

 

[GamingX]

I read a few books, tried out the tutorials and know atleast something about it. But the education is going on.

 

[DefecTalisman]

The path for self improvment will never end ;P

Where do I start?
My graphics history comes from my family owned on of SA's top advertising agencies. Only bellow the line work. I used to sit after school and watch the DTP's oporators using their power macs and then moved to G4's.
I even did a little work myslef at that time that got published in magazines.

I then went to art college and learned a whole load of stuff, from marketing and dtp to jewelry and photography.

Programming has always been a intrest that got put on the back burner untill a few years back. I started with perl, I got to grips with it making stuff that helped me on my local machine, then decided to make a Basic Role Playing game with it and the module TK. It got pretty far, was almost playable, but i lost intrest. I then decided to see if I could make my own web page using it, I did and again got side tracked http://www.defectalisman.com.

I now am working with php, mysql, javascript and xml. These i am learning from variouse methods, online tutorials, books and try and try again methode.
I must say over the past few months my brain has moved normall thought aside (sex, drugs, more sex) and now I dream of datastructures and huge loops comming to get me.

 

[diabolo]

I learned how to photoshop all by messing around. The tools were simple to learn. Just when it came to fxs I had to mess around...and I still do in Graphics Comm. class

I learned html/php/css, thru some books I bought, and through the internet. I also looked at some people's website source to get an idea of what they did.

 

[Sup3rkirby]

Ah, the lovely stories of how geeks became web geeks

I started a long time ago. I got TMK(Trainer Maker Kit) and used WinHack on a game called Nox. It became interesting for me and I loved 'editing' Nox. Then I thought it would be cool if a made a 'website' with TMK. Of course it wasn't real and was just meant to be on my comp. But it was something that was fun for me since I knew nothing about web development.

Then later on I found out something amazing. Websites were just a bunch of .html files!!! So I downloaded some pages, and then learned you could mod them in Notepad, so I changed the content.

I thought I was the stuff back then, modding the content of pages to make my 'own'.


Then later I actually started remembering HTML:eek4:


After that I just wrote it all the time. Made pages for no reason at all. Got a bit into javascript. Ended up posting on forums all the time when I came to a roadblock.


Eventually came to be what I am today, a nice guy who might be considered a javascript guru, but really he is just clever


*P.S.
Oh yea, somewhere in there I learned a good bit of programming(VB, C++) and learned some basic Photoshop stuff too, and now I'm on PHP(b/c of AJAX).

 

[Dazz]

Don't think I do but am constantly still learning, first started after getting intrested in a flashy email signature from someone at a leading bank, realised it was all html, downloaded some templates to play obout with and have been learning bits and peices from then on.

I really only learn when Im actually doing something so books and tutorials are no use, if I get stuck I post to a forum and someone usually helps me out or failing that I google for the info or code I need.

 

[Zenax]

I was introduced by a friend of my parents a few years back. Ever since my skills have grown, and I now know how to write in HTML and CSS fluently. I can also write a little PHP as well as a little javascript.

I am also very good at Visual Basic, but thats a whole different subject.

All of my knowledge has been self taught, by reading tutorials as well as the many books that I have on the subjects.

Edit: @DefecTalisman. I read your website, saying you need a Login/out script. If you want, I can give you an old one that I once used.

 

[Agenator]

hahahahah sounds like we all learned close to the same way, not starting out to be serious but then gradually getting better. My dad learned C# by reading a book, but I just couldn't keep my interest in a book becuase I never could apply the stuff I learned into my own creations. Thats when webpage editing really took over. I got some basic HTML knowledge and then went off from there. Its really an exciting time to be a webdeveloper, with all of the CMS out there, its easier to focus on the graphics (which I prefer) and worry less on the code...

 

[DarkDragonLord]

I always made some stupid and noob things in photoshop and my mom that made my website with a poor html coding.

So, i started Web Design Classes. Made it for 2 years and finished it.
In that time, had no php/mySQL/asp classes.

So i just learned HTML, JavaScript (just basic ones), Photoshop, Flash, ActionScript 2, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Corel Draw, and my professor gave us extra classes with basics of sql.

Then, i started my classes at university and learned Illustrator, InDesign and how to use Macintosh.

Now, i'm trying learn PHP since PHP is great and too, because i love using IPB (since 1.3 beta lol about 2~3 years ago i think) and i want to fully understand it codes and make something nice for it.

I think that's it.


But i still have a lot to learn in everything

 

[Splatzone]

I learned html on some old freehost I shan't mention, but it was ok. And I learned javascript with Javascript Kit. Really cool site, great reference. Php I'm still learning using the absolutely fantastic tutorials from PHP Video Tutorials

 

[satbir]

Hit and Trial

Yes just keeping my eyes open to get a knack of it and then make efforts to use that with my modifications.

Ultimately requesting for review.

 

[warlordste]

i just read some books looked online messed about with the software liked it and went further in to the ins and outs and here i am now

 

[QueenHawkeye]

That's a good question. I think i first started learning it due to Zanga & Neopets, and then learned more when I took intro web designing & advance web designing in Eight grade. Then I took of from there.

 

[VPmase]

I learned by lookin at other peoples' codes that they made and making my own from them learning what some actions do.

 

[WhiteOut]

I started with an invision free forum. People would post codes and you could add them to your forum and stuff. After a while I started understanding it more, and then I started making small, boring webpages in notepad lol. Im horrible with graphics though. My friends usually make the graphics for me and I just do the coding.

 

[xbox1513]

Basically one day I saw my best friend starting to get interested in web design and stuff and I got interested in it as well. Almost all of the scripting and coding I know I learned myself through tutorials or observations. I have a knack for it, I think, my parents were both computer programmers at one point. Some javascripts and stuff I learned in school, when I took a web design course which was pretty much useless, I wasted most of my class time playing cards with my friends. I also took a class in the summer, but alas it was the same teacher, so I really learned nothing except how to use Macromedia Flash. Photoshopping was pretty much the same deal, I learned everything myself, through tutorials and whatnot. Took a graphics class in eighth grade, but I only learned how to use the brush tool there XD

I started the same way as you.

 

[eddysweb]

haha complete trial and error for me, i started on a hosting site that made the site for you and after bout half a year, i changed cause they didn't allow any html that you wrote and moved on from there. Learnt CSS when i needed too and can now write PHP quiet well. Photoshop was the same.. Cept i still crap with that lol