Web design is something between an art and a science. A web designer needs to be both objective and subjective in his objectives, strategies, methodology and evaluation. While the term webmaster is often used (most time inappropriately) web designer is more accurate although the world wide web cannot exactly be crafted by a designer, it really refers to an abbreviation of web site designer but for convenience has been shortened to simply web designer. Other terms used commonly are webmaster, website developer and web site designer.
It really is quite difficult to quantify the talent of web designer because it truly depends on what area of expertise is involved in their related fields. Some web designers specialize in HTML static design, some do multimedia and flash sites while others concentrate their talents on designing and developing CMS dynamic websites. Another problem clients will also have when trying to decide and who to choose to develop their website is the their level of experience. Unfortunately, more often than not clients will be confused and have very little knowledge of the design process. How can you tel if the web designer actually knows what he is talking about? How do you know if he will provide your project with the appropriate technology?
CMS web designers
CMS stands for content management systems. The most popular ones in existence are Joomla, WordPress and Drupal. All these software applications are free and what are referred to as web based. This means that the website can be managed online either by the web designer or the client. The site can be designed and developed both online and offline and as is the case with Joomla CMS most of the work offline. All these CMS have their advantages, Drupal and Wordpress are very user friendly but Joomla is a lot more powerfull and expandable and is the platform we will be concentrating on now. As with any other web designer skill that you need to investigate before choosing the webmaster service for your project, check references and portfolio. You Joomla web designer should have expertise and experience in HTML, CSS and PHP. He should be familiar with Dreamweaver, Photoshop (Joomla of course) and a multitude of other website designing applications and platforms. A Joomla site is particularly difficult to develop because the development process in non intuitive unlike a plain HTML site than can be built using WYISYG (what you see is what you get) editors. A Joomla site needs to be created with 3 basic tool sets. Dreamweaver with Joomla extensions, and Apache Joomla stand alone server, Photoshop (Gimp, Paint.net) and Firefox with the Firebug and Chris Pen web developer extensions. Could be an idea to ask you Joomla web designer if he is familiar with any of the applications mentioned above, if not, he might not be who are are looking for.
Basic HTML web designer knowledge and experience
Evaluating your web designer's basic HTML skills. HTML(hypertext markup language) is the basic language used to create websites. It never hurts to do some research on Wikipedia to get familiar with maybe about a dozen HTML basic terms to that you can actually understand the design process and "feel" through some properly asked questions if your web designer actually has some basic knowledge it his field, all web developers should have a minimum of basic HTML skills.
Flash Web designers
Flash animation is a multimedia technology conceptualized by Adobe systems to display animation and movies and sound on website. It is not recommended for most websites as alternative and original technology such as animated gif files or embedded MPEG files are usually more accessible for your audience. Flash animation requires the Adobe plugin and will often cause the website to loose visitors...however, in some cases like movie sites and entertainment websites, Flash can be used (but cautiously). So how do you know if your web designer can develop some nice flash movies for your site? This is even harder to quantify than HTML or CMS web designer skills, after all? Everyone has different taste in movies, book, food and music...the same goes with Flash website module development. So the best way to find out is to check out the portfolio and references, if you like what you see, your web designer probably shares your artistic values and everything should be fine. However, be careful about template work, some webmasters might use some flash templates to do your web site. While this might not be a problem in most cases, it could make you look like a copycat if your visitors recognize the flash template you web developer created for you from another website...
Basic Web Design Guidelines
Try to avoid excessive Flash animation if any Macromedia plugins
Use external style sheets for the .css
Try to have 3 color scheme for the website
A great large banner to give the site style without blotting the code and compromising between SEO and design
Use .CSS instead of regular HTML whenever possible to streamline the code
Use color picker to have a smooth color theme for all website elements
Payment Terms Discussion
Payment Terms Discussion
crslst: Hello Jill!
jillmagdaraog: hi there
crslst: I email George today
jillmagdaraog: ok tnx
jillmagdaraog: were u ablet o meet your deadline the other day?
crslst: Yes ;)
jillmagdaraog: good
crslst: Even if you see me on chat, often I'm not even at my computer...sometimes I run some programs when I'm away, it's not because I'm ignoring you ;)
jillmagdaraog: no roblem...;)
crslst: Maybe I should use the "away" option some more...!
jillmagdaraog: no problem...;)
jillmagdaraog: i know how busy u are
crslst: Thanks
crslst: Busy is better than bored any day!
jillmagdaraog: yeah....its better be busy than idle
jillmagdaraog: hey..do u know the band "my chemical romance"?
crslst: Nope
jillmagdaraog: i watched their concert last night
jillmagdaraog: its an american band.....alternative rock:)
crslst: Nice!
crslst: Did you get my last email?
jillmagdaraog: no
crslst: Weird...
jillmagdaraog: nothing
crslst: Everytime I send to yahoo ytou don't get it...
jillmagdaraog: the last time we talk u said u gonna send me an email
crslst: I did
crslst: Moment please
jillmagdaraog: ok
crslst: is this the correct email?
jillmagdaraog: yes
crslst: I've sent you many messages to that address and it seems they never get through...that's why I always post on DIA or meet you on chat!
jillmagdaraog: that's weird
crslst: I just sent it again, maybe check your junkmail folder?
jillmagdaraog: ok let me check
crslst: I also can't send you any SMS
jillmagdaraog: i need to reply at least once so u can continue send in to sms
crslst: I see, but how can you reply if you never get my messages! (:|
jillmagdaraog: and i wasnt able to reply last night,cause i was busy head banging..hahahaha
jillmagdaraog: i got offline message from you after i log on to sms
crslst: mmmm...
crslst: Do you have another email address I can use?
jillmagdaraog: jillmagdaraog@hotmail
crslst: Something reliable becaue I might have multiple questions per day when I start working
jillmagdaraog: there
jillmagdaraog: its on my bulk
jillmagdaraog: :D
jillmagdaraog: wiat..i'll read
crslst: Ok, I think you'll find quite a few in there!
crslst: Take your time
jillmagdaraog: yea
crslst: Hi Jill, did you get my latest message? The others are old and I think were all sent to DIA
jillmagdaraog: yes...re my homeowrks?
crslst: Yep;)
jillmagdaraog: i only need the pictures,others are done
crslst: Cool, thanks!
crslst: So the domains list is done and you have registered for Paypal?
jillmagdaraog: i registered ages ago...hehe
crslst: What name?
crslst: I need it for the logo design
jillmagdaraog: globalcitytoys
crslst: globalcitytoys?
jillmagdaraog: for the paypal?
crslst: You mean that you are registered with Paypal but not the domain name or the other way around?
crslst: Sorry, a little confused here, these are 2 different registrations ;)
jillmagdaraog: u told me to sign up for aypal account right?
crslst: Yes
jillmagdaraog: i did that
crslst: Cool! Done!
crslst: Now the other registration is for the domain name
jillmagdaraog: what is the other registration you're referring to?
jillmagdaraog: that i dont have yet
jillmagdaraog: :D
crslst: Let me check on globalcitytoys
jillmagdaraog: ok
crslst: You can give me a list of desired domain names, you favorite ones and I can tell you what is available
crslst: Then you can pick the best option
crslst: Lucky you!
crslst: Selected Domains Yearly Fee Your Selection
Additional Domains
globalcitytoys available! package dependent
jillmagdaraog: ioh great
crslst: You can have globalcitytoys, or if you want more choices or options supply me with a list and I will tell you what is available?
crslst: If that's the one you want I can reserve it right away
jillmagdaraog: because i want the business name to be my domain name also
crslst: Ok no problem, I can reserve it now, 1 year registration included for free with your dad's site
jillmagdaraog: how much do we need for initial or down parment
jillmagdaraog: payment*
crslst: Roughly about half, I think we said 12 000 or so?
crslst: In case your dad is scared you are covered for $2000 with Paypal because I'm a verified merchant
jillmagdaraog: ok no problem
jillmagdaraog: i cant hardly talk with him.he is very busy,always on the go
crslst: That's why Paypal is always a nice way to Pay, large company, owne by Ebay now
crslst: No problem, are you sure you want that name?
jillmagdaraog: yes
crslst: I will reserve it right away
crslst: Ok, can you email me the company information
jillmagdaraog: that is or first choice
jillmagdaraog: you think that is good?
crslst: Address, Postal Code, Name of person for owner (you or your dad), contact information ect...
crslst: I think it's very good
crslst: Because it can be abbreviated to GCT
crslst: Might make a nice Logo
jillmagdaraog: yeah
crslst: Looks corporate for large wholesale customer too
jillmagdaraog: yea right
crslst: Fits nicely on business cards
jillmagdaraog: i want something that has a recall
jillmagdaraog: people can easily recall
crslst: Well, just like MSN - Microsoft Network
crslst: Easy to remember
jillmagdaraog: exactly
crslst: Ok so send me the generic company info and I will register it right away
jillmagdaraog: ok
jillmagdaraog: check this.tell me what u think of the site.........brb,i'll check my father if he's here,i need some infos from her also
crslst: Ok
crslst: Here is my Ebay profile 100% feedback, Member since Nov-21-03 in Canada - 172 satisfied customers ;)
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