dan87676

Thanks for those links Hopefully a year or so from now I will have improved enough to actually start charging for sites!

Well reading over the comments again you guys given me bit of a wake up call. I've decided I'm goin to scrap my site altogether and make some sites of my own. Think I'm just getting way ahead of myself... I still would like to be a web designer and still really keen to learn more but I'm obviously nowhere near ready to start charging people. What are the best ways to get better and become a good designer?

ok thanks for that I'm just a little confused what you mean about photoshop as I have absolutely no experience designing a site in photoshop could you please tell me what this involves? is that how you design the majority of your sites?

Forgot to ask do you think it's a good idea to have a company name and brand or just use your own name in the beginning? Also what in your opinion is the best way for me to get better? enroll on courses or just make the most of the information and tutorials online? Regards Dan

Right I think I better re-evaluate my prices although I dont think I will be increasing them by very much as at the moment I'm just really keen to build up a half decent portfolio but I will definetly keep what you guys have said in mind. Maybe I could get some free jobs at charities and stuff anything really just to get some more experience and build up my skills. At the moment I am only using an html editor, I really want to stay away from wysiwyg as it don't think it helps you learn and you just end up with messy code, do you agree or is using wysiwg quite common with designers? I also need to really brush up on my photoshop skills too. Well I hope with a lot of hard work and dedication I will get there in the end...do you guys think I should just keep it as a hobby for now until I am more confident? Thanks for the feedback it really is helpful to me. Dan

OK I agree, my site, especially as it stands is pretty damn awful... and yes you can get free templates that are much much better than mine. But please be gentle with me I haven't even started my 'business' and I am just starting out, I know I have a hell of a lot to learn. As for the prices I'm just trying to get my prices to match my abilities which at the moment is low. I just need help and advice to get going really as it feels like I'm just making it up as I go along at the moment. Dan

No please do rant it's what I need! I agree the site is extremely basic but it is nowhere near finished yet I plan to do the whole thing from scratch without using any kind of WYSIWYG so increase my knowledge. Do you guys mainly work in pure code?

Thanks for the quick responses, I am currently in the process of creating a site, the address is www.dn-design.co.uk It's very basic at the moment. I built it from scratch using coffeecup html editor and the logo (which I admit is very poor) in Photoshop. I do really enjoy doing it and I'm not just desperate for some money. I came back to web design as a hobby after many years away from it so has been a bit of a shock to the system! I would like to greatly increase my skills, mastering html/css then maybe look into a bit of php/mysql. Regards Dan

Hi there, I have been interested in web design for a few years and find it an enjoyable and rewarding hobbie. I am unemployed and have been for the past year. I would like to start my own web design business but am just a little confused where to start. I have some experience in html and css but it is far from advanced. I have made a few sites for friends and family and the response has been very positive. Could anyone give me some pointers and advice or am I crazy for considering such a career?? I'm willing to work hard at increasing my knowledge which I am already doing through books and online tutorials. I'm currently working on my business site and have been having a play around with a Wordpress installation. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated Kind Regards Dan