Weedy101

Although an improvement both index 6 and 7 are still looking dated. They give the feel of a .mobi/.mobile website from the 90's that has been expanded to fill a desktop monitor. Try loosing the blocky look and either lighten up or darken your theme rather than 'holding the middle ground'. Then make the page more .. well just add some content that makes it a page for when it is full size and use your media queries to take away content for the mobile device sizes.

I agree with both of the above. Something you can do to build a portfolio as well as doing free sites for friends etc is get a free hosting package, (There are many out there), and download some free templates. Then build dummy sites for these templates, for content on the sites describe what type of site they are and how you have coded them using the free template - don't forget to credit the template. Each dummy site can go in it's own directory, then your root directory can have an index of the projects, again using a free template. Thus you would be building your own personal showcase of your coding ability, which as a developer is your chosen job, not design and that is why you use the free templates.

'review reviewed' sounds like you are asking people to review a review that has already been written, 'song review group' sounds like the old 'hit parade review boards' of 60's t.v. I don't think you will be seeing much interest in either domain names anytime soon.

This may be the bootstrap page you are looking for. All you need to do first is work out exactly which parts of the package your project is using and select just those components and customize any variables before downloading. Or if you prefer Sass here's the official port.

Yes it uses JavaScript, passing in svg content takes a 'little practice' as does addressing elements of the svg but once you get the hang of it you will find live automated or animated reactions quite easy. Here is a good place to start with the basics on MDN, from working through that just a couple of times I have been able to do some basic manipulations so for a pro it should be relatively easy to advance this to some really nice content. Here is a thread in David Walsh's blog, (Moo tools core dev), where he shows a few examples he's found out there.

At school you will have been taught 'effective note taking' and 'productive revision' techniques. So as you have been learning about web design and development you will have been making notes. (This gives you an advantage as when I was at school you was merely told 'write this down' and expected to revise without any idea how) Use your skills, they will serve you well throughout your adult life, and not just in work situations either. As too worrying about not being able to come back to it after a couple of months; Worrying is the worst thing you can do, relax and worry not. Focus on your exams, but remember - No matter how much you know, there is always more to learn. You will soon pick up from where you left off as long as you don't worry about it.

I didn't even notice the navigation to start with and thought it was a 1 page effort. Hopefully your games UI is better and will be more user friendly. Your concept is not bad, but the implementation is poor. Have a read of the Smashing Magazine UI & UX pages, they will help you get this right I am sure. If you find it difficult to tweak your concept into a design that really works and will impress visitors, turning them into game users and thus cash, then I'd recommend investing in some professional services. A small investment now could make a big difference to your projects success in the long term.

If it wasn't for the fact that the vast majority of computers are sold to people that don't know how to set one up from scratch would they have a market? I doubt it, if everybody had to start by choosing an OS for their new computer, then a browser, etc etc. Would Microsoft have gained such a slice of the market? I doubt it. Truth is that most businesses are to small to employ an IT specialist that actually knows anything about what the OS is doing and therefore which OS is right for the task. So they buy 'off the shelf' PC's with windows pre-installed, this has IE packaged with it, the boss has just bought a dozen PC's each with a browser that enables their employees to access the webmail and perform the task's they need to in order to do their job. Is that boss then going to go around each new machine and install a different browser so that their employees can get the best web experience. NO. So along comes average Joe, they know how to use the software to do their job, they sit at the PC and all it has is IE. Can we expect average Joe to know that IE is sh#t to develop for, or care that it is? NO. Instead they learn from example and when they buy a PC for use at home they want the same familiar software to use, (after all their boss likes it or they wouldn't be using it at work would they, or so they think), and so Microsoft continues to gain a bigger market. If developing for IE is a problem, which from both personal experience and the number of moans I read about it all over the web, why don't developers do something about it. Microsoft won't change something they think isn't broken no matter how much you moan. So break it, and tell people on your sites that this site does not do everything it should do but Microsoft's browser is not compatible with current technology. Don't add a link to a 'better browser' or extra excuses, just say it the way it is. If every professional developer did this and stood together having the market share for installed browsers would count for sh#t and Microsoft would be forced to listen to the developer community. That would then start things moving forward, there are problems with all browsers, most developers prefer one browser over another because they like the way browser 'x' handles task 'y'. But if there is 'validation' for HTML and CSS why do browsers not comply with valid code? Yes the browsers should all have their own individuality, but they should comply with the standards too. Not just IE lagging behind all the time and using kits and hacks to get things to look the same in all browsers, having clean simple standards that they must achieve for browser output from validated code. So in short, it is no good having a moan on your coffee break. Stand up and be counted, get organized, make a difference. Or you could just play nicely and do as your told by the big boys in the playground. Your the developers, it's your playground, it's your choice.

I feel that rbrtsmith has answered this pretty well for you, the only point I would add is learning JavaScript may take some doing but from personal experience I would say to learn that before any other 'object orientated' code or language as the way it uses objects is more advanced than the way most other languages do. Once you have the object stuff learnt in JavaScript then, and only then should you start to look at other languages. Why? I hear you ask. Well basically although most languages have the ability to use objects to some extent, JavaScript being an object orientated language requires you to understand what objects are and how to make the best use of them, whereas other languages like PHP for instance can use objects but are not as object orientated as they proclaim to be and thus learning any other language and then trying to learn JavaScript is getting things backwards and makes JavaScript much harder to learn. Before you get into learning any other languages though I would delve much deeper into HTML5 and CSS3; Experiment with the canvas element using svg images; Study media queries and go responsive; Get yourself proficient with z-index and stack contexts; Make sure you know when and where to use fall backs. That sort of thing will make a huge difference to any project you tackle. Then learn how to use Test Driven Development as you learn your chosen languages, (Which as I said should really be JavaScript first), this will also make your development projects run much smoother.

I have to agree, the design is good for looks, but the User's Experience, and the Interface have been seriously neglected. Where is the CTA? So that is an image and it has a nice effect, but only if my browser says it has. I could make many other comments about the example you used as being the type of site you would like to build for your self. When the visitor is expected to have a level of knowledge before they can use a facility it will always prove to deter many potential customers. Having said that you can still have a site based on the concepts within the example site but you should sit down and think about how you would want visitors to your site to react, should they click on this next, or that? Then after a short brainstorming session take another look at the example site and think how you would do things differently. Personally I feel that the example you provided could so easily have been so much more than just smart, which it certainly is. Then use pen and paper to draw your site, you will have to draw many versions before you find what you really want. Once you have your new concept it will be time to start looking for the how too's for that design. So create a mock-up in a package like Photoshop, Gimp, or Inkscape and post it here with some bullet points about how you want things to work for Your Own Site that will be personal to you and tailored to your needs. In the mean time have a play with as many of the blueprints from the Codrops collection as you can. They will help you to understand what can be done and how. Plus read as many of their articles as you have an appetite for as this will help you as well.

To make 2 or 3 static progress bars, yes that is easy, but the example site had dozens of progress bars. Each one would need updating constantly and thus static would be useless. So then it is time to go dynamic, the output in an element inspector (part of your browser) will still look static, but nobody has sat there for 3 or 4 hours a day updating the individual bars. This is done by 'injecting' the data into the elements which is easiest done in xml format which can be passed directly to an svg image. The svg image will then load the 'gradient.png' as many times as it needs to in order to fill the entire path. With a simple loop and a couple of arrays all of these progress bars can be automatically updated. Unfortunately I know/understand how this is done but have never done it myself and thus cannot give you an example of the code. I do however know that within the manuals for 'Inkscape' the basics of how to address the components of an svg in this manner through it's xml file are covered. the process should be the same for all svg files.

Web design companies as competitors! Actual companies don't get involved in such hacking as they have better things to do with their time. Server online for 2 months? Do you mean you have a website being hosted for you? Or do you own the hardware? Been over several css tutorials. With web design companies as competitors you had best done a lot more than that! It sounds to me like you need to start with the basic building blocks, HTML5, CSS3, PHP5, MySQL5. Learn them first, then learn design theory, then maybe you will get some customers on your site. If you are set up as a web designer then you should already know all of this, I myself am an amateur and am well aware of these basic requirements. However; If you are trying to set up a business that is not a web design company then your best route would be to invest a few pennies. Hire a designer, and developers to build a site that will attract attention.

Sorry but that is not a web site building tool, you can't even control the text you add properly.

Yet another first time post with a link to survey monkey! Is that a coincidence? Does survey monkey not get paid for getting results on their 'polls'?

Maybe I should have used the term 'Contemporary Retro Web' as in 90's web sites rather than 50's and 60's retro, but yes using at least some of those elements would give it a lift. I will see what I can bring in to this project for the next draft.

That is not 'done with css', the css is used for the styling and to label each bar with an id and/or class. Scripting is used to target each label applied by the css to inject the current information for that individual element. To create a basic version of this with just one bar start with an svg image and targeting the elements within the images XML. This is a far more basic way to tackle what has been done on the site you quoted, but will get you started on the principles. You will need to use PHP5, JavaScript, HTML5, XML/XHTML, and CSS3 to do this.

As most of you know learning all things web is my hobby, but that is no excuse for not having ago and taking the critic's view, opinions, and advice now is it. I have to admit that this design worked better on paper than it does in my mock-up. Before you get stuck in I'd like to make a couple of points of reference for the design. It is supposed to be 'Contemporary Retro' This is only a first draft and the typography stinks, Can you suggest better combinations and sizes for my typography please I think I have to much contrast in some of the elements on the page, I get this impression from zooming out and seeing the wrong things standing out from the crowed I want to keep the CTA elements subtle so getting the contrast and colour balance right is essential Any points where, and how to improve these issues would be great. Other than that let rip.

You will need to check on royalty ownership of the Hepburn estate, you may find you will need to pay to use her image in any form of publication. Although there are a large number of the old stars estates where royalty rights have expired.

LOL zombies won't bite me, the data bits already did that. Hope your 'may or may not be real' cookies are not fattening as I am fat enough.

Sorry but I have to agree with the others, font sizes are too small, why have an identical side menu and top menu, it is flat and un-interesting, very outdated, non-responsive, to many widgets and gadgets. I do appreciate that the brief was restricting, but producing a site like that just because the brief was not loose and inspiring is poor form. I would recommend producing some mock-ups that can be used to inspire your clients into doing something that is current, has a CTA, has considered UX, etc etc. You never know your clients might even be inspired enough to get the check book out and offer a real budget. I was very surprised to see 'the-coding-guys' at the bottom in small print.

She must be desperate for a gig, I wonder if she would sing the theme tune on my radio add? Er maybe I'll look elsewhere.

Under these circumstances the HMRC are very understanding and will only adjust your tax code to ensure you repay any due taxes within 'a reasonable time'. NI is handled in a similar way too. I would expect that if you approached your boss and sat him down pointing out a few basics like you have been working for them for X months and proven your ability, offered to take professional training, and attempted to negotiate a better contract you would soon find yourself out the door. Your boss is breaking the law and could potentially go to prison for tax evasion in the most serious of cases. In even the most minor of cases the HMRC would not hesitate to bankrupt them for this illegal activity. If the HMRC catches up with your boss and you are still working for them, with no tax or NI being paid, you will get prosecuted as well in most cases. The best advice I can give you is to find a way out, find another job without being to picky about what you are doing and for how much, just to get yourself out of there. Then contact the HMRC and file a compliant against your former employer for not issuing a P60 or a pension statement. This will potentially exonerate yourself, ensure your taxes are paid, and your NI as well, plus it will make it very difficult for your boss to do the same again. As things stand your boss is not only paying you 'peanuts and treating you like a monkey' he is pocketing the employers contributions that should be paid towards your tax and NI accounts. A case of the fat cat lining his pockets at your expense. You actual wage of £6.31 p/h is legal, but if you worked just 2 more hours a week you would be entitled to more. Does your employer provide holiday pay? Does it say in your contract that breaks are unpaid? To be honest, just get out and shaft the ######## for all they are worth!

IMO Both Jason and Fuzzy are viewing the same page, even if from a slightly different bias. SEO is about using the information and data to direct a visitor to part with their cash, Web Design is about combining all information and directing the visitor to part with their cash (or advertiser). You can't have design without SEO, but design has to be for humans. SEO works best when it is 'designed' for humans too. So that is the technical 'What is design about' to me, even in my garden and landscape designs these principles are used, but the mental and emotional of what is design is another question.

I have the excuse that this is my hobby, (Learning all things web), not my profession. I have done a few Landscape and Garden design courses, but they don't count for web design and the concepts are totally different.

Not exactly a tutorial, but then design comes from within. A good starting point is Smashing UX Design, absorb as much as you can and keep it bookmarked for future reference. Then make good use of the many quality links within the articles and you will be well on your way.