Do you usually hit a brick wall @ first when deciding on the layout of your sites, or do you have a strategy?

Wireframes are my choice. Help me get out what I need fairly fast. If you go right to photoshop to will usually hit a roadblock (unless you have a lot of experience). Also, funny enough, I find a great tool to do web design layout is legos (yes really), You are away from the computer and you can literally play around will layouts.

 

Really helps the mind figure out some creative stuff.

Layouts, no. Design, yes.

 

As cibgraphics said above, i tend to wire-frame things. I have a collection of handmade wire-frame on my workstation for different situations and i tend to have a look through them and pic a couple i think will best full-fill the need.

Ad you use Adobe Fireworks?

 

Sounds like the solution i need.Thanks.

 

Ps: no Golden ratio?

if you're into the golden ratio then you can use this calculator

http://www.thismanslife.co.uk/main.asp?contentid=phiculator

 

i guess if you made two rectangles in the golden ration then you could resize them (when grouped) to make a sliding golden ration...