architect here....website design...How?

[chow choppe]

good evening everyone.......

 

I am an architect as i mentioned in one of my earlier pots today and trying to work really hard to set up my own practice here in INDIA.

 

On the same hand i am also into 3d freelancing just to serve my monetary requirements.Now i want to expand my 3d business simulataneously because i don't wnt to stop doing 3d also. For that i want a website or a webpage ( so that i can put some of my works there)but i cannot afford a website designer to do that.

 

I am not aware of how to make a website. what all do i need to learn to make a website...( without going into details of each software)

 

Please suggest me waht to do...

 

thanks

[anvaraziz]

u can use macromedia dreamviewer or flash..

 

for simple , u can use microsoft word ...............

[Sindala]

Macromedia's dreamweaver and some photoshop can help you along nicely.

If you want to make it even easier for yourself you can also try blogger .

[nbasir]

If you simply want to show your work then you can use http://www.3dluvr.com or any other site which allow free web page hosting ( using web based web design wizard).

 

or

 

there are some web page template ( html or flash based ) both commercial and free, you will need to edit those to make your one. For that you should have a basic knowledge of web design software like dreamweaver, flash, front page etc.

 

or

 

I will suggest you to start learning dreamweaver using lynda.coms learning cds ( both flash and dreamweaver), It will take 1-2 weeks to build your own webpage.

 

or

 

there are some web foto album creators softs( html generator). photoshop has its own. At least you can start right now.

 

 

I think you got an idea.

 

thanks

[chow choppe]

thanks....

 

i think i need to to learn dreamweaver and flash

[Ernest Burden III]

i think i need to to learn dreamweaver and flash

 

I have done four sites for my businesses and an organization I used to head. I did them all with simple HTML, no frames, no flash, using Adobe's web design products (they discontinued the first one, so I had to buy the second).

 

OK, my site is not going to win any awards for web design. But a client can see my work and easily email me or find my phone number. I have never used a 'splash' page or any feature that will cause someone to be told 'you cannot view this site without installing...whatever'. Just plain HTML.

 

My point is that you do not need a fancy site to show your work. You just have to show your renderings. Unless you want to be hired to do web design, keep it simple. There are some rendering firms' sites that are so damned 'designed' that you cannot tell what they do or how to contact them.

[chow choppe]

i don't know HTML

[Bugga_Guy]

http://www.swishzone.com/index.php?area=purchase&product=sites

 

goto swishzone.com, dl trial version of swishzone, pick a template - buy a template, read instructions that template provides, edit a template to hearts desires.

 

easy.

[slawnick]

Check with your website host; many provide easy to use software to construct a your own site

[skauty]

You may find that by using Dreamweaver you will start to understand html better. I would agree with Ernest that you should probably avoid Flash unless you want to show that you can design a Flash site. Some of the best sites around use Flash, but it has the ability to make a site look incredibly cheesey if not used properly. Use an html editor like Dreamweaver or Frontpage and keep your site simple and clean. There are also templates in Dreamweaver to get you started.

[doujay888]

I've done one of my friends site as well using HTML which I think is a lot more

easier rather than using softwares. All you need to know is how to use the html codes. Try checking on your nearest bookstore or check google instead.

[chow choppe]

thanks for the replies guys...

 

I wanted to know one more thing.....one of my frnds told me that to make his webpage he just made a flash file and linked it to his page...

So what happens is that whenever you type the address it just executes that flash file and takes the visitor there and the rest is just what he made on flash...

 

So i was just wondering that since i also know that much flash because i also made my portfolio on flash sometime back ...is it possible for me to do the same thing...

 

But i am sure that making it on a cd is much different than making it on web..

i mean file linking and all.Hows that done...My frnds folio is on geocities.com.Even i don't mind it there.Just need some place to put up my work.

 

need more suggestions

 

Thanks

[skauty]

If you create your entire portfolio in Flash then just publish the file (File>Publish). This creates an html file with your flash movie embeded in it. Then just upload your portfolio.htm (make it your index or default page) and your portfolio.swf (not source .fla file) and you should be good to go.

[archkre]

It is gonna be cheaper, easer and more effective paying to any expert kid some $$$ to have it done!

You are gonna save time, money in books, programs, and the like!

[lecameleon]

Hmm.. mail me.. or PM me if you havent received my mail from the "other" forum... Let me see if I can help you with the site..

[silviapalara]

I think there is a bit of disagreement out there between those who tink Flash is the best invention after sliced bread, and those that find it just plain annoying. I happen to fall in this category. I just hate to have to wait for some silly intro and the 1st thing I look for is the "skip intro" button. Flash can take a while to load, and people who are just browsing are more likely to get impatient and go to another link. The only advantage I see in Flash is that people can't download your images, protecting you from being plagiarized. Photoshop and a little HTML, in my opinion are enough for making a clean and easy web site, and it can be done as creatively as you want. If you don't know HTML and can't be bothered learning it, you can either download one of the many templates on the net, or buy Dreamweaver, and use it to organize the layout of your web site visually without having to know HTML.

My web site was done in no time at all using Photoshop and HTML and, like somebody said, it won't win any web design prize, but it does what I want it to do, it is a bit different from other sites, and it doesn't take too long to load.

If you want it done, there are plenty of people out there that won't mind helping you with it, and will come cheaper than a web design firm.

[Geoffc]

For a basic good editor, that is free, try Nvu.

 

You can read it's description here:

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm#15

 

download here:

http://www.nvu.com/

 

Although I agree that many architectural and 3d websites promote web design and/or flash tricks, as an architect and designer, I personally think that one's webpage should look well, work in a well designed manner, and essentially represents one's ability as a creative, able designer.

 

This is my same opinion as the quality of architectural drawings. I feel that those architects that produce better looking and working drawings, are normally the same ones that produce the best actual buildings.

 

Obviously though, those in the non design fields though can obviously get away with a much more basic website.

[Geoffc]

browsing the Nvu dload page, I found a link to a great beginner's tutorial website:

 

http://www.thesitewizard.com/gettingstarted/nvu1.shtml

[lecameleon]

Bravo Geoffc... Well said.. Those were exactly my thoughts..

But sometimes the artist who has to make his own site may not have much knowledge of HTML.. (ah yes, 'creativity should know what it wants' and/or 'simplicity is best' etc are a lot of comments we encounter in return)... When a third person is asked to design a site, for whatever reason, the site design and look may or may not be the one we envisaged or wanted in the first place..

About architects and architectural drawings I really cannot comment much.. I am not in the same field (but if I were, I would bet a million dollars that I would pay the least attention to the drawings and get on with the actual site work.. coz I know how disorganized I can be, but that does not reflect at all on my creativity..).. My guess is.. it does not depend on the quality of an architect's drawings to reflect his genius in his actual work.. I have seen some Laurie Baker sketches that looks like an amateurish attempt at a Rorschach test

[3D_IC]

I created my site in flash because i was in the same boat as you. I wanted a good site that i was happy with yet was cheap to create. I found it intuative and a great creative tool. While having a day job and freelancing i managed to learn the program in 6 months. My two main sources of learning were:

 

http://www.kirupa.com/

 

great for asking questions and finding answers on the forum

 

and

 

http://www.cartoonsmart.com/

 

I bought some tutorials from this guy and based my website design around his tutorials.

 

I also borrowed a book from a friend, but can't remember the name of it. something flash something he he. good luck!

[WestCAD]

I have found that Webeasy from v-com is not expensive and easy to use program. They provide web space to trial your site and you can download a trial version before you purchase

[landrvr1]

I think there is a bit of disagreement out there between those who tink Flash is the best invention after sliced bread, and those that find it just plain annoying. I happen to fall in this category. I just hate to have to wait for some silly intro and the 1st thing I look for is the "skip intro" button. Flash can take a while to load, and people who are just browsing are more likely to get impatient and go to another link. The only advantage I see in Flash is that people can't download your images, protecting you from being plagiarized. Photoshop and a little HTML, in my opinion are enough for making a clean and easy web site, and it can be done as creatively as you want. If you don't know HTML and can't be bothered learning it, you can either download one of the many templates on the net, or buy Dreamweaver, and use it to organize the layout of your web site visually without having to know HTML.

My web site was done in no time at all using Photoshop and HTML and, like somebody said, it won't win any web design prize, but it does what I want it to do, it is a bit different from other sites, and it doesn't take too long to load.

If you want it done, there are plenty of people out there that won't mind helping you with it, and will come cheaper than a web design firm.

 

If the only advantage to using Flash over HTML & Photoshop was that people can't download images, then why are the number of Flash-based sites growing exponentially every year? There are dozens upon dozens of benefits to Flash; not the least of which is far more interactivity and dynamics than HTML.

 

Having a silly intro that must be suffered through - or searching for the SKIP button - isn't the fault of Flash, but the result of a pure design decision. Flash sites don't need an intro whatsoever. Loading times are also 100% the result of design decisions.

 

You're problem isn't with Flash, but with the designers who use and/or abuse the program.

[ipxstudios]

do a search for web templates and you will run across sites that will help you build your own site easily

[unthinkit]

I can build your website out easily for about $1500-$2000 USD.

sales@unthinkit.com

[stefkeB]

Start simple. Maybe a blog is what you require right now? (just short articles, with tags and a date). I use Blogger.

 

Some webhosts provide one-click installs of features, such as a forum, a gallery etc... But in most cases you need to have web-hosting with php and mysql support (and enough space).

 

The most control and the most complexity is with full HTML, scripting (Php) and databases, but then there are no limits.

 

To get started quickly, though, using a WYSIWIG editor will be nice. I can recommend NVU: free and open source and cross-platform. But it has some bugs. It has good support for stylesheets (but bugs as well).

 

Avoid Frontpage. It will be replaced with the new generation of design-products from Microsoft.

 

Avoid MS Word. It will never look good and the code created is horrible.

 

Dreamweaver is good, but is maybe overkill for what you need.

 

I'll avoid to comment on Flash. I have played with Swish in the past (for personal sites). Many Flash sites are to heavy, but that's the designer, not the tool. And if you learn, you can have a dynamic website, with dynamic content with Flash. The thing that bothers me most is fixed size pages, which is a problem with Flash.