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November 29, 2007
Stretching my learning muscles
Until recently, all of my endeavors in web design have been solely hand-coded. I learn what I want to do, I learn what code I need and how to manipulate it, and I put it to work. I'm constantly learning new things as well as new ways to do things I already knew how to do. This has worked well for me since I have built a custom skill set that I can always add to or improve. It's my blog's fault that I even started learning this stuff--if it hadn't been so dull when I got it I may have never grown curious enough to mess with the coding at all.
I've had Dreamweaver (MX 2004) for a little while now and never took the time to learn much about it. I fiddled with it one summer when I grew tired of the process of trial and error I usually go through to learn what I need to do to get the results I want. I never actually built a site with it though.
I've somehow managed to work as a freelancer for four different websites. I say "somehow" because I'm still have a feeling of awe regarding the whole situation since people sought me--my network did the leg-work to find me the jobs I have. I've really taken to the kind of satisfaction that comes from a well-organized site (probably about as much as I enjoy a well-designed or well-written site!). Knowing this, Mike suggested to me that I give Dreamweaver a fair shake--he had a hands-on training book so I gladly borrowed it.
I began just reading through it last week, getting myself familiar with the layout of the software and its functions. But this week I dove in. I decided that I needed to test myself. I took a site that I'd already designed by hand and thought, "Hey, if I can recreate this site with this program, I ought to get a good feel for what I'm doing." I was right. All day Monday I worked to remake the site and by Monday evening I had successfully remade and uploaded it to view online. Test complete: passed with flying colors!
I'm kind of excited that I've got a handle on this program now. With the opportunity to manipulate the code, while preventing human error (yeah, I mess up too sometimes), I've been able to make some pretty neat stuff. I'm anxious to present what I've made to one of my clients--he gave me free reign, so I've been having fun with color and design again (which I don't always get to do). I guess you could say that I'm proud that I've been able to transfer what I learned on my own to the software, making me feel more knowledgeable altogether.
...I know this is a boring blog, but I felt like it was worth recording here.
Posted by KarissaKilgore at November 29, 2007 2:36 PM
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Comments
Not boring at all, Karissa--at least, not for this graphic design minor.
I've been learning all about Dreamweaver from Jess Turner in my Graphic Design II class this semester, and I've really grown to like it.
I still code everything from scratch (including CSS), but I love the way Dreamweaver makes it easy to preview web pages in multiple browsers and takes care of managing all the links (so you don't have to worry about screwing up your website if you save pages under different file names, etc.). I've also learned a few things by letting Dreamweaver do something for me and then going back and checking out the code it generated to find out how it works under the hood.
I'm glad to hear you've given it a chance--I've always liked your web designs, especially the various blogs you've redesigned. Keep up the good work, you have a real knack for it.
Posted by: ChrisU at November 29, 2007 10:00 PM
Wow, thanks, Chris. I'm flattered!
I, too, like looking "under the hood" as you put it. It's a smart way to go about it, if you ask me, because then if the program is doing it then it's got to be correct (for the most part). I've already learned a lot that way.
I'm glad to that someone else likes to geek-out over the coding a little. I, for one, adore CSS. It's beautiful and really helps organize things for me. Thanks for your feedback, though; much appreciated. (I didn't really know you were minoring in graphic design; I wish I'd had that opportunity, but I guess two minors were enough for me, haha.)
Posted by: Karissa Kilgore at November 29, 2007 11:16 PM
Seconded. I use Dreamweaver for everything on my website other than my blog -- all my handouts and the other information that doesn't need to change that quickly. I'm sure I'm not using a tenth of its capabilities, so it's great to hear how other people are using it.
Posted by: Admin 
at November 30, 2007 12:03 AM
Thanks again for fixing my blog, Karissa. It's probably pretty easy now with all these growing skills.
So proud of you, m'dear.
Posted by: Amanda at December 1, 2007 10:27 PM