ASD Web Design Guidelines

Part 6: Wrap-up and Links

So that's it. Not too much, and all of it's common sense.

One final thought: If you create pages on a regular basis, learn something about HTML. Even if you use a WYSIWYG editor, there are going to be times that you'll want to stray from their limited creativity. And as mentioned elsewhere in this article, some of these editors create faulty code, and if you don't know anything about HTML, you won't be able to go in and fix it. When all of the browsers and all of the editors finally adhere to one set of standards, knowing how to code by hand will not be nearly as important, but that day is at least a couple of years away.

If you have any questions, contact us and we'll figure out an answer.

Kathy Griffith, Webmaster
griffith_kathy@asdk12.orgg
742-4193

Design Links

Builder.com-- A large, commercial site that has a large section for beginners.
http://www.builder.com/

evolt.org-- A volunteer organization of web professionals that banded together to share knowledge. The information ranges from the simple to the arcane. And there aren't any ads! If you're looking for difficult answer, try searching the Tip Harvester Archive.
http://www.evolt.org/

A List Apart (ALA) -- Another site by developers for developers, somewhere between Webmonkey and evolt. Updated weekly.
http://www.alistapart.com/

• The ALA Primer: A Guide for New Readers by Erin Lynch
  Suggestions on a few good places to start reading
• Web Designer and Proud of It by Chris MacGregor
  A good description of the skills and abilities needed to be a Web designer

Webmonkey-- Lots of good stuff for beginners and experienced coders alike. Of special interest to this article are the Authoring and Design sections.
http://www.webmonkey.com/

Free Graphics and Clip Art

If you don't have the time or skill to create the images you want for your site, take a look at one of these sites.

Media Builder -- A highly commercialized site, but well worth the visit for the graphically impaired. This site has free fonts, free images, free animated GIFs (careful with those!), free backgrounds, and even an online GIF editor.
http://www.mediabuilder.com/

Mega Web Tools -- This is more of a collection of links than a cohesive site, so sometimes the quality control isn't there. It's still an excellent resource.
http://www.megawebtools.com