What is Web Design?

According to “Wikipedia”, Web Design is the skill of creating presentations of content (usually hypertext or hypermedia) that is delivered to an end-user through the World Wide Web, by way of a web browser or other web-enabled software like Internet, television clients, micro blogging clients and RSS readers.

In layman’s terms, Web Design is the development of web sites. There are many ways to go about designing a web site, and I started with one of the "Free" sites offered by my local cable provider. That site won me several compliments from my "Handyman Service" customers, but had severe limitations.

[ Back to top ]

Some Problems with Free Web Sites:

Free sites are good for some people and some applications, but they are limited in what they can provide. My first "Free" site had an exceptionally long domain name. It was something like; www.myname@vicslittleworkshop.myinternetserviceprovider.someotherwords.com.
It wasn't quite what you would want to put on a business card, and it didn't take long before I finally decided to get my own “registered” domain name. The purchase of my own domain name came with a hosting service, and another "Free" web site. Again, I received many compliments regarding my "new" web site, and my domain was simply… vicslittleworkshop.com , which was great, however I soon found out that even this site had its quirks too.

The new site was a joy, until it would not load up anymore. A quick call to the hosting company revealed that there was just too much code for my computer to handle, causing it to lock up. That's a lot of code! The over abundance of code was due to ordinary updates that I was making. The "Free" program though, was not forgetting any of the code that wasn't being used anymore, it just kept stockpiling it. I think that it may have been multiplying too... doubling itself.
This was simply unacceptable.

Another problem that I found out about the free, "build your own" sites, was that the search engines, like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, as well as others, could not find my site, and neither could anyone else, unless they had the exact web address, which I had been providing by way of advertisements such as business cards, which I left around town, or postings on the Craigslist.
This was not acceptable either, so in 2009, I enrolled in one class at Parkland College and I started learning what I could about Web Design and "html" coding. I quickly branched out and made my own "first", simple, web site from scratch, and enjoyed doing it too.

[ Back to top ]

A working website brings in traffic

Almost immediately, my little business started receiving phone calls from other people, potential customers, from other states. These were people that happened to own property in the Champaign, IL. area, and were looking for a "Handyman" to work on their properties. When asked how they found me, they often replied, "I just Googled handyman in Champaign, IL. and "The Workshop" was on the first page". Now my web site was working, really working. People from other places, not just the local residents that happened to find my card or heard about me from a friend, were able to find me using the search engines. This is what I wanted, what I needed! It was at this point, I think, when I decided that I wanted to pursue Web Design on a larger scale.

[ Back to top ]

Web Design Courses, and going back to school

I had been looking for many years to change careers, and now I have found that career. Web Design is something that I really enjoy doing. As of September of 2010, after having injured my back and no longer being capable of driving the big trucks or operating my "Handyman Service", I am now enrolled in Parkland College full time, studying for an A.A.S. in Digital Media. School is a big step and I enjoy it.

I hope to find time during my studies to build a few web sites on the side too. I have built a simple site, archaic actually, for my wife where she can sell some of the items that have been piling up around the house. I say that it is archaic, because it was my first attempt at using "tables". The only reason that I incorporated tables is because I didn't have enough experience or knowledge using CSS code to do the same thing (I didn't know anything about "tables" either, but they were easier to learn in a hurry). The site is http://pksyardsale.com. I made that site primarily as an exercise, but my wife is bringing in some $$$, so as long as it works, hey hey. I will soon be renovating that site, omitting the "tables" and employing CSS, as well as much friendlier colors.

[ Back to top ]

The Future of this Site

This site is now in it's 7th or 8th generation. As my skills expand, so does this website. During the summer of 2011 I intend to spend as much time as needed to redesign this site. I intend for this site to be my main hub to all of my various sites, as they're developed. Sorry for the lack of fancy graphics, all things in good time though.

I hope that soon, I will be able to provide a simple "portfolio" of my work, and attract some customers whose needs are within my skill levels. I'm sure that my skill levels will continue to grow, attracting even more customers and business. My goal, at present, is to complete my studies here at Parkland College, acquiring my A.A.S., and become employable. Then, with God's help, I hope to go on and get my Bachelors degree. I intend to always work in some capacity as a free-lance designer. With that said, I have much work to do.

Feel free to contact me if you indeed would like to contract me to custom design your next web site.

[ Back to top ]