Artistic Web Design

Looking for a site

[vc181200]

Is there an outline for websites to be visually appealing? I am looking to make a site that has great content, speed and flashy graphics.

[chrisnrae]

IME, people would rather find a site with good usability and clear navigation and with a clear purpose than one with fancy graphics anyday. I used to think I needed "bells and whistles" until I actually started putting up sites and seeing the responses to the clearly organized ones vs. the "pretty" ones. If you can manage to get both - more power to ya ;). And Welcome to WebmasterWorld.

[photon]

Check out the CSS Zen Garden [csszengarden.com] to see how the same HTML file can be made to have hundreds of different looks.

An awesome site to use for inspiration.

[createErrorMsg]

Check out the CSS Zen Garden to see how the same HTML file can be made to have hundreds of different looks.

An awesome site to use for inspiration.

Or a crippling inferiority complex, depending on what kind of day you're having. ;)

But seriously, the Zen Garden is, hands down, the best inspiration for visual design. Just keep in mind that most of the participants there arn't so much web designers as graphic artists. They have 'the vision.' (NOT in anyway to downplay their ability as web designers/coders.)

One of my favorite entries was designed by a 16 year old (as in 'half my age, twice my design sense'). I was uplifted by his talent and also depressed by his talent. Made me seriously question my own work and it's value. I guess the point is: play to your strengths. If you can code clean, valid, SE friendly xhtml and css, do that and try not to get hung up on not being a graphic designer. On the other hand, if you've got that artist's vision, stay the h*ll away from my client list. ;)

[katana_one]

I definately agree that CSS Zen Garden is great for inspiration. But I'd like to add a word of caution for the uninitiated:

While the stuff in the Zen Garden may be awe-inspiring from either the artistic angle, or from the coding angle (or both!), there are still pitfalls.

Much of the stuff that's featured there is to illustrate what CAN be done - not what SHOULD be done. I've seen plenty of designs there that were very cute/whimsical/fanciful/impressive that I would NEVER, EVER use on a commercial website.

[photon]

The reason I always recommend the Garden to folks is to get a sense of what can be done, not necessarily what should be done. As has been addressed in the CSS forum here so many times, new and other less artistic "designers"--I'm in the same boat as you, cEM--tend to think in "table mode" even when using CSS. The Garden helps me to get out of table mode by wowing me with some very creative and innovative designs. And even some of the really awful ones (IMHO) suggest new ways to create a layout.

Basically, the site often evokes a "Wow, I never ever would have thought of that" reaction.

[limbo]

Welcome to WW vc181200

This [google.com] is where I start when I catch designers block. (try to get past the first couple of serps, more inspiring deeper down...)

Ta, Limbo

Wise word Katana, you have to take some of the Zen designs with a pinch of salt. Quite awesome design work nonetheless.

[katana_one]

Photon, I absolutely agree with you about the Zen Garden. It's an outstanding source of inspiration that I visit regularly. The reason I posted what I did was to try and keep things in perspective for beginners.

The Zen Garden, as createErrorMessage already suggested, could be very intimidating to beginners. Many of the designs are way out there on the bleeding edge of CSS.

[createErrorMsg]

Many of the designs are way out there on the bleeding edge of CSS.

katana, I hate to disagree (especially since you just validated my opinions), but I believe the Zen Garden specifically instructs submitters to use only CSS1 and commonly used CSS2 properties. CSS3 and more obscure CSS2 stuff is disallowed.

Of course, because the entrants are required to leave the HTML source untouched, there's bound to be some instability as they whisk elements around the page with nested floats and absolute positions...

[katana_one]

Duly noted.

"Bleeding edge" was the wrong phrase in this case.

[vc181200]

thank you!

vc