Something New

So in case you haven't visited the blog or the website recently, I did a full revamp of the site!  There are some old things, some new things and a few things missing!  I thought it was time to break out of the monotone scheme and add in a little bit of color!  Granted that I am talking about super muted minimal color because really, the focus should be on the content, not on the design.  I've decided to take down the link to my Etsy until I actually have time to put some stuff up there, it just seemed logical.  But I didn't really want to talk about my website, I wanted to talk about building it!  I always had kind of wondered how to get from a concept to a site and while it seems like "duh just build it..." there's really more to it than that.  So here is my personal process:

1.  Get a clue

No really...you have to have some sort of idea of what you want before you try to do anything else.  If you need some inspiration, check out Smashing Magazine for some terrific examples!  Sketch out some ideas, write out what you need to do, this is the time to do it!

2.  Pick your colors & images

Sometimes I find that the images you choose can completely change the design of the site.  Usually I like to have some sort of a theme first before matching images OR I gather all my images first and then customize the theme around it.

3.  Make a mockup

For me this is usually a 2 step process.  First I'll sketch out everything exactly how I want it layed out and then I'll translate it into a functioning wireframe of the site(with place holder images and text).

4.  Pull it all together

This is the point where I put all the content where it actually goes.  Make sure everything lines up like it should and all the images are formatted correctly.

5.  Break it!

Well actually, its probably already broken.  Unless you test a site as you go along, chances are pretty goof that there's something wrong with the code.  Sometimes you can just look at the site and realize that an image is out of whack or your code suddenly is showing up within the text...a good way to test is using the W3C Validator (they have a great CSS validator too).

6.  Publish it

I usually save this part for last.  Generally I'll put as much information the site I'm making in a hidden subsection where I post the site for testing and then publish the site on the actual page as the last piece.

I could be a lot more technical and tell you my full process but then I'd be out of a job, right?  But if you have any questions or want anything to add, I'd love to hear it!