Looking into freelance web design

[S-Marketing]

thank you all for your comments i really appreciate it. I understand that i will have to work hard to turn my passion into a living. I am going to create a portfolio design around a theme system. I will post the link once i've finished my first theme.

thank you all

What are you like with Wordpress?

 

[ukipodearphones]

i've never attempted to create wordpress themes if that's what you mean.

 

[S-Marketing]

i've never attempted to create wordpress themes if that's what you mean.

I dont mean creating the themes. Just using wordpress to create the site. I need a couple of sites set up using wordpress and cant be bothered to do it all myself. Themes may need to be altered slightly and a few plug ins added. If you fancy giving it a go, pm me and we will come to some arrangement.

 

[ukipodearphones]

PM sent. Thank you very much

 

[herodigital]

I dont mean creating the themes. Just using wordpress to create the site. I need a couple of sites set up using wordpress and cant be bothered to do it all myself. Themes may need to be altered slightly and a few plug ins added. If you fancy giving it a go, pm me and we will come to some arrangement.

have you not read this thread at all?

 

[S-Marketing]

have you not read this thread at all?

Yes I have. The bits and pieces I need are basic enough and if he can do them for me for a good price, and he gets a couple of sites to use for his new improved portfolio, as far as I can see, everyones a winner.

I know enough to know if he does a good job or not, so really dont see a problem. Thanks for your concern though, ill be sure to run it by you if I decide to give any other forum members any work

 

[oldeagleeye]

My 10p worth. You guys can go on all you like about the technical stuff. To the clients and their potential customers it don't meant didly squat.

What they want to see is an attractive eye candy site that is user friendly and loaded fast.

The 2 sites presented by the OP offer none of those features and his insistance that he knows it all only just goes to show how bloody useless most degrees and diplomas are these days and Jesus how far behind the times this guy is.

It seems to me that 80% of the design work I see advertised for these days in using CMS like Wordpress Joomla etc.

I would take those earplugs out of your ear OP and listen to the way the wind is blowing if you want to earn a few quid from designing sites.

Rob

 

[ukipodearphones]

I clearly see that i'm not doing anything right. To think i thought this was the only thing i was good at. Thank you for your comment though

 

[herodigital]

I clearly see that i'm not doing anything right. To think i thought this was the only thing i was good at. Thank you for your comment though

now i feel guilty. you have the right attitude for sure, and you know you have a long way to go. i was in your shoes about 11 years ago - eager to learn. if i was you i would try and get into a creative agency, but at the moment you will struggle to do that. get your nose into a few books and keep plugging out your own sites on stuff you care about. even just blogging can clear your mind, and even help build relationships with others.

i would NEVER suggest that you won't ever make it - you're just a long way off and the nature of this topic (starting your own freelance business) prompted my replies. apologies if i came across as less than helpful.

 

[ukipodearphones]

oh no not at all i appreciate completely everything you have said. Obviously you have a lot of experience in web development and i've appreciated your comments and taken them in a positive way. Oldeagleeye's comment just wounded my confidence even more. though thank you for your kind comments and criticism

 

[oldeagleeye]

Blimey I too feel a littleguilty but sometimes a reality check is called for and I think most of you pro designers would agree that while the OP may have some way to go adapting and persomalising CMS themes like Wordpress could be a fasyt track to more income.

There was then some positive comment in my post

Good luck

 

[ukipodearphones]

thank you for your advice.

Just wanted to know some opinions on the start to the portfolio.

http://design.rozzex.com/

looking forward to some comments

cheers

 

[Vision2]

thank you for your advice.

Just wanted to know some opinions on the start to the portfolio.

http://design.rozzex.com/

looking forward to some comments

cheers

your CSS is broken creating a massive breach to the right.

 

[ukipodearphones]

is it? Which browser? I've tested in google chrome and firefox. Unfortunately IE doesn't load for me any more so i haven't tested for that. Seems to be working in google chrome and firefox.

 

[Faevilangel]

thank you for your advice.

Just wanted to know some opinions on the start to the portfolio.

http://design.rozzex.com/

looking forward to some comments

cheers

Honestly? The coding is quite poor IMO, divitus, using divs to hold text, rather than paragraphs. The css coding is broken as it creates a scroll bar across the page.

I would finish it off before asking for critique, as something in development is going to get ripped to shreds.

 

[ukipodearphones]

oh i've just realised the scrollbar! God i'm blind. Ok other then that and the use of paragraph any other reasons you see the code as poor?

 

[Faevilangel]

oh i've just realised the scrollbar! God i'm blind. Ok other then that and the use of paragraph any other reasons you see the code as poor?

divitus, using far too many divs... the menu should be created using an <ul>

 

[ukipodearphones]

I've never used a list for a menu. I would have thought that wouldn't be right. i'll test it cheers

Edit: I don't see the problem in using a div, As the menu is a division is it not? Also no more breach to the right

 

[ukipodearphones]

i've just been testing your theory, according to w3c standards using a UL without Li is ofcoarse wrong. As the menu is not a bullet point list it should be a div shouldn't it?

 

[Faevilangel]

i've just been testing your theory, according to w3c standards using a UL without Li is ofcoarse wrong. As the menu is not a bullet point list it should be a div shouldn't it?

Nope, menu's should be in an UL (unordered list) it's how I do it and how I was taught

Example Menu

<ul id="menu">
 <li><a href="#">home</a>
 <li><a href="#">about us</a>
 <li><a href="#">contact us</a>
</ul>

That will show a bulleted list, now use css to remove the bullets...

#menu {
 list-style-type:none;
}

 

[ukipodearphones]

This may be the best way for a vertical menu. Though unordered listing is for that, vertical listing's. Seeing as my menu is horizontal this wouldn't be possible, would it?

 

[Faevilangel]

This may be the best way for a vertical menu. Though unordered listing is for that, vertical listing's. Seeing as my menu is horizontal this wouldn't be possible, would it?

Yes

#menu li {
 float:left;
 margin:0 10px 0 0;
}

www.w3schools.com is your knight in shining armour in these times of need

 

[mobyme]

This may be the best way for a vertical menu. Though unordered listing is for that, vertical listing's. Seeing as my menu is horizontal this wouldn't be possible, would it?

Your going about this, all wrong! There are literally hundreds of tutorials available on the internet for html and css.

Find one; go back to basics and work your way forward slowly and surely without skipping.

Please don't tell me that you understand html and css as you suggested before because the statement above is blatant proof that you don't.

Once you have the basics in place, move forward into something like php for dynamic sites.

I wish you all the luck in the world but honestly your fooling yourself at the moment; and there are few more pointless pastimes than that.

Six months to a year should see you competent in html and css and another year you should be able to hold your own in php or one of the other oop languages.

The first step is the hardest but in eighteen months to a year you will look back at all this and laugh your socks off.

 

[ukipodearphones]

Thank you for your comment tobyme. Ok maybe i might be kidding myself 8 years of coding and i don't remember ever doing horizontal lists. Though it has been an incredibly long time since i've done lists, probably 6 years ago or so. I think i have a long way to go before getting my PHP coding up to scratch.

 

[ukipodearphones]

Just did the w3schools quiz

1. What does HTML stand for?

Correct Answer!

2. Who is making the Web standards?

Correct Answer!

3. Choose the correct HTML tag for the largest heading

Correct Answer!

4. What is the correct HTML tag for inserting a line break?

Correct Answer!

5. What is the correct HTML for adding a background color?

Correct Answer!

6. Choose the correct HTML tag to make a text bold

Correct Answer!

7. Choose the correct HTML tag to make a text italic

Correct Answer!

8. What is the correct HTML for creating a hyperlink?

Correct Answer!

9. How can you create an e-mail link?

You answered: <mail href="xxx@yyy">
Wrong Answer!

10. How can you open a link in a new browser window?

Correct Answer!

11. Which of these tags are all <table> tags?

Correct Answer!

12. Choose the correct HTML to left-align the content inside a tablecell

Correct Answer!

13. How can you make a list that lists the items with numbers?

Correct Answer!

14. How can you make a list that lists the items with bullets?

Correct Answer!

15. What is the correct HTML for making a checkbox?

Correct Answer!

16. What is the correct HTML for making a text input field?

Correct Answer!

17. What is the correct HTML for making a drop-down list?

You answered: <input type="list" />
Wrong Answer!

18. What is the correct HTML for making a text area?

Correct Answer!

19. What is the correct HTML for inserting an image?

Correct Answer!

20. What is the correct HTML for inserting a background image?

Correct Answer!

Stupidly got 17 wrong as i was trying to be fast and 9 was because i've been doing email with PHP rather then linking emails. Just out of interest does anyone else see anything wrong with the code?

 

[Faevilangel]

Doing the html quiz is easy cos html is out of date IMO, it's all XHTML now

 

[ukipodearphones]

yeah i was thinking afterwards that you can't really test if someone can code in html with a multiple choice quiz. Good memory tester though

 

[herodigital]

Thank you for your comment tobyme. Ok maybe i might be kidding myself 8 years of coding and i don't remember ever doing horizontal lists. Though it has been an incredibly long time since i've done lists, probably 6 years ago or so. I think i have a long way to go before getting my PHP coding up to scratch.

display: inline or float: left would create a horizontal list and menu's, regardless of their position on the page or whether they are horiztonal or vertical, should be created using lists - it's just the way of things.

<div align="center"> is old-school now so should not be used, you should use text-align: center where possible. same with border="0" - use CSS for this.

also you seem to be missing a "wrapper" or "container" which serves to hold everything. and you code should really be indented correctly for readability.

simply passing w3c tests does not a good coder make. i see what you have tried to do but there are some classic newbie mistakes in that markup, so i really suggest you get on some blogs and do some reading. also i hope you're taking a lot away from the free advice being given in this thread

 

[ukipodearphones]

great information herodigital! ah really, see i never knew they were considered old school now. I knew that quiz mean't nothing and doesn't help where i've been going wrong. Yeah i need to place a wrapper around the content. As hopefully you can see i've taken every advice in the thread and worked with it, new style, coded to w3 standards and of coarse fixing my messy code. I'm completely dedicated to getting my coding up to a professional standard. So i appreciate every bit of advice and comments gave to me in this thread. I hope this information also helps others too.

cheers

 

[herodigital]

great information herodigital! ah really, see i never knew they were considered old school now. I knew that quiz mean't nothing and doesn't help where i've been going wrong. Yeah i need to place a wrapper around the content. As hopefully you can see i've taken every advice in the thread and worked with it, new style, coded to w3 standards and of coarse fixing my messy code. I'm completely dedicated to getting my coding up to a professional standard. So i appreciate every bit of advice and comments gave to me in this thread. I hope this information also helps others too.

cheers

cool. i'm not putting myself on pedestall here but take a look at my site (herodigital.co.uk) and view the source. it can certainly be improved i'm sure, but it's quite minimal and validates to strict standards. i consider myself to be good at front-end dev, not the best, but i always take a logical and pragmatic approach. however i am not up to date - i still need to learn the basics of html5, which is the next leap forward for proper web design.

 

[ukipodearphones]

How things have changed now. I never got to thank you for your help but now I will! I mean take alook at this and UKBF. Good times though.