topbanner_forum
  *

avatar image

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
  • Friday March 29, 2024, 1:38 am
  • Proudly celebrating 15+ years online.
  • Donate now to become a lifetime supporting member of the site and get a non-expiring license key for all of our programs.
  • donate

Author Topic: website design  (Read 4720 times)

kalos

  • Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 1,823
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
website design
« on: February 13, 2012, 03:22 PM »
hello!

I need to build a simple portal and I need a simple menu design, but unique

I dont want any of those paid templates that look awful, but at the same time I cant design a professional one from scratch

any advice?

thanks!

rgdot

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2009
  • **
  • Posts: 2,192
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: website design
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2012, 04:27 PM »
I think that if you can name a site that comes close to what you have in mind it will be much easier. Anything from "lightweight" CMS or portals to WordPress can do all sorts of things simple or complex.

kalos

  • Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 1,823
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: website design
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2012, 12:46 PM »
I like this very much http://www.bvckup.com/

rgdot

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2009
  • **
  • Posts: 2,192
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: website design
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2012, 03:07 PM »
Not very hard to emulate, anything from WordPress ('turning off' blogging if necessary) to more complex CMSes (CMS Made Simple just to name one) should work.

tranglos

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 1,081
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: website design
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2012, 04:24 PM »
I like this very much http://www.bvckup.com/

Beautiful site! Love it, and I know what you mean.

If you're looking for a free solution, it may not be so easy, because the aesthetically best designs aren't. Then it depends on what you need more: the css and javascript to display the menu, or a professionally designed color scheme and graphics?

For the former, you could find a web page with a css menu that you like and just copy the menu code from source. If there are any license issues, they will usually be specified in the source code comments. You can almost certainly find free css / javascript menus on various scripting sites, too; they tend to be public domain (they are just simple algorithms, after all). Or use a free theme as an example (the Fusion theme for wordpress has a nicely done menu and is free).

For the latter (graphic design), there's no easy way. I couldn't design my way out of a bathtub, so I did eventually buy a commercial theme (ca $35, there are cheaper ones too). It's hopeless when you don't have the skill or the tools.

Then there are commercial apps that come with ready-made designs that you can use directly or tweak. These apps come prepackaged with moderately well-designed graphics, such as buttons, themes and color schemes that you can fiddle with. For example, you could try Easy Button & Menu Maker. It sells for about 20 Euro, so not cheap for a one-time use, but it's something you could consider. Perhaps even a trial version would suffice.

(Then there are more expensive, advanced ones such as Xara or Artisteer. I don't think there are free alternatives that would also include ready-made designs.)


tranglos

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 1,081
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: website design
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2012, 04:31 PM »
Btw, check out their new website for an upcoming version 2. Truly beautiful simplicity, even better than the original.



rgdot

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2009
  • **
  • Posts: 2,192
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: website design
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2012, 04:33 PM »
For CSS menus CSS Tab Designer http://www.highdots....ts/css-tab-designer/ is free, somewhat limited but may be good enough

40hz

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2007
  • **
  • Posts: 11,857
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: website design
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2012, 06:33 PM »
Btw, check out their new website for an upcoming version 2. Truly beautiful simplicity, even better than the original.




Oh that is clever! Both from a marketing theme and technical perspective.

Love it.  :Thmbsup:

apankrat

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2010
  • **
  • Posts: 155
    • View Profile
    • swapped.cc
    • Donate to Member
Re: website design
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2012, 06:14 PM »
Btw, check out their new website for an upcoming version 2. Truly beautiful simplicity, even better than the original.

Thanks!  :-)
Alex

40hz

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2007
  • **
  • Posts: 11,857
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: website design
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2012, 06:23 PM »
@apankrat - more like let us thank you. That was one of the more original ultra-minimalist web designs I've seen in a long time. Even more impressive is how neatly it dovetailed with the product philosophy and the company you did it for.

I like it when accompany does 360-degree branding and identity. Bravo! :Thmbsup: