Prefered website style

[Michael_Lambert]

Hey peoples.

To date i have done a bunch of simple HTML / PHP website sites with come basic flash. I have noticed allot now a days that people are looking to get away from the flash style of sites and also seen that many people are going with Blog software based websites such as Wordpress.

Just wondering what kind of website you prefer and show samples if you don't mind.

Also would love to hear how many actual build there sites in photoshop using the PSD file and if you could show samples of your site down like that it would be great!

I have been becoming much better with Photoshop and have been looking to redesign my site with it, thinking i have more control of how it looks.

Thanks in advance.

[Faolan]

Considerations:

PHP - Can be insecure if not coded properly and/or uses a database backend (think SQL injection attacks).

Flash - Limited support with mobile devices and some 64Bit OS computers. Plus it's been done to death and will give little originality, most major photographers have gone this route and a lot of their sites have that 'same' feel about them

HTML - Difficult to pull off some of the nicer fancy effects without relying on third party software/scripts. This also applies to XHTML. Plus you are open to third party security issues like PHP if you're using JS and the like and/or the use disables JS.

With any scripting language you're at the mercy of a third party to update the scripts if a security issue occurs if you buy a third party script also it's harder to determine what, if anything, caused the breach whether you've set the wrong flag or something the developer did.

That aside from that quick overview. I prefer custom sites based on XHTML but I'm biased I've been a designer working with teams on projects. I prefer custom sites as they will be to a certain degree unique especially if they've been done right.

As to Photoshop you don't build sites in Photoshop you build the outline and the general design of the site then you will transfer this over to Dreamweaver (or any other design program) and have it has a tracing image in 'weaver to lay out all your layers. The image will be also the foundations for the graphics on the site when you slice them for web usage (or prep them on a new layer).

When designing a site you must consider:

You intended audience
The technologies you want to use (if appropiate)
The site structure
Maintenance
Search Engine Optimisation
Security considerations and data protection.

This is really on the tip of the iceberg as these can be broken down further.

Some good examples of how CSS can be used to produce stunning results:

http://www.csszengarden.com/

Seeking general inspiration?

http://commandshift3.com/