- September 16
Inspired Rookies: The Most Popular and Ever Useful Web Designing Tools
This is the fist post in a new Inspired Mag series dedicated to design newbies / beginners / rookies etc – designers with less than 20 different pieces in their portfolio and (almost) no followers on Dribble.
If you feel Web design plays a great role in many aspects of a website; one of which is the physical or the overall layout. While some bloggers or webmasters do not dwell much on the physical side of their sites, it is still very important to attract visitors and boost readership. The physical aspect is still very important for your site’s success, thus, you cannot just afford to sacrifice its importance. This, however, wouldn’t be possible without the help of the web designing tools which have always been the best friends of any webmasters or graphic designers. Web design does not necessarily mean graphic representation; it also includes CSS formatting, scripting and coding. Text formatting and alignment are just two of the hundred factors covered within the scope of web designing. Here is the list of the all-time most popular and useful web designing tools you should know:
1. PhotoShop
This is one of the pioneering software for graphic editing. Majority of bloggers find this tool easy to use and helpful enough in designing logos, banners and graphic backgrounds for blogs or websites. Photoshop has been around for more than a decade already serving the same purpose. With this, you can easily edit pictures, add brushes, put on different effects, etc… In short, you can do almost anything for your website’s physical appearance. Over time, this tool evolved making things even a lot easier for designers.
2. Dreamweaver
When it comes to editing codes, scripts and CSS, this tool could best serve such purpose. Even though you have to pay for a license, every penny is worth the comfort, usability and functionality of Dreamweaver. Some of the features include built-in FTP client, smart coding, easy debugging, highlighting function, work flows and project management tool. Aside from that, Adobe products like Photoshop can easily be integrated to add even more functionality.
3. Fireworks
It functions more like Adobe Photoshop with its unique features and functionalities. With this web designing tool, you can made a PDF file of your entire blog’s codes with fully clickable links. If you are a Mac user, this tool can also be a perfect companion as it runs both on Mac and Windows OS.
4. Panic Coda
If you are looking for a perfect CSS editor with full FTP client functionality, this tool will be your perfect option, too. You can even say that this is an award-winning tool for its features and functionalities. If today, Dreamweaver and Photoshop are put into one package, Panic Coda has gone beyond that a few years back. Its developers are putting new features and upgrading it every year to keep up the pace in the World Wide Web.
5. Firebug
With this tool you can easily edit any HTML and PHP documents; you can even see the preview of the site you are editing before you actually apply the codes. It means that you will feel secured when editing your site. Firebug has been around for years helping small and big time web designers and bloggers.
6. SplashUp
It’s one of the best alternatives for Photoshop. Although, this tool is a browser-based web editing tool, it enables you to edit photos, create banners and add some effects to boring pictures. SplashUp is a great help when you haven’t installed any graphic editors – what you need is an Internet connection.
7. LogoEase
One of the most important factors to create a brand is the logo. LogoEase is an online tool that lets you create professional logos for your websites or blogs. You will be amazed how to use it is. The best thing is that, you will to choose a category which best describes your website; that would be your starting point to create the kind of logo you like to represent your site or brand–you don’t need to have great skills with graphic designing to be able to use this tool.
8. CSSTypeSet
The truth is only a few people know how to create cascading style sheet to make sites look professional and compatible with any browser. CSSTypeSet could be a perfect tool for you to come up with a perfect CSS for your blog/site. What you need to do is enter the text on a certain field and CSS codes will easily be generated for you.
9. DoTemplates
If you like a certain template for your site but want to add more features or edit some colors and text-formatting, DoTemplates is just the best option there is. You can edit the header, the content and navigation area, and the footer without a sweat. You can even customize it to your liking. With easy-to-use and simple interface, you can never ask for more.
10. WordPress Theme Generator
If you are one of the bloggers who have self-hosted WordPress blogs and want to customize their look to fit your taste or make them more professional, you’ve got to use this web designing tool for your convenience. With this one, you will be able to edit or create your own WP theme without a hassle. It has become one of the most popular tools for WordPress bloggers today.
The overall layout of a website is an important factor to keep your visitors stay or come back. Moreover, if you want to sell something, you want to make every product presentable and worth-buying for. Thus, having a perfect web design will be a great help in your online marketing strategies and success.
As shown above, there are only five web designing tools mentioned here; there are still a lot out there which you may find more useful. This list, however, suggests that you try to use any of the abovementioned tools or applications to your liking. To get yourself updated with the newest tools used for web design, try to subscribe to any Information Technology News sites and receive daily updates.
Catalin Zorzini
Catalin is the founder of Mostash - a social marketing boutique - and he's always happy to share his passion for graphic design & social media. Catalin Zorzini has 225 posts at Inspired Mag & counting!
Comments
Felipe Martyn September 16th
A few comments…
It’s great that you guys show these tools. The thing I got caught up is:”you don’t need to have great skills with graphic designing to be able to use this tool.”
That is something wrong, and such a poor mentality that not only takes away your authority to blog, as much as gives the community rotten ideas.
We need to educate our clients about design, but more important is an educated designer who knows exactly what they are doing.
Not trying to be mean, just to fight this poor and impoverishing mentality.
Kaiser September 17th
Title should be changed to
The Most Popular and Ever Useful Web Design and Development Tools.Coda is web development tool, Dreamweaver and Firebug as well.
Innova September 19th
We use Coda a lot however some tasks are a lot quicker with Dreamweaver.
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Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Inspired Rookies: The Most Popular and Ever Useful Web Designing Tools
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