Design Resources
Resources to help students with both print and Web design.
InDesign Resources
Adobe's InDesign Help Center - Use the left-hand menu to find specific information on elements like working with texts and creating tables.
Adobe InDesign Tutorials - About.com has a number of great InDesign tutorials.
InDesignSecrets.com - Use the search function to InDesign tutorials.
Tip of the Week - There are many useful tips here for the more advanced user.
You Tube - Conduct a search with the term "InDesign" and what you'd like to do (example: add a stroke to a box) and there's a good chance you'll find a video showing you how to do it in InDesign.
Dreamweaver Resources
Creating & Using a Site - learn how to set up and manage a site
A Quick Orientation to Menus - an introdcution to the basic Dreamweaver desktop and the property inspector
Setting Page Properties - learn how to choose a page's background color, text color, and hyperlink color. Also learn how to set the font style of headings and title a Web page.
Formating Text - learn how to format text, create a headline, align text, create a list, and create a hyperlink.
Layout a Web Page - learn how to layout a Web page using CSS layots or HTML tables.
Working With Tables - learn hot to add a table and change table and cell settings
Working With Images - learn hot to insert an image, create a photo gallery, creaate rollover images, set up an image map.
Adding Multimedia Files - learn hot to link to a .pdf file, embed a .mp3 file, and embed a .mov file.
Changing CSS Styles - learn how to change the CSS style (background colors, text properties, etc) of your Web page.
Photoshop Resources
Planet Photoshop - Video tutorials demonstrating a number of techniques in Photoshop.
Photoshop Tips & Tricks - Tips and tricks from GraphicDesign.com
Photoshop How To - Video tutorials about Photoshop.
More Photoshop Tips & Tutorials - Photoshop tutorials from PegaWeb.
Legal Image Resources
US Government Images - You can also download pictures from the US Government. According to the government: "Most of these images and graphics are available for use in the public domain; they may be used and reproduced without permission or fee. However, some images may be protected by license. Therefore we recommend you thoroughly read the disclaimers on each site before use."
FreeFoto.com - FreeFoto.com has a number of pictures you can use for free. But, they do have a few rules:"The pictures are only available free for your own PERSONAL, NONCOMMERCIAL use and TEST or SAMPLE use, including COMPS and LAYOUTS.You must credit the FreeFoto.com web site on your home page. If you use one of the full screen images you must place a hypertext link with the line Supplied by FreeFoto.com in a conspicuous place. We also ask that you add a (c) FreeFoto.com to the image alt tag. You MAY NOT use the images to create your own photo gallery web site."
Free Stock Photos - Check out All Graphic Design Portal's list of sites with free stock photography. Be sure to check each site's rules using the photographs.
stock.xchng (sxc.hu) - Stock.xchng allows you to download images for free, as well as upload pictures for others to use. When downloading an image be sure to read the "image license" and check the "restrictions" column right below the picture.
Creative Commons - At Creative Commons you can find links to free images, audio, and video, some of which you can use of your Web site. But before you download anything, be sure to check the license assigned to each item. Creative Commons has created a licensing system by which authors can make material for use, but with restrictions. You need to check the license to see what type of restrictions apply to a specific item. Sometimes you can use the work as you like, as long as you provide proper attribution - other times you face restrictions on how you use the work. Its your responsibility to make sure you're not infringing on the authors' rights - they are making the work available to you, but are not giving up their copyrights.
Every Stock Photo - Every stock photo is a search engine that looks for photos that are freely licensed. When you find a photo, be sure to double check that the copyright holder has made it available for use and see if the owner has placed any restrictions on the image.
Public Domain Pictures - Public Domain Pictures is a Web site where photographers can post their own photos for use by the public. The images on the top half of each page are free.
Clip Art - A list of Web sites offering free clip art (graphic images).
Old Book Illustrations - This Web site includes illustrations scanned from old books. The copyrights on the illustrations have expired and are now in the public domain, so you are free to use them.
A Clip Art History - The copyrights on the images on this site have expired, so they are now in the public domain and can be used by you.
Background Images for Web Design - Looking for a way to add a bit of texture to your Web site? You could try adding a background image to your site (in Dreamweaver, you'll add it under page properties). When selecting an image to serve as a background be sure to pick one that will not interfere with text on your page. The best way to do this is to stick with simple patterns/images in a single color (or shades of a single color). WebSite-Designs.com provides a number of background images for you to use free of charge. Just be sure to give them credit for the image on your site.
More Background Images/Textures for Web Design - GRSites.com also provides an archive of images you can use as background images on your Web site.
Even More Background Images for Web Design - AllFreeBackgrounds.com provides you with even more background images to add texture to your Web site.
Color Resources
How to Use Color to Enhance Your Designs - Tips on how to use color in your designs. Scroll down the page to learn about the meaning of colors and the visual effects of color.
How to Use Color Effectively in Your Designs - More tips on how to use color in your designs. This site includes real life examples.
What Colors Mean - Ever wondered what emotions a color evokes? This Web site explains the hidden meaning behind colors. While the site talks about picking colors for Web sites, you can also apply this information to print design.
Color Matters - A Web page containing a color wheel and examples of color theory.
Basic Color Schemes - Another Web page containing color wheels and examples of color schemes based on color theory.
Web Color Wheel - An interactive color wheel that provides you with the hexadecimal codes used to specific colors in Web design. Use the "Web safe" color code to insure that all Web page users will be able to view the exact same color you see.
Web Color Schemes - Having trouble deciding on a color scheme or combination of colors for your Web site. This site can help you out.
Web Color Contrast Analyser - Want to make sure that the contrast between your Web page's background color and your text color is great enough for easy reading? Check out the "Color Contrast Analyser"
Grabbing Colors from a Web site - Love the colors used on a Web site? Want to know what they are so you can use them on your Web site? You can use the "Grab Website Colors" tool on this site to find out. The site also provides you with color combinations currently used by other Web designers.
More Suggested Web Color Combinations - More suggested color combinations you may want to use on your Web site.
Web Design Resources
Bad Web Design - Want to see what not to do when designing your Web page? Check out Web Pages That Suck.
Grid systems in Web Design - Learn more about the basics of using a grid to lay out our Web page.
Design By Grid - A Web site including articles, tutorials, and resources related to using grid systems in Web page layout.
Free Web Templates - Free Templates Online - Just Free Templates - Open Source Web Design - Free CSS Templates - five sites that provide Web pages templates you can download and edit to create a site.
HTML Goodies - "The Ultimate HTML Resource"
Google Gadgets for Your Web site - Google offers a number of gadgets, from calendars to maps and even computer games. You can add these gadgets to your Web site using Google's gadgets. Just select the gadget you'd like to add and set your preferences. Then copy the code provided by Google and insert it into your the html code of your Web site.
More Gadgets or Widgets - Google is not the only player in the gadget / widget business. Widgetbox has a number of applications you can add to your Web site.
How to Embed Almost Anything into Your Web Site - Digital Inspiration has put together a list of incredible gadgets available on the Web. This page not only tells you about them but also explains how you can embed the gadget into your site. Looking to add an RSS feed to your site? Add HD Yout Tube video to your site? This page has got the answers.
Facebook Profile - Want to add a link to your Facebook profile on your site? Why not add a Facebook Profile badge or a live stream to your site. Learn more on the Facebook Widgets page.
Twitter Widget - Want to add your Twitter feed to your Web site? You can easily do this using a Twitter Widget.
Testing Your Site in Other Browsers - Want to make sure your Web site looks ok in a number of browser? BrowserShots.org will create screenshots of your Web site using a number of Web browsers.
Make you Web site accessible to all - The Trace Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides a comprehensive list of links to Web sites about Web Accessibility.
Creating Web Pages - Don't have access to Dreamweaver? That's ok, you can still create Web pages. Remember, you can create a Web page by writing your own html code and using a simple text program like TextEditor or Notepad. If you want a program that will write the HTML for you there are a number of choices. You can pay for a program like Dreamweaver (the industry standard), Microsoft's Frontpage, and others. You can also download free, open source programs like VNU.
VNU Web Publisher - Looking for a free Web publishing program? VNU is an open source program that has many of the same features as GoLive. The button may be different, but remember the basic tenants of the Web design are still the same.
Getting a Web Address - Want your own Web address? You'll need to register a URL. A number of companies and Web sites offer this service including Register.com and GoDaddy.com
Internet Privacy - a handout about how you can protect the privacy of the visitors of your Web site.