web sites for mac users

Hiya,

What are you looking do? Supply your own design and have someone create the site or work with someone for them to design and build the site for you?

Not being rude but I have worked with graphic designers who have been brought in to make sites for clients before and thier lack of knowledge of the medium is a real pain!

Supplying 300 dpi images desgined in illustrator or another vector package is not good for web design! A lack of functional knowledge of HTML can also lead to designs that cannot be transferred to screen with ease.

Let us know what you are looking for and I will happily make some suggestions.

why for mac users? a web site should not be just for mac users... ir is that your target market?

I agree with MickeyFinn. Stick to what you're good at. But if you have a good design then supply that in PhotoShop format and a good web developer can turn that into a web design.

You need to think about the content/copy s much as the design. When you know what you want, get a few prices. If your budget is tight, go for a one-age solution at first. Don't be tempted to do it yourslef. If it looks home-grown it might not help your prospects

Hi Catherine,
I am in a similar situation, however have just purchased a 'take-away' website design package from Mr Site (all website designers no doubt snarling at this prospect!), which I think is great value for getting off the ground without spending a fortune. See what you think!

Hi Lucy,

Mr Site (Google for Mr Site and you will find it!) looks cool. Did not look at costs but did try a few of the sites in all the browsers I could be bothered to fire up (Firefox and IE 6 and 7 on PC, Firefox on Linux and Safari and Firefox on Mac) and the sites I tried were fine.

What was the set up process like using Mr Site? Can you let us know what the costs were like too?

Certainly cheap. But you do get what you pay for. As a web designer I look at the HTML and was appalled. of course, Jo Public would not do this. And this is the challenge us web designers face.

Mr Site might be the perfect solution for some. I won't get on my pedestal and preach what's wrong with thier sites. But if you are expecting your site to be treated niceyl by Google and other search engines, or care about your site being legally accessible, I'd look at other options.

Their payment model confuses me. You can transfer (FTP) the site onto your own servers, but you must continue to pay monthly. How do they control that?

Just wanted to comment on MickeyFinn's first post.

i really do disagree with you. As a graphic designer and a web designer, im easily able to keep the process streamlined and im under no illusion as to web/print.

Just like branding, identity, print and web, some of us will be experience. You have a devine right to educate whoever on the profession and how it works because if you don't, you're failing.

I'm forever educating clients on pre-press processes, why i need 300DPI images, what will happen when bindings creased different, whats CMYK process, pantones, paper weights. the list goes on, but thats my profession i choose to work in, so im obliged to educate my clients on all these things, if it's needed, and sometimes it can be a real benifit, one because my client enjoys the fact they know whats going and and two, your clients knows what you're talking about and when your client trusts you, you've truly succeeded.

So if you are a web designer, and print designers are sending you unusable files or out of shape documents, its your duty to call them, guide them and manage expectations.
There's no use slating the designers (and we've all done it) but ask yourself, did i explain everything in an easy format?

Either that, or don't work for them, pass on a referral because i would love to work with graphic/print designers who need assistance on the web.

Although, it does take quite a talent to do both web and print and a really good standard...

I just want to add something...

If you do go for a website, please do something different.

All websites are looking the same, same layout, same structure, similair navigation, stock photography, blogs etc etc.

Be creative, think outside the box, have some mystic and use your own talents, your own style. Get people excited, make them want to see all your work then at the end think "wow this is cool, lets call them". And pages don't have to be loaded with loads and loads of text.

We're designers, creatives, visual communicaters... so why much text? Lets have our work do much of the talking. Designers are so paranoid these days, how people percieve them, if they'v got all info to the users.

I don't mean to offend anyone by my post, but thats just my honest opinion, people don't stand and read so much online these days. We live in a fast moving world, things are on demand, people are impatient. I never sit and read every page of a companies website before calling them, i actually barely ready emails these days instead i just call them.

Anyway, thats just food for thought - off to build a 10 page website...

I have a site with Mr Site and I think it is awesome.
It has everything you need including the hosting and the website address and for £34.99 you can't really go wrong.

My sister was the one that originally bought it for me as a present. I was a bit nervous especially as I have never built a website before but it has been so easy.

Thank you

Thank you everyone for the positive input. You know who you are. Its been a great help to know that there are people to talk to.

As I am wanting a website for myself to promote my portfolio I may still try Mr Site. Lucys website designed using Mr Site was impressive and just up my street (see earlier reply). But if in the future I have a client that needs a website with more intensity than I can provide, I know a forward thinking person with the right attitude for the job. Thanks Johnny.