On the face of it there are some areas of the internet which are potentially “out of bounds” for many webmasters, those who may be more interested in the direction of a business rather than actually creating a site themselves. The web design area is one such area which many webmasters have steered clear of, instead employing a whole host of designer consultants to come up with a new look for their sites. But can you actually teach yourself web design? Or is it “in the blood”?

While it has to be said that a creative instinct and general feel for the look and style of site is something the best designers are born with, you can actually teach yourself some aspects of web design simply by checking out the array of design tutorials on the internet. These tutorials are very often free, and give an intriguing insight into the design industry, what they do and how they produce some of the more exotic designs. Whether you could actually replicate the designs to the same level as a design consultancy is another matter!

Teach yourself web design may well be an option for those smaller webmasters just setting out on their internet voyage, where maybe money is a little tight at the start and they are looking to keep costs as low as possible. It is possible to put together a perfectly acceptable website yourself, if you have both the time and inclination to do so. It will not look like a $10,000 design, but there is every chance that it will still catch the eye of your readers.

However, there is a big gap between the top notch designs which are so visible today, and the do it yourself designs, but there is always the opportunity to upgrade your design as and when the money starts to roll in!

If you check on Google under the term website designer you will see thousands of different websites to look at, but what can you really afford to spend. If you fire off a couple of emails to just a handful of these companies, with a brief description of what you are after, you may be surprised by their comments!

You will regularly receive quotes ranging from £2000 upwards, with 50% upfront and 50% on completion - but also the potential for even more expense if your require “something out of the ordinary”. So what can you really afford? What is you budget? What are the alternatives?

There is no doubt that to commission your own unique design can be very expensive, and while you may be able to find cheaper alternatives to those charging a few thousand pounds, you only really get what you pay for. Many of the companies which you see at the top of the search engine keyword searches have spent a fortune on Search Engine Optimisation, and continue to advertise heavily to keep themselves in the limelight.

These are the companies which may employ some of the best designers in the industry, something which will not come cheaply. In the real world there are various levels of website design firms, with some offering the best designs around from the best designers, down to those who do it on a part time basis and are only really starting up.

Which designers you choose will depend on a number of factors including, how much you want the site to work, your budget and the market in which you will be operating. Do not be scared off by some of the more way out quotes you will receive, as there are many levels to this industry, some you will only find after much investigation.

When looking at the design and layout of your website, you can dress it up as much as you like with graphics, colours and icons, but what about the basic design, do you go for a standard template, or a unique design?

In a perfect world where money was no problem, it would probably be best to go with your own unique design, something memorable and something which will separate you from the crowd. While this would be the preferred route, cost, and actually finding a designer to do what you want is another issue. So what other options are there?

As with all areas of the internet and online business, there are now a number of excellent templates available free of charge, or for a nominal fee. Yet again we have seen the creation of a number of sites which depend upon other forms of income, using their quality templates as a way to entice you to their site. But what are the main downsides to having a freely available template?

There are a number of issues which include :-

Your look and layout may not be unique, in that there could be tens if not hundreds of sites with the same basic design.

While this can cheapen the look of your site a little, even a unique design would still have some kind of backlink on, to advertise the designers skills.

If you are just starting out then a free template would probably be the best way forward, at least in the short term, then as and when the site grows and income begins to flow you can then look at updating the look and feel of your site.

You will require patience with any online business, and it may take some time to get where you want to, but with any luck it will be worth it!

One thing that you can guarantee from the internet is a major difference of opinion on some of the simplest of ideals, as well as much conversation, argument and discussion. One area of discussion which tends to bring out a whole host of opinions is the subject of site design, how complicated you need to make it, and what the next trend will be. Do you need to follow to crowd all of the time? An interesting question……..

If you look back through the history of online business one thing will also shine bright, the fact that some of the most well respected companies of today were yesterdays cannon fodder. Sites such as eBay where ridiculed in the early days, with some even disputing the success of the business model now, despite the fact it is now a multi billion dollar business!

So is it possible to set a new trend?

While it is most definitely possible to set a new trend and shape for the future, it is not without risks and can either take you to the moon, or dump you in the deepest ocean. So what about taking web designs back to the very basics, what about a text only web page - how would that go down with the online masses?

One of the main elements of any success on the internet is the surprise factor - a factor which can often attract people out of curiosity. However which way you attract you customers, when you have them at your site the rest is up to you. So would a text only site design really work? Stripping back to basics.

It may just be strange enough to catch the eye of the public, although it would still need to be well laid out and look good. Perhaps stripping out all of the flash banners, the colour blinding text and the background images would help to highlight the main purpose of your site? It is a gamble, but it is a gamble which could just work.

The truth is that we are all becoming ever more colour blind and adsense blind, with our senses looking for something else to stimulate them. Many of us are crying out for a new trend, a new look and something which catches our eye. Text only sites?

While the trend may not catch on, and would be a risky venture, it may just breathe some fresh air into what has become a very predictable and often monotonous area of the market - website design, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

The chances are that if you have not yet released your site to the world, or you are looking to revamp your design, then you will probably be in a hurry to get your new design up and ready. You will be asking yourself questions such as how long will it take? Who will correct any problems in the future? Do I pay it all up front?

The first thing to say is there is no set timescale for the design of a website as it depends upon a number of factors which include :-

. The complexity of the design.
. Does it require any new coding?
. Is it compatible with your existing backend system?
. What is YOUR timescale?
. Do I go for a quicker delivery, or a firm who are better but may take longer?

If you really want the best for your website and you are prepared to pay for it, then you should not be in too much a rush. Putting constant pressure on the designers, or giving them unreasonable timescales has the potential to back fire on you dramatically.

You want your website design to be something special, to say that you have arrived, and to start and offer a brand to the outside world, True, you could go to a cheap and quicker designer, but that is the point? At the end of the day you only get what you pay for.

Many people seem to forget that a creditable design firm will also offer you a certain degree of after sales care, once they have actually delivered the design and installed it for you. There may be a number of small bugs, or little tweaks which need to be made along the way, and the best designers will include this in their overall fee. There is no point buying a design with no after sales care, only to find that you have to hire a new designer to fix the bugs and finish it off - a false sense of economy.

When designing the layout of your website it is very easy to lapse into a design which is what you want to see, rather than one which may better suit your website and compliment your business. Before even considering which colours to use, it is highly advisable to check out the opposition, the websites you would like to follow, and see what works for them and what does not. Set out to make your site design a “best of the rest” design, taking the best elements from sites which work, and leaving the distracting designs and colours behind.

So what colours should you use?

While it depends upon what type of site feel you are looking to portray, you may find the following comments helpful :-

Blue tends to give a cold steely feel to it, and is not used in the more fashion conscious or younger market.

Green tends to offer a more relaxed and fresh feel to a site - something which is non-aggressive.

In summary, light colours tend to give a fresher look to a site, while the darker colours tend to give a ghostly feel about them. It will depend upon which type of image you are trying to portray, and ultimately whether you are looking to follow the crowd or do your own thing.

Do not forget that after you have designed your site and allocated the colour scheme, you can always experiment with the colour positioning - and ask you customers which they feel is best!