Advice needed : I want to study web design/ ui design - Off-topic

What can i study in order for me to work as a web designer/ ui designer? keep in mind that i don't wanna study engineering , i dont like all of those math courses, algebra, physics ... do they teach it in universities or do i have to sign up in an institute?
I dont think there's a career such as "ui design" but there must a "web design" right? there must a "branch" in graphic design, i dont think im right for grphic design since im terrible at drawing what do you guys think ?

It would be IT where I'm going to college. That would include html, mySQL, php, and some other happy fun stuff Possibly Javascript.
-How cruel is the golden rule, when the lives we live are all golden plated-

UI design is generally an overlap of developers and graphic designers. A graphic designer is needed to make it look good, but a developer is needed to make it practical. Between them both, you get a good UI. Well, that's the theory anyway.
If you want to do UI design then you need to decide whether you want to do it from the design point of view, or the development point of view. If you want to actually build websites, then go the development route. If you don't, graphic design is probably the best bet.
There's also games development and design, which does have a particular branch that involves GUI design, but that's usually part of a quite heavy games programming course.
I've personally never heard of a UI design course. I'm not saying that there isn't one, but after 15 years in the industry I've never heard of anyone doing it as a job, either, other than in games development.

johncmolyneux said:
UI design is generally an overlap of developers and graphic designers. A graphic designer is needed to make it look good, but a developer is needed to make it practical. Between them both, you get a good UI. Well, that's the theory anyway.
If you want to do UI design then you need to decide whether you want to do it from the design point of view, or the development point of view. If you want to actually build websites, then go the development route. If you don't, graphic design is probably the best bet.
There's also games development and design, which does have a particular branch that involves GUI design, but that's usually part of a quite heavy games programming course.
I've personally never heard of a UI design course. I'm not saying that there isn't one, but after 15 years in the industry I've never heard of anyone doing it as a job, either, other than in games development.
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Thank you, your reply was really helpful , i want to do it from the design point of view, something i've learned here in xda is that a programmer does not make a good designer and viceversa, sometimes people make great programs but they're hideous, with lack of good taste and too many things/colors going on for example
What about " web design" is there a actually a course for that?

Yup, i studied that. Okay, not web design, but that was included. I studied multimedia design. That included web design, 3D, photography, and film.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using xda premium

Chad_Petree said:
Thank you, your reply was really helpful , i want to do it from the design point of view, something i've learned here in xda is that a programmer does not make a good designer and viceversa, sometimes people make great programs but they're hideous, with lack of good taste and too many things/colors going on for example
What about " web design" is there a actually a course for that?
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I attended a graphic design program (contuing education) at a college nearby. If you're looking to learn the basics (illustrator, PS, InDesign.. etc.) Then I was would start there. But if you're already familiar with image editing and want to learn how to apply it to mobile UI design you can start by looking here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=916814. But like John mentioned, there are two types of designing regarding UI.. basic modifying of images in the system is quit simple and only requires image editing software and 7zip (might want to learn how to edit mode.9/9patch and m10 images correctly as well). But if you're looking to do some of the more advanced designing you will need to do a bit of reading/searching. Thankfully, you can find all the info here at XDA.
Sent from my HTC Flyer.

BazookaAce said:
Yup, i studied that. Okay, not web design, but that was included. I studied multimedia design. That included web design, 3D, photography, and film.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using xda premium
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multimedia design ? sounds nice, for how long? 4 years?

I only studied for 1 year, but i did plan on 4 years with 3 of those in Australia, but i got bored and stopped after one. And it was pricey. 20K per year.

Scabes24 said:
I attended a graphic design program (contuing education) at a college nearby. If you're looking to learn the basics (illustrator, PS, InDesign.. etc.) Then I was would start there. But if you're already familiar with image editing and want to learn how to apply it to mobile UI design you can start by looking here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=916814. But like John mentioned, there are two types of designing regarding UI.. basic modifying of images in the system is quit simple and only requires image editing software and 7zip (might want to learn how to edit mode.9/9patch and m10 images correctly as well). But if you're looking to do some of the more advanced designing you will need to do a bit of reading/searching. Thankfully, you can find all the info here at XDA.
Sent from my HTC Flyer.
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Did you have a degree before studing graphic design? I need to know basics , since i know nothing, i just have my highschool degree, i want to do this as my career, not just a hobby

I know you're not asking me, but i did not have a degree in "graphics" before i started. It was a private school, so if you show them some "dineros", you're in. But hey, you have to learn it from some place ney? It doesn't hurt knowing some basic stuff in PS or Illustrator though.

In fairness, there's a LOT of online tutorials for learning techniques in all the popular design/illustration apps. It certainly wouldn't do any harm to get a head start.

johncmolyneux said:
In fairness, there's a LOT of online tutorials for learning techniques in all the popular design/illustration apps. It certainly wouldn't do any harm to get a head start.
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Of course that's what i plan on doing , study by my own till i start the program

You do not need to excel at drawing to study graphic art. You just need an eye for design and color; the rest can be learned at school. Having said that, talent is extremely important to find success as a graphic artist/designer.
Web design courses are usually included in graphic arts program, but you may also find exclusive web design programs. There’s one web design and development program at California College San Diego that trains graduates in both front-end design and back-end development of websites. Find more details on the link below:
cc-sd.edu/graphic-arts/bachelors/web-design-and-development

ralphak said:
You do not need to excel at drawing to study graphic art. You just need an eye for design and color; the rest can be learned at school. Having said that, talent is extremely important to find success as a graphic artist/designer.
Web design courses are usually included in graphic arts program, but you may also find exclusive web design programs. There’s one web design and development program at California College San Diego that trains graduates in both front-end design and back-end development of websites. Find more details on the link below:
cc-sd.edu/graphic-arts/bachelors/web-design-and-development
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good one
Now THIS is the example of not trying to pass the 10 post limit by spamming... Get that Noobs?

Related

Computer programmer

Just wondering if anyone on here is one.
Im really interested in become one but idk if I should go to a 4yr college
or a tech school (itt,devry etc..)
any advice?
university
A good well rounded university education is best if possible. Some start out and get a junior 2 year degree but make certain it's a match with the 4 year school you plan to get your BS degree. often it can take 5, 6 and even more years to finish. They give you projects with deadlines in a week. Computer Science requires much self-education so prepare to learn most things on your own. Programmers from Bill Gates and so on have made fortunes with their own initiative and creative spirit which one develops through intensive study and a drive to be creative much as an artist has. Programming is both a science and an art form.
Tone-E said:
Just wondering if anyone on here is one.
Im really interested in become one but idk if I should go to a 4yr college
or a tech school (itt,devry etc..)
any advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just don't buy a learn to program in 24hrs book
If you are to take that path, start programming before you enter college. I already programmed in a VB-like IDE for mobile devices a few years before I entered college and it saved my life. Since I already knew the basic concepts, I made it with nice grades while everyone struggled to understand our teacher.
Visual Basic might not be the best way to start, so I recommend a simple curly brace language like PHP (web-based, very permissive). If you already know HTML, you will love it.
Oh, and NEVER, EVER copy and paste code you don't understand. Take the time to grasp every function you use in your program/website. If possible, start from scratch and use 100% original code. It's the right way to innovate and make mistakes to learn from.
All the best!
-Another programming n00b
anarchyuk said:
Just don't buy a learn to program in 24hrs book
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I've found "For Dummies" books to be a great place to start and would have loved to know about it a few years ago. Heck I might have been a senior C++ or assembly programmer by now (jk)!
Hi,
I have to admit that I would start with VB.NET and then learn C/C++ eventually. Should have you covered for most platforms.
**** college. You can only learn to code by coding and reading - better prepare to spend a nice bit of hay at Amazon's.
I have a few recommended books here:
http://tamspalm.tamoggemon.com/category/hardware-reviews/book-reviews/
http://tamsppc.tamoggemon.com/category/reviews/hardware-reviews/books/
and also on the other sites.
Hows the salary?
To learn "Computer Science" you need to study at a college.
To "Program" all you need is interest and a logical mind.
I recommend Starting with C or Java, and then specializing in a niche area where you can get a lot of jobs. (For Ex: Android)
The salary is quite good when it comes to programming jobs if you can get hired at a place where your competences are valued.
how long did it take you to become a programmer and how is the work experience.
I'm not. I'm studying and slowly start to get web dev jobs. Work happens all at once and it's thrilling!
o thats cool did u go to a 4yr college or tech school?

question for experienced developers.

This thread is to all the wonderful developers out there.
I have been enjoying this site since my introduction to the smart phone world. Over the past few months, it has been very helpful with my cdma hero and lust for mods and roms. Now for the question...
What is the best way to learn the arts of software design, coding, and everything you all do on this site. I would like to learn all of this, but just don't know where or how to start.
Any and all advice would be appreciated.
Thanks a bunch.
(And I hope this is in the correct forum. Still a wet behind the ears noob. Lol)
cooking a rom
and programming a program
or making a theme / skin
are very different animals
maybe you should spc. what your ambitions are
because focusing on your interest will give you a short time to get somewhere
Rudegar said:
cooking a rom
and programming a program
or making a theme / skin
are very different animals
maybe you should spc. what your ambitions are
because focusing on your interest will give you a short time to get somewhere
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rudegar is correct. Focus on one topic/subject at a time, then start to read the guides on this. For example, if you are looking to cook your own rom, then there are guides/kitchens to help you
Thanks guys. I will look into the guides.
On another note. Lets say one wanted to get into the profession of designing software. Whats the best course for that? Traditional 4 year college?
nimcmillion said:
Thanks guys. I will look into the guides.
On another note. Lets say one wanted to get into the profession of designing software. Whats the best course for that? Traditional 4 year college?
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Also depends on what area you are looking at, i.e. whether you're looking at computer programming (source coding), software engineering, game designing etc
Plenty of courses at universities, tech's or even by reading up on source material and experimenting with basic programmes and apps for your mobile

App developed

I have what I think is a great idea for an app but no clue what to do with it. I'm by no means a programmer or even that great with computers. I've done some searching and there doesn't seem to be an app like this. Any help is greatly appreciated. From what someone told me on another forum it could be complicated. If your up for a challenge hit me up and I'll tell you the idea.
programmers don't program for free - so you'll need to offer some $$$ if you want to retain the copyright - in an ideal world. and if it's commercially viable, your idea will be taken and sold. simple as.
If a talented programmer wants to message me, we can talk numebers.
I need a developer to tell me what it would run to build this app.
Depending on what it does I might be able to help. PM me with the details and we can talk from there. The main reason I'm asking you to PM me is because, as I said, I might be able to help, I'm not a super-programmer but I do what I can.
you may want to also give a hint about what type of app it is - messaging, phone, map related etc. that way a programmer with those skills would be able to contact you. though really, most of the good ideas will have been done by now! maybe your idea hasn't for a reason
What platform is this app?
Also, are you sure there's not already an app that does what you're thinking?
Ok so what the hell. Here's the idea.
Everyone dreams of winning the lottery so how about an app where you've won the lottery. However you win doesn't matter because the fun starts after your "numbers" come up. Let's say you win 100 million. Now you get to start spending it. You could also invest. It either grows or dwindles. You could also have all kinds of marketing involved from Ferrari to Neiman Marcus anywhere people spend money. There should be options to buy houses in all kinds of locations. Maybe the background that shows your money status could be animated while the items you shop for are real. Like got to Realtor.com and buy a dream house. You can buy cars or give money to relatives. Anything you might do with your winnings.
I think it'd cool to see what people would do if they won the lottery. Maybe there is an option to take friends on vacation and buy them cars. It'd be interesting to see how fast the money goes. Say you bought a house and cars. Then a certain percentage of the purchase price would determine the upkeep of said houses or cars. So every month a percentage gets deducted from the winnings. Of courses taxes too since we all enjoy that. What do you think?
So there it is. Please don't steal my idea! Honor system people.
Its quite simple to program, really. Like most videogames, content is where it gets complicated. You have absolutely no game yet. You need to really pin down the design, how the game is ACTUALLY going to work; beyond your basic idea there. Then you'll have to design the interface, gather/generate the audiovisual content, adapt it, figure out licensing issues, etc. It goes on and on.
CptAJ said:
Its quite simple to program, really. Like most videogames, content is where it gets complicated. You have absolutely no game yet. You need to really pin down the design, how the game is ACTUALLY going to work; beyond your basic idea there. Then you'll have to design the interface, gather/generate the audiovisual content, adapt it, figure out licensing issues, etc. It goes on and on.
Click to expand...
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I'd actually like to learn
You can try freelancing portals like freelancer.com, elance or odesk...
CptAJ said:
Its quite simple to program, really. Like most videogames, content is where it gets complicated. You have absolutely no game yet. You need to really pin down the design, how the game is ACTUALLY going to work; beyond your basic idea there. Then you'll have to design the interface, gather/generate the audiovisual content, adapt it, figure out licensing issues, etc. It goes on and on.
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I tend to agree the idea is only a fraction of the battle... there are numerous ways you could put that idea into practice. Problem with a game is that if you want to mix it with the big boys and make mega bucks it is going to take forever to code and even more money to produce.
If you want to make it simple then you face the problem of people not being interested because of its simplicity. Games generally work best on a PC platform due to the extra screen space / processing power to deliver the graphics and deliver the rich content experience.
If you want to deliver it on a mobile device you will need to scale your expectations accordingly. Can you still get a decent game with limited screen space and HDD space? Hard to say, but it will take a talented programmer...
If you wanted to port a copy of that old classic “Street Rod” across to a mobile device I would be interested in a copy
The tutorial within android sdk page would be a good start point.
I figured it was way beyond my skill level. And you're right, the idea was the simple part it seems.

[APP] Space Weight

Space Weight, well as I am sure you're hurrying to rush to your favorite distant destination in the solar system, which is why this little auto-instant converter from LBS to Planet weight is of the utmost important thing to you.
With the help of Sir Issac Newton, your long-awaited dream is for WP7 Mango (work good on NoDo too).
You can now download Space Weight in the Marketplace, visit at: http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=8e386384-f33e-4b79-9749-2c4719e0ce0a.
*Sigh, some apps really need the touch of a graphics guy.
Lumic said:
*Sigh, some apps really need the touch of a graphics guy.
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Absolutely do but unfortunately Artists don't do free work. They don't realize if we don't get paid, hard for us to pay upfront for something a profit will never be rendered or even on soon to be paid apps, can't always pay upfront, which is why my kickstarter has a few big apps but need funding to hire artists/org for characters for games.
So, Photoshop tutorials and not following them and mixing is unfortunately how a lot of my Gfx are made. We have gfx artists that do our clients websites but to have side work, gets pricy. ;/
I'm probably going to look into doing something during the holidays break, I've never had Photoshop lessons but I can do basic graphics. If I get the motivation, I probably wouldn't mind thinking up a redesign for this app.
Lumic said:
I'm probably going to look into doing something during the holidays break, I've never had Photoshop lessons but I can do basic graphics. If I get the motivation, I probably wouldn't mind thinking up a redesign for this app.
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Anything you can come up with, would be greatly appreciated. Always nice to see what others would like things to be . You will of course be credited on anything provided and happy to share AD commission which is like pennies but they supposedly eventually add up, which I have yet to see but happy to share .

[Q] Self taught or not?

Just wondering how all you experienced developers on here started out. I know you have probably been asked many times before but I am genuinely interested.
I am by no means any sort of developer. I first came to this site about two years ago when I first learned of rooting. Prior to that I had no knowledge whatsoever of developing or programming.
However I cant keep off here. Is it something that can be self taught. I would really love to delve into this so that I can start to have a little input into what goes on here and even if its just testing at least I could maybe be of help to someone. I have picked up little bits on how things work but my main question is where would be a good place to start self teaching??? It is becoming somewhat of an interest for me.
Any pointers would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks
If it's apps your interested in then AdamOutler has recently done a great video/article combo which would get you started. Check the portal / youtube channel....
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....
I suppose anything really just to get a basic understanding to start with. I would love eventually to be able to create/modify custom roms ect, but yeah thanks for the pointer.
hammoliam said:
I suppose anything really just to get a basic understanding to start with. I would love eventually to be able to create/modify custom roms ect, but yeah thanks for the pointer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well for roms, check if your device is supported by Dsixdas kitchen, if so that's a great place to start tinkering...
If you want to really start making changes to things though your going to need to learn to code to some extent...
Read and search, read and search...
Good luck
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....
If you want a great beginning developer environment, wp7 is the easiest and most user friendly one to dive into.
I taught myself python with old boxed up books from the back rooms of my high school library. Didn't have a computer and did all my work on notebook paper. My first language. So, yeah, you can teach yourself anything.
I'm reading this right now.
http://www.amazon.com/Communications-Electronic-Warfare-Adrian-Graham/dp/0470688718
Has tons of practical applications.
Might get a kick out of what I'm reading right now:
Communications, Radar and Electronic Warfare
Frontiers in Antennas: Next Generation Design and Engineering
Advances in Cryptology 2011
Digital Forensics with Open Source Tools
Philosophy and Simulation: The Emergence of Synthetic Reason
boborone said:
I taught myself python with old boxed up books from the back rooms of my high school library. Didn't have a computer and did all my work on notebook paper. My first language. So, yeah, you can teach yourself anything.
I'm reading this right now.
http://www.amazon.com/Communications-Electronic-Warfare-Adrian-Graham/dp/0470688718
Has tons of practical applications.
Might get a kick out of what I'm reading right now:
Communications, Radar and Electronic Warfare
Frontiers in Antennas: Next Generation Design and Engineering
Advances in Cryptology 2011
Digital Forensics with Open Source Tools
Philosophy and Simulation: The Emergence of Synthetic Reason
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i'm done with the list and ready to take over local frequencies with my own propaganda. read, play good music on pirated radio
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Nowhere near an experienced developer, but with a couple of apps and a ROM WIP, the only thing that taught me was xda-tv
Learning to me is just when somebody puts a puzzle in front of you with no clues or guidelines. But you are surrounded by 50k people that you may ask questions (xda).
I just keep trying to solve the puzzle and if I really don't get something I just ask xda.
That's just how I learn. Its how I've always learn. Just dive into it and rip it apart. Think as logically as possible and listen to some cool dub step while doing so for extra learning points.
Sent from my Wildfire S A510e using xda premium

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