Software: Web Design

Under construction. June/July 2007. These glossary and software pages are a work in progress. Please understand that definitions are being added daily but will take time to finish.

Software for Web Design
By Tony Johansen  Director, East Sydney Academy of Art

Since I posted elsewhere advice for artists that not only did they need to have their own web site, but that they should learn how to do it for themselves it then caused people to ask me to make a list of software relevant to making web sites. It is indeed an area that seems to be very confusing for many people, and there are too many who think tthat it has to be difficult and expensive. That is just not true if you choose wisely. Therefore I will include in this list discussions of such basics as the pros and cons of various kinds of web sites so that you make more informed decisions, and also include the basics of such things as domain names and web hosting. So rather than just software this is a guide to successful web sites for artists. Good luck, and have fun doing it.

Software For Web Design

• Amaya
• Blogger
• CoffeeCup
  
• Composer   A free WYSIWYG editor embedded in the Netscape browser. It is an easy to use program that can do most things in regard to standard web design. It is my personal favorite web design tool because of its simplicity and then when i need to do something a little more sophisticated I switch to DreamWeaver or Flash depending on the case. Using Composer is an excellent way for the beginner to start creating their first web pages. Just download and install Netscape for Mac or PC here.
• Create
• DreamWeaver
• Expression Design  A program from MicroSoft that is unique in that it is vector based yet allows the creation of brush strokes and makes works that are hybrid vector and bitmap artworks. Although marketed as a web
  illustration and design tool it is suited to a wide range of artistic
  expression and can be regarded as the most artistically oriented of the
  various vector based programs.Microsoft is phasing out FrontPage in favor of Expression. Review of Expression here. Official web site here.
• Flash
• Freeway
• FrontPage
• GoLive
• iWeb
• MicroSoft Expression  See Expression Design
• MoveableType
• Nvu
• Swish
• TypePad