Hi,
I am currently running my website on WordPress. I want to do customization in the design of my website. But I have not basic knowledge of Web Design.
I am currently looking for some best online courses for Web Design on Udemy. To start learning Web Design, could you guys help me to answer my some questions.
There are no definitive answers to your questions since the answers will depend on the preferences and opinions of those answering your questions.
The answers also depend on what kind of web design you have in mind. You mentioned WordPress, and people do design websites within WordPress, but those designs are limited to the capabilities of WordPress and whatever WordPress theme is being used. Going deeper than that requires knowledge of how to work directly with the underlying template code.
It’s also possible to design websites using online tools that require no (or very little knowledge) of any coding, but doing it this way will limit you to whatever those online tools allow and are capable of doing.
Website design has gotten so complicated that most people involved with it specialize in a particular aspect of it. For example, there are people who specialize in just the interface and who mostly hand off their mockups to others who specialize in the front-end coding and who, in turn, hand off their coded front ends to the back-end developers who write the scripts that glue all the pieces together and connect it to the database holding the structured information. That process could be broken down even further into people who specialize in user experience design or framework development or specific scripting languages or content management systems.
Personally, my favorite web design tool is a code editor and a browser, but not too many people would give you that answer. It really does depend on what you want to do and where your aptitudes lie.
So going only on what you said, you seem to be interested in customizing Wordpress themes. If so, you’ll need to learn the underlying way Wordpress works and how to work directly with Wordpress templates or themes. Unless you have other people working with you who know these things, this requires working directly with HTML and CSS at the bare minimum. It also requires some knowledge of how the underlying scripting language, PHP, works and how Javascript can be used to control various aspects of the website beyond what can be accomplished in HTML and CSS alone.
Then again, maybe your interests are limited to just designing the user interfaces and working with someone else who handles the majority of the coding. If so, some of the most popular tools used to design interfaces are Sketch, Figma, Zeplin, Adobe XD, InVision and even good old Photoshop, among others. What tools are best really depends on the situation and whether you’re working alone or within a team.
You have shared detailed information with me regarding Web Design. I am familiar with code editor tool, but i personally never use it. As my coupon website CouponGot-com is designed with a ready-made Clipper theme. So i need some advance web designing skills to do customization in current theme. I will also have a look on all these tools like ketch, Figma, Zeplin, Adobe XD, InVision, old Photoshop.
Modifying the code in a Wordpress theme is complicated and requires at least an intermediate understanding of HTML and CSS. A basic understanding of how PHP interacts with the theme will also be needed since the files contain PHP that’s interspersed with the HTML/CSS. Depending on the theme, a working knowledge of Javascript might also be necessary. You’ll also need to learn how Wordpress works behind the scenes and how the miscellaneous files come together to create a web page.
Here’s a start: https://thethemefoundry.com/blog/edit-wordpress-theme-html/
There are some wordpress themes that are a little more “WYSIWYG”, but HTML and CSS knowledge always helps. I know that Divi and Avada are two fairly popular “easy to use” themes that may help.
Hi Craig B,
Thanks to share another tools Divi and Avada. I will take a look on these both tools.
Best tools for web designing that will help you to enhance your web designing.
Are you a shill for Canva?
Seems like every list you make includes it, no matter how inappropriate.
canva and adobe, best ever yet
Wordpress and canva is the best tool for web designing.
Nope!
Wordpress isn’t a design tool at all. It’s a content management system.
Canva is an online drag and drop tool for amateurs to create passable work without hiring a professional designer.
I’ve given up on any post that references Canva.
Can’t be bothered anymore.
Well, maybe except to make snide comments. 
Hi Haimen,
Welcome to this forum. Please add a little more info as to what kind of website you want to design. There are multiple designs, trends, and tools for Web Design that can’t be explained in a single sentence. However, here I mention some of the tools that I personally use.
I feel like the forum is being punked.
Yes. This is very frustrating. Matters of opinion are one thing, but there’s a dividing line somewhere between legitimate differences of opinion and opinions stemming from ignorance.
Wordpress is no more of a design tool than Spotify or a compact disc are music creation tools.
Canva is to graphic design what a paint by numbers set is to painting.
CraigB, I’ve felt that way for some time now.
This right here tells you all you need to know about Canva and what a crap bill of goods they are selling. Try to trademark any of that, let alone print it.
Just gotta say that we reject any pdfs for print created in Canva. It’s a pile of puke that someone swallowed, then puked back up again, and served to a printer.
Please stop using Canva for professional printing.
That is all.
Oh, Canva would be VERY happy to do your “professional” printing for you.
I really don’t care all that much. Like the crowdsourcing industry, people that are happy with that crap are perfectly welcome to use it.
Well, the topic seemed good anyway.
So here’s my situation. I built my first website in 1997 using the tools built into Netscape Navigator along with raw HTML. I got better as I went along, then found Adobe Dreamweaver, with which I’ve had a long love/hate with for many years. I don’t build websites for a living, but I do manage several and do the basic design. I’ve been frustrated with DW because it’s not really WYSIWYG, it’s more like What You See…and then what happens…is different. I still edit html code, but I’m not up to CSS really. I HATE Wordpress, it’s like tying both hands and both legs behind your back and letting somebody else design your site exactly like 10K others, plus open up the security gate to everyone. So, not doing Wordpress.
I’ve looked at the tools listed here, they are not intuitive to me at all, and some are just useless.
I use Photoshop every day as an advanced user, and have been using PS since 1992. That one, I’ve got figured. Hate the HTML tools that were in it, but they did get a photo album up quickly. I also use QuarkXpress, have for 20+ years, though I don’t consider myself a pro by any means, it’s just familiar. So I’ve got photos and graphic editing down, and understand printed page layout, with basic HTML thrown it. That’s me, that’s all I got.
Our sites do make money, they are for our own small businesses. I have hired a web designer, but don’t want to deal with one every few weeks. I need to make my own updates and modifications first hand, and quickly.
So my question would be, to the pros (that’s people making a living at web design), what do YOU use, and why? And what app could I get that is like Dreamweaver, but that actually works?
Please, no template-based tools. Ideally, I’d like to open an existing HTML page and make changes, since I have thousands of existing pages. Visual editing would be easiest, provided it’s intuitive.
Thanks, all.
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