on your way. Inkscape is a vector-based drawing program, very similar to Adobe® Illus-
trator®. It’s useful to create logos and various other graphics that will be incorporated
into your site and other marketing and promotional materials for that matter.
Once you’ve settled on the design, it’s time to start turning it into a Website. Before
you start coding, the design is normally sliced up into smaller images that are then
stitched back together with HTML and CSS. CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets.
Style sheets define the look, or presentation, of a site. HTML defines the content and
structure of the site.
Many hosting companies include some type of online HTML editor in their hosting
packages and there are several open-source ones available for download off the Web.
PageBreeze, CoffeeCup and Amaya are some examples. These are WYSIWYG editors or
“What You See Is What You Get.” This type of visual editor make the process much eas-
ier and lightens the amount of HTML you’ll need to know. But, knowing it is still a good
idea when troubleshooting time rolls around.
If hiring a freelancer Web designer or firm makes more sense for your situation and
pocketbook, they often bring with them some valuable insights. First and foremost is that
they’re not you. They’re not a band member. Heck, they may not even be a fan. That
means their viewpoint is more objective since they’re not as close to things. Plus, they
know the ropes when it comes to not only Web design, but also the background research,
SEO and tools and techniques to get the most out of your site. Well, providing, of course,
that they’re good at what they do.
Joe Deninzon of the band, Stratospheerius, hired a pro for the Stratospheerius site. He
said, “I hired a professional web designer. We live in the DYI age, but I’d rather hire