Gone are the days when websites were just a clump of text sprinkled with minimal, if any at all, formatting and images. A website was considered cutting-edge if it had a background image, moving graphics, and other elements of a website which, in today’s times, have become a necessity for increased publicity and page views. If today’s modern-day surfers were to see what the websites of several large companies like Lego or Pepsi were back in ’96, without Flash or JavaScript to prettify their websites, there’s a good chance that they would’ve just capped it off as some fake website made by a 9-year-old just learning how to make a one from geocities, whose free time was limited to only 30 minutes a day, right before bedtime.

Times have definitely changed. Internet speed has greatly improved, before it would take a page about 20 minutes just to load, whereas today that same page would just take about a good 5 seconds to do so. The same can be said for web content: website developers now have lots of choices on what and what not to put on their website. Because of that, there has been an increase in web-surfers’ demand for added pizzazz, sparkle, or bling on websites; plain text and images just won’t keep them happy anymore. So what do web designers do to cope with that demand? Of course; they feed it!

CSS, Flash, JavaScript, and HTML are some of the best-known and most-used web-building languages used for decorating websites. Once learned, they can help you in making your site a more attractive corner of the internet. Of course, to be able to utilize these languages, you need tools in which to input your commands. One of the simplest and easiest tools to use is the Notepad application, which allows you to code basic CSS and HTML along with other kinds of language. MS FrontPage, found on computers under Microsoft operating systems, may also be used to achieve certain things in HTML/XHTML/CSS that can’t be done on Notepad. There are also more complex applications which may require purchase, but are well worth it considering the things that you will be able to do with them. A good example of this is Adobe Photoshop. You need to pay for the serial code in order to use the application for an indefinite period of time, but with enough knowledge of how this program works, you can use it to create digital graphics that can be used for your website. Other programs that fall into this category are Adobe Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Macromedia Flash, and many more.

But what about for those who want to make websites, but don’t know any web-building language? The best thing to do would be to get somebody else to design your website for you, or to learn the language before making your site. If you lack resources and/or time to do so, there are also several programs that can aid you in your dilemma. Add-ons for other programs, such as Sitegrinder Photoshop, help the user by allowing him/her to do things on Photoshop that s/he would not be able to do if there was no plug-in. SiteGrinder makes use of your knowledge on Photoshop to create web pages without coding anything.

PSD2FLA, another plug-in, allows you to save your Photoshop projects in .fla file – making them openable in and editable in flash, and thus, saving you of the hassle of “cropping, export, import, repositioning, renaming, and teeth grinding for every single graphic”, as from the site proper.

Be it CSS or Flash, web designing has reached a new level. New methods are employed, new techniques are used. Are you ready to design for today’s websites, set at Web 2.0?

You thought your current layout was really awesome the last time you logged in to your blog, personal site, MySpace, what have you. But as you check your site again, you realize something’s off— it’s becoming old and terribly familiar. Ah, you’ve outgrown your layout.

A change of scenery is needed by everyone now and then.

Lucky for you, if you’re using blog publishing systems, or social networking sites that have their own HTML editors, perhaps even a WYSIWYG program, changing the design of your website is a mere matter of copy & pasting the right codes in the right places. Since these sites have their own set templates, the more graphic-savvy users of the site usually make their own designs, and at most times even share it with others, as long as they are credited back.

But what if the design you want is one that features a very, very obscure underground band which you are a big fan of? What if you want a layout that would proclaim your pet’s cuteness? Well, if what the Internet offers doesn’t satisfy you, you could always make your own. Especially if you’re the type to build up and manage web pages from scratch.

You could always hire a web or graphic designer to do the dirty work for you—but why miss out on the learning experience? HTML, CSS, JavaScript and designing tutorials are very much available in the World Wide Web. The Internet is a pretty big library of self-help books; it’s a matter of finding the time to read all of it.

The basic languages of web design are pretty easy to understand and utilize. A few self-study sessions will reward you with a web page made entirely in Notepad. Spend a few more hours on it and your well on your way to having a layout revamp every time you want. Pretty soon you’ll discover programs like Microsoft FrontPage, Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver. Photoshop, you’ll learn soon, is crucial in making your website look like a million dollars.

If you’re the lazy or no-time-to-spare type, however, there are certain tools to help you on your web designing crusade. An example of this would be SiteGrinder, a Photoshop plug-in which enables you to convert your creations into fully coded pages. This is immensely helpful for designers who enjoy the layout-creation process, but have a hard time when it comes to translating the layout into the web language. Other plug-ins and support programs offer different kinds of aids to make the layout-changing process easier and more efficient, some examples of which include: psd2fla, photocaster, etc. (Check those out when you’ve leveled-up in terms of design knowledge.)

Once you’ve graduated from HTML, CSS. XHTML, JavaScript, PHP and all that jazz, you can now move on to adding multimedia content to your site. This includes, but is not limited to, music, nifty mini-games, animated galleries, movies—whatever you want! The only thing that could probably limit you is your webhost space and bandwidth limit. Probably.