Lately I have been surfing around lots of sites looking at templates and trying to gain inspiration from an internet world that hosts such amazing talent and some rather dodgy tragedies. Over the next few weeks I am going to introduce some tools that I feel are starting points for anyone interested in web design.

Colour

Colour is this week's focus. Most people think colour is an easy and often overlooked part of any design.... But you'e wrong. Colour can be the deciding factor between a classy white sleek look and a luminous green personal blog disaster!! For those who may not have an eye for such trivial factors (i.e. backend developers) I have hand picked a couple of websites that basically do the job for you. Fool proof!

HTML Color Tool

SitePro Central has developed an HTML Color Code Combination Chooser which allows you to select colours schemes using monochromatic and complimentary options. It's a simple interactive tool that you can even place on your own website for free. Essential for getting a palette that even the best designers crave for.

Colors on the Web

Colors on the Web is THE site for anything rainbow themed. They have various indispensable tools that will help any budding designer, including the Color Wizard, Color Wheel and even Color Meanings. Now the only remaining question is-Why is British born Tim Berners-Lee (the man who invented the internet to you and me) insisting that in XHTML code we have to use the American spelling 'color' rather than 'colour'? Answers on a stamped addressed envelope please.

Plexus Design is about to be entered into the Top 100 Scottish websites Hall of Fame. This website logs the best of Scottish themed websites and orders them 1-100 according to the number of hits/visitors they get. I will probably never appear in the top 100 but it's fun trying.... and if I do then I promise to eat some Haggis to celebrate! Go to their website to find out what other 'Scotch' web sites are battling for the number one slot.

Well as you can imagine I got the surprise of my life today when I opened up Web Design Index 6 and my website was staring back at me! Web Design Index is a series of books "Giving an accurate overview of the state of the art in web design. These books offer examples of all conceivable forms and styles." It was only a few years ago I was inspired to do web design by this very book. Now I am chuffed to bits to be featured in it and even have a slot on the front cover! (see picture of front cover above) Although they have taken a screen shot of my old design it proves that even my old design was good enough to be featured along side some of the best contemporary websites in the world. I am truly humbled!

As promised my Major film, Tea for Two, has gone live on the website. See my Film page to view it. A special thanks to the guys over at 2xStream for hosting and encoding my video. They are specialists in web delivered video with over 6 years experience, making video on the web an easy, affordable reality.