Posts: 10,816
Name: Steven Bradley
Location: Boulder, Colorado
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I'm not entirely sure what you're asking, but I think the idea is what do you need to purchase to be a web designer.
There's very little you really need. I use Photoshop for image work, HTML Kit as a code editor and for light FTP, and Filezilla for the bigger FTP jobs. I have Flash and an old version of Illustator, but never use either.
Java is a programming language. So is JavaScript if that's what you meant. Two different languages. You don't buy either. You just have to learn them. You'll want to learn HTML and CSS first though.
As for a scanner it's up to you. It's not necessary, but it can help. All a scanner will do is convert printed materials to a digital format. So if you want to use an image you only have on paper then you would want a scanner. So far I've used mine exactly never. I only just purchased one a couple months ago. I've managed to get through several years using only digital files. I think the scanner will come in handy and I imagine once I start using it more I'll be very happy I got it, but I wouldn't say it's necessary.
Most of the tools you need to be a web designer can be found for free. I'd say the only essentials are something to work on images. The Gimp is a free alternative to Photoshop if money is truly an issue.
Flash is far from necessary and it's probably misused online more than it's used well. You'll only need it if you expect to work with it a lot. Illustrator is for vector images which you might want to use. The vector tools in Photoshop are enough for me, but they are limited.
Before you go out and invest in a lot of software decide what you want to do with the tools. The most important tool you'll use is your own brain. The software won't make you a better designer. |
