This week I started the tedious job of learning to install and customize yet another content management system (CMS) … this time it is Impress, which I chose because it was named 2009’s Most Promising Open Source CMS by Packt Publishing. So far I like it a lot. The modules are easy to install. In fact, the entire CMS was easy to install (without Fantastico’s help) and instructions were clear enough that I could figure it out. That’s something, because I’m not a super-geek. I installed it at Perspectives on Writing and plan to keep working on it for the next few months. I’m in no hurry to launch the site. In fact, at this time (Nov. 2009) the design hasn’t been done - what’s there is a pre-installed theme. I did have one problem and requested help at the Impress site’s message forum. I got help very quickly, so I’d have to say support is available and efficient!

This month I’ve also been writing another novel… this is my other passion in life, besides webdesign. I’ve written eight novels with NaNoWriMo in the past; this is my ninth year. You’re welcome to check out my progress on my NaNoWriMo profile.

Last week I mentioned that I joined The V7 Network. This week I found a link there that answered a question about how to choose a webdesigner. This article, Choosing a Web Designer, gives plenty of qualifications and issues a prospective client should consider. Would you be the webdesigner a savvy client would hire? Could you become that most excellent webdesigner everyone would want in their corner? Consider these points as goals worth aiming toward.

Are you using Reddit? Through Twitter I found out there is a Reddit listing of open directories. I hadn’t been to my Reddit account in a couple years so I started looking around and discovered several Reddits about webdesign. A great place to share information and get feedback on the art of designing websites.

Have you designed business cards for your business yet? You might want to take a look at these very impressive examples: 100 (Really) Creative Business Cards.

Now I’ve got to get back to writing the novel. The CMS building activity will have to wait.

Revised and updated: How to Start a Webdesign Business

This is fun to browse through: Killer Startups - new sites reviewed daily…

Do you use WordPress for your designs? If so you might love this site: WP Scoop. While I was there I found this cool article: 18 Alterntive Ways to Use WordPress. I also like this WP Theme Building Cheat Sheet.

If you’re getting started in the webdesign business you’ll get a lot of help from joining an online community. I just joined The V7 Network and have been a member of the Women Designers Group mailing list for years. When you need help with a webdesign project - there it is!

I lost my job at a local business just over a year ago. With the recession and competition for jobs here in California, I’ve thought about returning to webdesign. That depends on whether I can sell that novel I recently finished revising for the sixth time. I’m submitting it to agents now. I see webdesign as ‘easy money’ in one respect, because lots of people need webdesigners… but not so easy when I consider the time I’d have to put into making it work.

In any case, I’m going to start redesigning this site. It will be an intense project as I don’t want to just toss something together… I’m looking forward to a project that expands my creative design skills and produces a truly unique web experience. How’s that for a goal?

We all need the inspiration of new web design ideas from time to time.

If you’re planning a career as a web designer you should start as soon as possible to collect your favorite designs to keep as inspiration. You could start a web design idea gallery as the owners of the following sites did, or just bookmark all the inspiring, beautiful, amazing sites you come across.

Here are twenty web design idea resources to inspire your creativity.

Patrick Haney has collected over 400 web design ideas on his Flickr account: Web Design Inspiration.

A Site A Day intends to give web designers one new inspirational site building idea daily:

Web Creme collects screen shots of inspiring web design ideas:

Web Design File has more than 650 inspirational web design ideas waiting for your perusal:

Only the best: Inspiration King focuses on quality over quantity:

Unmatched Style is a community blog acknowledging designs using CSS and web standards:

At CSS Clip you can submit your CSS site to the gallery and compete with other great web design artists of the internet:

Best Web Gallery defines quality design as “Visual + Technical + Creativity”:

The Best Designs features quality CSS and flash websites:

You’ll find plenty of web design ideas and inspiration at CSSremix:

I Love Blog Design specializes only in (guess what?) …blogs!

The CSS Zen Garden is perhaps one of the most inspiring places on the web:

CSS Mania! Be inspired!

CSS Revue isn’t in English but you don’t need to understand the language to appreciate the beautiful web design ideas.

Design Idol features beautiful CSS and flash sites:

MotionSpire provides a gallery for impressive 3D, 2D and multi-media:

Frequent updates: CSS Envy.

FantastiCSS - a gallery of fantastic CSS web design:

We Love WP - showcasing WordPress sites:

Inspiration Folder requests membership…

Wise use of color is an issue every professional webdesigner takes seriously. Each color means something, provokes a mood, and causes reactions. Not only that, the colors must work together well. They must not be too bright, or too depressing.

When I created my first site long ago I had a royal blue background with orange lettering. Do you think I got complaints about that? I sure did! Be careful what you put on your site if you expect people to read it. Nothing works quite so well as plain black lettering on white, though I sometimes vary the shade of the font so long as it remains pleasantly legible.

If you want to create a site that will be taken seriously and will look professional, you’ll soon learn that your best color is white. Lots of what we call ‘white space’ is appreciated by anyone who really wants to find information on your site. Look around you at what you see here. The green is an awesome highlight but the main color is white.

To maintain balance and ease the suffering of your site visitors, use no more than three colors, plus white. Fortunately there are lots of little software programs and websites that help webdesigners choose colors that work well together. The one I use is called Coffee Cup Color Schemer. You can download a trial version to use for 14 days.

Here are other color resources I’ve used while designing for the web:

Color Contrast Analyzer - a tool that checks foreground and background colors to determine if you’ll have good color visibility.

Visibone Webmaster’s Color Lab - online color chooser

Color Wizard - color matching utility

Color Wheel Pro - color theory in action - software

Color Impact - color schemes at the click of a button, software to buy

Color Scheme Tool - creates a variety of palettes

Pick a Peck of Palettes - article by Mary Carter, with samples

Color Associations - what colors mean

Color Symbolism - using color for meaning

Behr Paint Colors - color picker

Color Test Results - survey on readability of color combinations

Color Combinations - contrast and suggestions

Worqx Color Overview - the study of color theory