Web design classes/programs in Chicago (schools, universities, living)

[SecretSender6000]

For years I’ve had an interest in doing web design. Now that I have the financial means to do so, I would like to take the necessary classes to get started. The problem is I don’t know where I should start or what to go for.

I’m not looking to do web design as a career. I’m currently in a career that I’m happy with, but I’m a highly creative person and my job is very technical in nature. I like it, but it doesn’t allow for things like splashes of color and creative writing. I would like to do web design as a freelance side job from home. I had a little taste of it years ago and I loved it. It’s the only thing I’ve found that satisfies my creative needs and allows me to blend two things I really love: art and writing.

The problem is I don’t know what my first steps should be to make it happen. Should I go for a second bachelors in web design? An associates? Do a certificate program? Or just take classes in the subjects I’m interested in? I would like to get started next year, preferably in the summer or fall, since that will give me enough time to investigate programs/options and put aside money for classes and equipment. If it helps, these are some of the subjects I’m interested in learning about:

Xhtml
Html
Dreamweaver
Photoshop
Illustrator
Flash

I would like to know if anyone here has any first hand experience taking classes, or earning a certificate/degree in web design at CCC or other Chicago area colleges and universities (no for-profit schools please). Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[richrf]

The problem you will run into is that most of the better designers and developers don't teach - they are actually doing it for a living. It is tough to find good teachers who know the craft well other than the very basics, which you can quickly learn from a book. My suggestion would be to go to some Meetup groups in Chicago for developers and designers and talk to those who are actually in the business about the best way to get into the business. Many of them are probably art students who took web design as elective courses, or computer majors who took additional classes in web development.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by SecretSender6000

For years I’ve had an interest in doing web design. Now that I have the financial means to do so, I would like to take the necessary classes to get started. The problem is I don’t know where I should start or what to go for.

I’m not looking to do web design as a career. I’m currently in a career that I’m happy with, but I’m a highly creative person and my job is very technical in nature. I like it, but it doesn’t allow for things like splashes of color and creative writing. I would like to do web design as a freelance side job from home. I had a little taste of it years ago and I loved it. It’s the only thing I’ve found that satisfies my creative needs and allows me to blend two things I really love: art and writing.

The problem is I don’t know what my first steps should be to make it happen. Should I go for a second bachelors in web design? An associates? Do a certificate program? Or just take classes in the subjects I’m interested in? I would like to get started next year, preferably in the summer or fall, since that will give me enough time to investigate programs/options and put aside money for classes and equipment. If it helps, these are some of the subjects I’m interested in learning about:

Xhtml
Html
Dreamweaver
Photoshop
Illustrator
Flash

I would like to know if anyone here has any first hand experience taking classes, or earning a certificate/degree in web design at CCC or other Chicago area colleges and universities (no for-profit schools please). Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I work for an interactive agency, but what richrf says is kind of right, but you can find people who know what they're doing. I found this doing a simple Google search. Looks like they're in Printer's Row/South Loop and offer a lot more than just Photoshop as the link shows below:

Adobe Photoshop Training Classes, Seminars and Online Workshops - Chicago, IL | Ascend Training

Just one thing, a lot of this stuff IS trial and error. As a software engineer who works at an interactive agency with some people who do this kind of stuff, although I wouldn't characterize HTML/CSS in the same field as software engineering, it's still true that getting good at these things takes a lot of trial and error like you see with learning computer programming, and doing "stupid" personal projects using it just to learn. Most people who do that kind of work still do it because they have the patience to do it and know that you aren't always going to get it right the first, second, or even third time you try.

One thing though if you want to learn webdesign, you're going to first know CSS, and second I would dabble in Javascript. If you are able to actually design something that looks good, you're even more marketable if you know how to put some things to life on the page or make it do what you want dynamically.


I will say one thing overlooked by some people is the Information Architecture piece of things. It is a good idea to have a good sense of how to "market" something on a webpage. i.e. if you had an e-commerce website like Amazon and you wanted 60% of people to click on something, how would you design it so it catches their attention without losing the overall theme of the page and without being an eye sore. Other stuff is things like how to use best practice and make a simple design. If you know all these things, you will be very marketable, or if you're doing it for your own business, you will make a much better website than if you didn't know this stuff already.

This is a good book I have about simplistic design:
http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Usable-.../dp/0321703545