Getting Back Into the Game
Back in 2003 I was great at web design, the Photoshop tricks I could do back then were still considered cool and the way I coded layouts were considered modern. However, somewhere along the line I lost my way between periods of inactivity. Web 2.0 was a pretty distant concept and I avoided using CSS for layout like the plague. As the Web 2.0 concept developed further, I got left behind and gave up.
It came to a point when I stopped creating own layouts and websites and instead only used free templates on pre-made CMS systems and it wasn’t until recently that I begun to regain my confidence in web design.
Getting Back Into Design
I have long been a fan of the Coupon Source logo, and always wondered how it was done. It looked so good and it’s not so easy to see how it was done. I think I might have admired it for a year, until one day last week I finally decided to learn how it was made. So I looked at it, analyzed it and after a while it finally snapped. I thought of a way that something like that could be made. Below is how mine turned out.
I’m very proud of it, but the technique doesn’t work as well for this font, if anyone could tell me what font Coupon Source uses for the header or at least suggest a similar one I would be grateful! 
Winning a Graphic Design Contest
After creating the awesome graphic, I decided, with my newly gained confidence, to enter a design contest on Digital Point. Low and behold, I get a PM after two days saying that I have won, an unexpected but welcomed $25 found its way into my PayPal account. I recommend you to participate in the DP contest forum to practice your graphics skills. Who knows, if you get lucky you might even receive some money for it. 
I’m Going to Learn CSS
Winning the graphic design contest gave an additional boost to my confidence, after which I was motivated to finally learn how to code layouts in CSS and catch up with the rest. If you want to start learning CSS, I recommend CSS Basics. It’s great and easy to follow!
June 7th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
I know what you mean man. I totally fell off the wagon at some point. I remember in high school I was whippin up sites left and right just for fun. Now I’m still battling with creating a grid layout without tables. It’s very hard to stay up with this stuff if you aren’t immersed in it all the time.
June 7th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Awesome, I have plenty of work for you to practice on.
June 8th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
I’m not sure that qualified as a request
June 9th, 2007 at 5:49 am
Learning CSS is a great choice. It’s becoming more and more important for consistent web design, increasing site performance, and optimizing for various platforms.