Visual Web Design Master-classes in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney - April 2009

This time, my itinerary is a little different. I'll be presenting three Visual Web Design Master-classes on the Web Directions Roadshow, starting first in Melbourne, then onto Canberra and finishing the week in Sydney. How do I feel at the prospect of taking my workshops to Australia? Pretty damn excited, that's how.

The last time I presented a CSS workshop in Sydney at Web Directions, I was humbled that almost 100 people turned out for the event. I had a blast and from the results of the feedback, my guests for the day enjoyed it as much as I did. I'm hoping that the dates in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney will be as well received.

So what will be different about this series of master-classes and if you have attended one of my workshops in the past, what will you learn this time around?

In this series of For A Beautiful Web Visual Design Master-classes, the focus will be on making the best design possible for the web. You will learn about ways to discover new ideas and the day will inspire you to find new, more creative ways of working. This master-class content is all new and I have never presented it before outside of the UK.

During the day you will learn new ways to find creative inspiration to make better designs, by looking outside of the web at architecture, photography and print and by opening your eyes to the things around you. You'll learn how being playful with design and bending and breaking the rules will take your designs in new and unexpected directions.

Visual Web Design Master-class presentation slides

Typography

95% of the information on the web is written language. It is only logical to say that a web designer should get good training in the main discipline of shaping written information, in other words: Typography.

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As typography is a key component of great design, you will learn how to improve your web typography through classic techniques. These include using the typographic scale, baseline grids and vertical rhythm (leading), the measure and how to enhance your web typography by using the correct characters and glyphs. You'll also learn how to create new web page layouts based on classic typography.

Visual Web Design Master-class presentation slides

Layout

You will learn how to use grids to improve your layouts, then how moving beyond common alignment grids to create your own unique grids based on architecture, comic books and paintings will make your designs distinctive. You will also see how combining ancient and modern layout techniques can lead to dramatic results.

These techniques will include how to use the Golden Section to create balanced designs and how golden and root rectangles will keep your design elements in perfect proportion. You will learn how symmetrical and asymmetrical grids can be combined to striking effect and how to utilize these grids for page layouts and interface elements. You will discover about how to place images and their captions into your designs in different and interesting new ways.

Visual Web Design Master-class presentation slides

Design details

Working on the fine details of your designs can be the most rewarding. You will learn about balance, line-work and texture and this master-class will teach you how to turn a good design into a great design by focussing on these details.

Web Visual Design Master-class presentation slides

This Visual Web Design Master-class is a fun, interactive day and I hope that you will enjoy the day as much as those that attended it in London last December did.

I can't wait to be bringing this master-class to Australia in April and if you are in either Melbourne, Canberra or Sydney I really hope to see you there.