How do you design your web pages?
huhtenberg: What works for me is this:(a) Routinely keep an eye open for nice website designs. If I see something I like, I take a screenshot and put a little note on it as not to forget what exactly I liked. So far I have about 70 shots, and this covers a lot of ground.(b) When sitting down to design the page/site, I'd pick the one that seems to fit the best and then start evolving it by changing elements that don't fit or that I don't like. This is purely subjective process, and it takes a while to converge to a stable point. All sketches are done in Photoshop, no HTML/CSS work at this point, none.(c) When I have a sketch, I show it to at least 3 people, usually my wife and friends, describe the project and what feelings the design should evoke. Then ask for an overall 3-second impression as well as what "sticks out" or doesn't look visually pleasing. You'd be surprised how much people actually like to critique when asked.(d) Fix stuff based on the feedback. Repeat (c), preferably with other set of people so that fresh eyes would look at it.Additionally, I frequently need to decide between multiple (smaller) options, like the fonts, sizes, minor color variations, etc. For these I put together a side by side comparison sketch and simply ask people to tell me their preferences.The feedback loop is helpful and incredibly important, because after first few sketches I cannot objectively evaluate design anymore and need fresh eyes to look at it.In short - do not hesitate to start off someone's work. It is an A-OK. Building a portfolio of inspiration pieces is a standard way of kick starting the design. Iterating over the design tend to evolve it quite dramatically and get you to a design that is uniquely your own.Secondly - if you are lacking the inspiration, have a look at sites like http://minimalsites.com, http://pattertap.com and similar.Thirdly - unless you do this professionally, it is a lengthy and sometimes tedious process. It takes me on average 4 to 6 weeks to decide on a general look and feel for the site.Lastly, here's a post on the subject written by a professional designer. Have a read, it gives a nice view into the process as employed by other people:http://siglerdesign.com/blog/article/jivesite_20_its_aliveSpecifically have a look at this photo and its title :)http://www.flickr.com/photos/chibbell/2415207558/in/set-7215...