Well if you can upgrade to Photoshop CS3 or CS2, but thats not a HUGE deal.
I usually do research on other websites that are similar to what the client wants first. I also like to see what other blogs.websites in that are of business have done.
Then I usually just start laying out in Photoshop right away and playing around with the basic grid.
It's important to know what content will be on the site so you can plan the design around the content.
For example, for my blog I need to be able to fit 6 125x125 banners in a prominent location, a search box, and rss box and other things. So you need to know what the client is going to have on the site before you can start to design really.
|