Creating the site
This website has been created using an open source web authoring program called NVU. It can be found at: http://nvudev.com/index.php
The template that the site is based on was from Free Website Templates, which can be found at:
http://www.freewebsitetemplates.com/
The decision process
The decision to use NVU was based upon two things.
1. It is an open source application.
2. It is easy for beginners like myself to quickly understand and operate.
The decision to use a template was based upon the fact that being a beginner meant all sorts of interesting things could result from an effort to create a template. The template chosen is simple, was similar to the initial sketch of the page layout, and also uses CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), which was a major advantage. CSS is important because it minimizes file size, is easy to control and maintain consistency of design and layout, and also conforms to web standards.
The learning curve
Throughout the process of creating the webpage I've learnt quite a bit. Among other things - plan plan plan! Site design, layout, file names and media should be accounted for before the creation of a site. I've also learnt that the final result may differ from the original plan. There were a few alterations made during the construction process, mainly due to technical considerations and having only a theoretical knowledge of web design prior to starting the site. I've also discovered that naming files and keeping track of them is of vital importance if you want a website with a sound foundation. Certainly I've developed a healthy respect for all that information architects have to do in order to ensure a logical and well structured site that is able to be navigated easily and is useful to the site's clientele.