One of the perks of working in a marketing agency is being surrounded by people from all different fields within the marketing umbrella. We’re using this trove of talent to impart some of our knowledge out into the sea and share some of the lessons we’ve learned about our fields with you. Our Senior Developer, Shawn, is taking the helm on this one and is sharing the basics of web development. If video is more your style, you can head over to our IGTV and watch his episode of Wayfarer Wisdom by clicking here. If reading is more your style, however, proceed ahead!
Here at VSSL, we take our nautical terms very seriously, so to break down the basics of web development, we are going to use the metaphor of a boat as our point of reference. To do that, we are going to break it down into three different elements: the frame of the ship, the decorations, and the motor. Using these three elements, we are going to take a look at three key parts of web development. These are HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
HTML
On a boat, you have a hull, starboard, port, crow’s nest, etc. All of these things are the body of your boat. They are the basic framework that makes up the foundations of a boat. Without these pieces, you’d basically be a floating pile of wood out in the water. The same can be said for your website. The structure of your website is known as HTML. These scripts of code are what build the basic framework that you build your entire website off of. As with the boat analogy, without HTML, you’d be left with a bunch of ideas and random design elements, but no place to put them to make them come to life.
CSS
CSS is one of the more fun elements of web design depending on your interest in creativity. For a boat, this takes the form of all the decorative adornments that you would see to make it stand out. Think along the lines of a mermaid figurehead at the bow of a ship or the paint job and colorful flags that set each boat apart. In web development, this looks like CSS. CSS is any of the attention-grabbing details that help to set you apart from the competition. It helps you to stand out and embrace the creativity that your website is meant to represent. By using CSS, you’re able to integrate all of those personal design elements to show the personality of your website.
Javascript
This last element is one of the most important things to cover. For a boat, Javascript would look something like the motor or sails of your boat. These elements are necessary to make your boat work. These are the functional elements that bring everything together so your boat can sail. When designing a website, Javascript is the power behind your website. It helps to tie all the other elements together and take it from a work in progress to being a live, visitable website.
When you put all these things together, you’re left with both a functioning boat and a live website! Developing a website that captures all the creativity and functionality you’re searching for takes a skilled developer. Here at VSSL, we are more than willing to put our services to work to bring your web ideas to life. If this sounds like something we can help you with, head over to our Contact Us page and get in touch and we’ll create a modern website for your needs.