Learn Green Website Design and Development
Join us for an insightful live session with Green Web Design Course, a leading platform for sustainable website development education. This event will provide an overview of the Green Web Design mission, vision, and offerings, followed by an interactive Q&A session.
About the Green Web Design Course: Erase the guilt and the shame. Green web design is possible for every designer. Learn everything from the impact of the web on the planet to how to optimize all the details on a site. With seven modules, the curriculum gives a well-rounded look at what green web design is, why it’s important, and how to implement it in your work and marketing.
Their Impact: With seven fluff-free modules, the curriculum gives a bullshit-free look at all the ins and outs of what green web design is, why it’s important, and how to implement it in your work and marketing.
Here are some of the key topics covered in the course, an in-depth discussion will take place during the event.
Green web design is good web design.
The Green Web Design Course aims at getting back to basics without sacrificing modern design. And without needing to know a lick of code!
Green web design should not be a unique biz selling point. Every web designer should be a green web designer. For the sake of the planet and the people that live on it.
1. Intro to Green Web Design
What the heck is green web design and why is it important? We take a look at how green web design touches the physical world, and take a brief look at the history of the Internet and web design in all its glory.
We’ll define Green Web Design and clear up myths you may have heard about the Internet’s impact.
Next, take a dive through history to learn how we got here (remember Flash? Yeah, neither do I). And we’ll discuss what we can take away from the past as we head into the future.
2. Content & Organization
Website strategy begins. There are a ton of moving pieces to consider before you decide on a builder, a host, and an aesthetic. Strategy is the foundation of all design.
We’ll talk through site mapping, choosing content, and developing page structure. If you’ve been designing websites for a while, you might feel tempted to skip this unit. But stick around – ’cause we’ll be doing it all through a sustainable lens.
3. Before you Build
Strategy’s done, but there’s still a lot of work that goes into a website before a lick of code touches web browser. We’ll go through how to choose the right website builder for your project. Yes, even Squarespace can be a good choice – and no need to shamefully use it, either!
If you’re using a platform like WordPress that doesn’t have its own hosting, you’ll also need a web host. You’ll learn how to pick that, too.
How are the most popular website builders shaping up in the sustainability front? What’s Shopify doing to help the planet? Or Show It? We’ll find out!
And finally, we’ll conclude with an overview of some of the tools you’ll be using in the units to follow.
4. Images & Video
Here comes the nitty gritty step-by-step how-to videos. This is where rubber meets the information highway and you’ll start seeing tangible impact through grams of CO2.
We’ll talk through different image file types, how to size them, and then how to save them through different programs. Next up, video: how to know whether to include them or not, their file types, and how to optimize them.
5. Fonts, Code, & More
While images and video are flashy and a quick way to reduce your impact, fonts, code and plug-ins also contribute to a website’s carbon footprint.
We’ll cover how to choose fonts for your site and then how to implement them. Then we’ll take a quick detour into code to talk through what you need to know and what’s not worth the effort.
And finally, plug-ins – those so-called magic bullets of solutions. Some are definitely worth the hype but a lot are nothing more than a good marketing strategy. And while we can’t get into every single one out there, you’ll get an overview into knowing how to tell a legit plug-in from a poser.
6. Accessibility & Designing for People
If you want to make a greener, radder website, you gotta account for the people visiting it.
Talking accessibility can make people freeze up and panic. It’s a huge topic! And while this course can’t teach you all things accessibility, it will help you get your website on the right track for design and usability.
We’ll talk about how to design for those with disabilities and for those without access to the infrastructure needed to access the fanciest of sites.
7. Marketing + Beyond
By this point, you’ll have all the tools you need to get through the technical sides of a website. But, your work doesn’t start and end with the design. There’s marketing effort before (and after) and upkeep.
Websites are kinda like living things. Do you want to help maintain it or is that not for you? If you killed your Tamagotchi back in the day, that might be a good indicator of the direction you should take.
We look forward to seeing you at the event and diving into the world of green web design together.
Amy Greenwald is a green graphic and web designer focused on uplifting the do-gooders and making the world a better, kinder, more just place to live. She’s passionate about saving the planet and is helping to pioneer the green web design revolution. With everything, she leads with compassion and wears her heart, and weirdness, on her sleeve.
This event is in partnership with: