Where to start in graphical design of your site?

[pntglobal]

Hi there, new to the forum..and i got a few questions hoping for some advice..

I'm new to designers websites but not design in general..

I'm having issues trying to get everything to feel good on the eyes...my website is fairly dark, and has about 6 images on the main page, and having a hard time, between the images, text and background so your eyes arent killing you.

Are there any suggestions of where exactly is best to start and to work out from there? Maybe a logo and build the rest from there? As is I just kinda flew at it, with layers here and there but as i added elements another area would look out, so id have to adjust and then adjust and so on and so on, now my eyes hurt...

[Ducani]

Many people say the logo should come first but I personally like to build the structure of the site with the colors I believe it should have then I work the logo into it. That maybe working backwards but it works for me.

[Kato]

With the logo i think it depends. I agree with Ducani I like to build the structure first then work on a logo to go with it but if there is already a made logo make sure the site flows with the logo first.

Also it's never a bad idea to create a quick mock-up of what your looking for instead of just flying right into the design. I find when I do this i end up scrapping the idea anyways.

[TYPELiFE]

Focus on usability, and interactivity.

Try some lighter colors, and brighter graphics.

Many great websites use simple text as their logo! You need to offer a reason for the user to stay.

[BigAlReturns]

For layout I always start with a pen and paper, and sketch out a few ideas, then mock up my favourites quickly in an image editor. After looking at the ones on screen, and getting a few other opinions I'll go with one and get a full mock up, then get to coding it. If you want comments on mock ups, then feel free to post them here, no-one's going to be mean about them, and a second opinion is always a good idea. For picking colours, I hate to say that I'm perhaps a bit of a thief! Being semi-colour-blind, things which look good to me look rubbish to others, so I find other sites who's colour schemes I like, and adapt them to fit my purpose. ColorPicker plugin for FireFox is great, as you can click a colour on a page and it will tell you what the hex code for that colour is!
As to going with site first vs. logo first, it depends on the situation. You might have just paid $1000 for a killer logo design, then you're probably going to stick with it and make the site work around it. Apart from this though, I usually like to make a functional and attractive site first, then look for a logo that fits nicely into it.

[famousartguy]

Yes most people would say the logo, because that is the focus of the company. Meaning you want the logo, colors, etc. to resinate from that. However, if your just building a website and not focused on market the "company" but your site -- then I would concentrate on theoverall feel and user ability to access information on your site.