Hey,



This may sound like a really stupid question but I would like some opinions.

I have just recently started out making layouts in my spare time to gain some experience and for ideas have been looking around at an array of different sites to see how people do things differently.

After getting many ideas I am now thinking if I do “this or that” have I made use of the time I looked around for ideas? Or just copied someone else’s work?

Another would be if I saw a really well laid out site and after viewing the source laid out my design using the same <DIV> structure (removing all the CSS, images and content and redoing that from scratch) is that copying?

Thank you if you can shed any light on this for me.


P.S The smilies that are used on this board are they exclusive to an IPB forum? I have seen a few other sites using them. Are they freely available?

Andy

As long as you are not directly ripping off created content, you're fine... you can copy a style or a technique used on a site, that's fine, the problem comes when you start directly stealing images and content that you did not create.

You will know when you are doing something you shouldn't... if people are all saying it looks exactly like site so-and-so, then you're overstepping your boundaries

The smilies are free use, anyone can use them

Dan

I just get my ideas from http://www.cssdrive.com/ usually.

Obviously, getting a taste for a certain style of designing isn't 'copying'.

but if i was to layout everything the exact same or so similar someone said to me "That looks like this site i know" then i'd know i've gone too far!

Coming up with your own style is always tricky, but it's always the best way to go imo. But a little inspiration from various websites doesn't hurt from time to time