We have spent most of this semester learning about the technical tools necessary to actually code a website. This is of course, just part of the picture necessary for you to actually build a full website. This takes planning, and careful work split into unique stages.
In order for you to think about the process of building a website, please read the following sources, that each have a slightly different take on the process, from start to finish;
Please read:
Let the content drive the creation of your site. This is of course easier said, than realized. However, it is true, the content of the site, is the absolute, most important part of it.
Spend time building and developing your content. This includes; prose, titles, page names, images, tables, etc. Without great content, your site will not live to its full potential.
After developing the content, let the content dictate how it should be best presented. You of course will have to tweak the content a little bit, as this path becomes clear. This whole section is really saying that you should
Work from the content, with the content driving the process.
OK, so you have great content! But you still have no ideas?
That is ok, this is where you get to find inspiration and play.
One solution is to play with the content you have, rearrange it, move it around, see if a layout starts to emerge.
You also need to become a savage for viewing other people’s work. Go to websites and critically analyze them. What do you like and not like? Does the content reign supreme? How do the color palette and font choices work together? Is their responsive design successful? What kind of grid system, if any, are they using? Can you describe the layout or design? Can you assign the layout/design type to a specific category (i.e. drop, fluid, etc)?
You should also search out collections of sites.
You will get some ideas.