Building a Website from Start to Finish with No Code (Part 1)

Hey there, design enthusiasts! Welcome to another exciting monthly no-code design challenge here at Editor X Live Learning. We're all about helping you take your design skills to the next level, and what better way to do that than with practical, hands-on challenges? In this series of blog posts, we'll be working together to create a stunning, fully-functional creative agency website using the powerful Editor X platform. And the best part? You *won't* need any coding skills to achieve professional, dazzling results.

As a quick intro, my name is Brad Hussey, and I'm a web designer. I'm here to guide you through this project step-by-step, making the entire process not only easy but truly enjoyable. What's more, we'll be taking inspiration from the creative brief available at Frontendmentor.io, to give you an authentic client experience. So without further ado, let's dive into transforming a beautiful Figma mockup into a live, dynamic website!

Source of Inspiration

Frontendmentor.io offers a vast range of challenges you can use to practice and perfect your design skills — many of which are completely free. For this project, we'll be working on the Creative Agency Single Page Site design.

!Creative Agency Single Page Site Design

To access the brief and download the starter files, you must be a premium Frontend Mentor member. However, if you're not ready to commit yet, you can always browse their collection of free challenges and follow along with your chosen design.

Previewing the Design and Planning the Project

Now that we have our design in hand, it's time to break it down and analyze its components before diving into Editor X. This approach will help us understand the structure of the site and identify any potential issues early on.

First, let's review the creative brief. Our goal is to build a responsive, single-page site for a creative agency that showcases their work and encourages potential clients to get in touch. The design includes a bold and eye-catching hero section, various content sections, and a clean, user-friendly layout.

Armed with this knowledge, we can now move onto mapping out the website components, such as navigation menus, sections, and text blocks. This will become our blueprint for building the site in Editor X.

Turning the Figma Mockup into a Real Website with Editor X

What sets Editor X apart from other website builders is its powerful capabilities for pro designers and agencies to create modern, responsive, and dynamic websites without hiring a developer. The platform is designed to be user-friendly yet sufficiently versatile to meet the demands of seasoned designers. Ready to get started? Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Getting Familiar with Editor X

If you're new to Editor X, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the interface, tools, and features. You'll find the menu on the left side, with access to the components library, as well as style and layout settings. You can also access the right-click context menu for even more options.

2. Creating the Structure

Using the grid system in Editor X, divide your site into sections and rows to establish its structure. You’ll find it helpful to refer to the blueprint you sketched earlier. As you create sections, you can add names and IDs, making it more organized and easier to navigate.

3. Designing the Sections

With sections defined, it’s time to add the content. Use the components library to incorporate elements such as text, images, buttons, and more. Customize the styles, colors, and fonts to match your target design, and don't forget to preview your work on different device breakpoints to ensure it’s responsive and optimized for all screen sizes.

4. Connecting Dynamic Content

Give your site a touch of interactivity by connecting dynamic content like blog posts, product listings, or event calendars. Editor X provides a built-in content management system (CMS), or you can integrate external apps and services for more functionality.

5. Refining and Quality Checking

To create a pixel-perfect site, it’s crucial to double-check your design and site functions. Be your own QA team: test your site on different devices, browsers, and resolutions to ensure seamless, smooth performance.

Ready for the Next Challenge?

You've now reached the end of part one of our website-building journey! By following these steps, you'll have successfully created and polished the basic structure for our creative agency website. In the next part, we'll dive deeper into the design, refinement, and optimization process.

We invite you to join our Editor X Live Learning community of passionate, talented no-code designers who are eager to learn, share, and grow their design businesses. Take part in our engaging monthly challenges for a chance to win amazing prizes, and surround yourself with motivated fellow designers on their paths to career success.

Happy designing, and see you in the next part of our series!