It’s no longer acceptable in today’s economy to be a graphic designer without your own website, or the knowledge of how to build one. I’m not talking about using free services such as Carbonmade, Behance, or free content management systems such as Index Exhibit and CMS Made Easy. You need to show your ability to understand and manipulate HTML5 and CSS.
For those of you who haven’t taken any web design/programming class yet here are a couple of online hosts for you to start with. Both Cargo and Virb have the ability to help you at any stage in your skill set. For those who don’t know any HTML/CSS will be able to slightly customize existing templates. As you get more comfortable with CSS you can really make these templates your own. Once you are a wiz at HTML/CSS you can build your own templates. These services grow with you!
If you are comfortable with HTML/CSS and are ready to host, code and design your own website there are a zillion hosting companies out there for you to choose from. There are two I recommend. BlueHost and DreamHost. Both offer similar services, a free domain name with your hosting plan, but if you are a student at Columbia College Chicago BlueHost offers a 50% discount. You just need to follow the link below.
BlueHost: $60 a year (Columbia Student Pricing)
DreamHost: $108 a year