design issues

i, like a moron, voluenteered to make a website for an elementary school. i know how to do the technical stuff, and i can use photoshop proficiantly, but coming up with design ideas for the darn thing is kicking my ass.

the school is grades k - 12, colors are green and gold, the mascot is a dinosaur but it was yanked from clip art so i'll have to make my own logo for it

where do i start?

I have pretty much the same problem.
I'm makeing a site for a place where young people can hang out on the evenings.
So it should be "teen looking" but in the same time nice looking because parents will look at that site pretty much too.
Haven't really figured out how I'm going to make it either...
Have been thinking about a "round shaped corners design" if you know what I mean.
Makes it not too business looking but still a teen looking.
If you come up with some ideas I would love to hear them too

so far i've settled on a two frame setup. standard nav bar in left frame, body in right. the left frame has a pale green vert stripe bg, the right has nothing so far. at this point i'm kinda counting on the fact that the prinicpal has no idea how easy it is to make a website, and she'll like anything i put up there. that should hold for a couple of weeks till i get more ideas :-P

i have the same problem i know photoshop preatty good, and i can see a site and do all the effects and even get a better result than the one im looking at ofcourse i cant use it cause is someone elses work. The hardest part is getting a fresh idea and working through it to see your final layout.

i usually google for sites of the same topic, look at them for a bit, see what can be changed and improved, and then go to design a requested site.

That's a good idea, kranekick - but I hate it when clients say that they want a *wrestling* site - "just like *amazingwrestling*.com". Then you make something and they say "its not enough like *amazingwrestling*.com". You know?

tom