Am glad you take into consideration our opinions... sorry if I sounded a bit of a jerk.

Hey yah!

Am actually, I'm not a web designer and not so with graphics making but I can share you some of the things I know about web designing.

I had my on-the-job training about web designing here in our place last vacation.

There I found out that they're using Wordpress to create their web sites. You know it? Here's a link:
http://www.wordpress.org/

I did tried to make a site but unfortunately I did not continue because of the coding. Okay, about wordpress, just visit the site and look for their tutorials on how to use it.

wordpress is like blogging!

In wordpress, you can create your template or you can avail their free templates that is fully customizable.

And also, You need to study CSS and simple PHP, but as I mention these things are given. You can study their free templates on how they put CSS and PHP. I know you can because you already have your experience!

In word press, website making is made easier.

Just make your site simple and readable.

Visit this site http://jboy.kinabuhi.net/, this is made from wordpress.

See yah!

i gtg go now but i'm reserving this space for my comment later

@Oscar: It's ok, I just ignored the first comment haha.

@Soulrock: I know what Wordpress is, It's basically template stuff. But being a Web Design company, it doesn't even make sense to use that. I have to be able to make unique custom sites. Just about anyone can make a site from a template...

You've got a good attitude, you damn (drumming) monkey!

Your site, as it is, does sucketh, but your open attitude and the fact that you are just starting out with a strong desire to get it right (and avoid TEMPLATES) will do you good in the future!

I paid most of my rent during the 2000's doing small HTML websites (and some big ones). Thank heavens that is behind me and I now wallow in the obscurity and semi-poverty of being a photographer and music producer It takes time to find your groove... looking at what others have done, and if possible de-constructing them and seeing what really make their work tick will help a lot. You're still in school so you will have more ideas than craft at the beginning. Keep playing with your work, be open to new ideas and techniques, and you'll do fine.

And don't EVER use IMPACT font on a site again or I'll hunt you down and kill you with a dull spatula! (I'll use a sharp spatula if you ever use Papyrus! )

http://www.thedigitalpharaoh.com/

Okay - listen up peeps! If YOUR name has the word PHAROAH or PYRAMID or DESERT in it, you may consider my blessing on the Papyrus font. Other than that, you are dead designer meat.

Okay! That's just my share! Good luck MonkeeDrummer! I'm also a student and I'm still learning. And here in our place we're the most late I think when it comes to breakthrough!

At least you guys know what PHP and CSS is. I thought they were crime shows on TV!

Sorry Rein!!! I shan't use that font again! I perfer not to be murdered via kitchen utensil...

Scwid has a LOT of good points (as do a lot of others and I haven't read all the posts yet).

The big issue I have is the huge block-y text. It just ends up looking amateurish and not elegant. When I think of "Ultra Violet" I immediately think of techie and the movie (crappy movie but amazing visuals). Maybe you could draw some design inspiration from there?

WordPress is for blogging. It's a content management system But it's not the same as designing, and maintaining, your own website. True it can make a few things easier but it will also make a few things harder to do.

Completely agree Tofu. I wanted to use a "high-tech" font, but with the font limitations on the internet it makes it hard. If I use a cool font it won't show up on a good 90% of computers at least. There's numerous ways to "replace" all the words with pictures of words but then it takes too long to load, which is obviously not a problem I need.

First of all, NEVER USE IMPACT ON A WEBSITE!!! never use a font different from the standard fonts! (Arial,Tahoma,Verdana,Times,Georgia,Trebuchet)
Second i think you need to broaden your horizons a bit more, a black background with some purple text, that's not graphics it's lazyness, for inspiration visit websites as

http://www.bestcssdesign.com/
http://www.csszengarden.com/
http://www.unmatchedstyle.com/
http://www.webdesign-inspiration.com/

(just some results from google search)

great websites are great because there has been quite some work behind it! If it took 5 minutes to make it will show. Keep it simple and straight to the point, deliver your message with style, design keeping in mind the function and the purpose.

if you need tech references go here

http://www.w3schools.com/

in conclusion, if you're not able to, sometimes is better to pay a pro to do the graphics for you, it will pay off in the long term

cheers