Saturday, February 6, 2010

Print vs online design

Anything that is a great print design is likely to be a lousy web design. There are many differences between the two media that it is necessary to take different design approaches while designing for each of them.

However, the fundamentals on design remain the same. According to Parker, good design stems from a thorough knowledge of the building blocks of graphic design and specifying them appropriately, based on the format and function of an individual project.

Whether for print or website, it is essential to give attention on clarity, organization and simplicity rather than decorating with too many colours, pictures, word arts and so on. As Parker (1990, p. 118) puts it, clarity, organization and simplicity are as critical to design as they are to writing.

  • Print design is based on letting the eyes walk over the information, selectively looking at information objects and using spatial juxtaposition to make page elements enhance and explain each other.
  • Web design functions by letting the hands move the information (by scrolling or clicking); information relationships are expressed temporally as part of an interaction and user movement.

Although the design ancestry is same, there are many differences between print and web. From a layout point of view, websites differ to print publications in that there are so many different elements vying for the reader's attention. Where print basically offers text and pictures, online media combines print with graphics, hyperlinks, animations and music. Since the reader has to use a multitude of senses to absorb a website, most people will tell you that the Web is much more interesting when browsing, as there is a higher level of stimulation as compared to reading print publications.

Design for webpage should achieve a balance between its attractiveness (targeted look and feel with necessary design effects) and user friendliness (easy-to-use navigation and well laid-out easily readable content)—without entirely compromising on either of them.

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Reference:

Parker, RC 1990, Beginning observations, Looking good in print: a guide to basic design for desktop publishing, 2nd edn, Ventara Press, Chapel Hill NC.

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