The Difference Between Graphic Design & Web Design

Print and web design are two distinct experiences

, understanding this will help you see how a person can be a good designer at one and not so good at the other. Differences aside, it's also worth noting that web and print have similarities as much as they have differences. Here are some things to consider when transitioning from web design to print design or vise-versa.

Image quality

Image quality is also referred to as resolution. Resolution is measured in pixels. If you come across an image that is listed as "80ppi", what that means is that the particular image has 80 pixels per inch abbreviated as (ppi). Web images or images meant to be viewed on the computer screen are supposed to be lesser than 80ppi. Reason for this is that images exceeding 80ppi take a lot of time to load on the computer screen and may also appear distorted.

Image Files - JPEGs and GIFs

Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is a standard algorithm for the compression of digital images. The benefit of JPEG as an image compression technique is that it retains original image color and all the minute details found in pictures and graphics with plenty of color blends. JPEG supports the display of up to a million colors making it ideal for print work.

Graphics Interchange Format a.k.a (GIF) is a format commonly used in pages graphics compression, this is because GIF is supported by all major web browsers and has a color support of up to 256 colors, this includes transparent backgrounds. GIFS is the best image compression format for images with little color variation. This is what makes it the darling of computer screens.

You may have noticed that images saved in GIF normally appear grainy and single color saved using JPEG appear fuzzy. It important that you consider the type of image file you have before deciding on the type of format to use. GIF should be used with images having lower color variations while JPEG works best with images meant for the print media.

Fonts

Just like images fonts too differ between those meant for print and those destined for the web. Font selection for print design is a straightforward process because it is decided during the design process and you won't have to worry about a reader opening your brochure and not finding the proper fonts displayed.

The case is different for web design because you can never be sure that your fonts will render properly or not. Web fonts also differ based on the target browser, this means that your audience can only view similar font to you if it's resident in their computer. For example if you design a sexy website using Antimony Funk and none of your target viewers have it, then their browsers will find a substitute.

You can now see why it's important that you exercise caution as a web designer when it comes to web fonts. You web masterpiece will appear horrible when displayed on a computer without your fonts. As a rule of thumb, web designers are advised to be conservative in their choice of web fonts, some fonts that are considered safe include Helvetica, New Roman, Arial and Verdana. These fonts are universal and are properly rendered in most computers. Understanding the difference between print and web design will go a long way in ensuring that your efforts are not wasted.

by: Sammy Kirkland

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