Working Within Your Limitations

The Differences between Print and Web Design

A friend of mine, a print designer, hates web design. He complains that, “It’s too constricting.”

He’s right.

Designing for print and the web are very different. In general, print design is very precise. Every pica can be measured and every inch calculated. Web design, on the other hand, is ambiguous. On the web, your design could be seen differently depending on the computer you use. There are no fixed rules or set behaviors.

It’s very frustrating.

But don’t lose hope! If, as a web designer, you can embrace the limitations the web brings, you can take advantage of its benefits!

Here are some of the primary differences between designing for print and the web:

• Screen Resolution

Screen resolution is related to how many pixels can be fit on your computer monitor. In the past, the most common resolution was 800x600. Thankfully, this is slowly creeping up to 1024x768.

This may seem like a small concern, but to a web designer, it is everything.

If they design for a screen resolution that is too high, essential pieces of the design could be missing. This means that sites designed for a screen resolution of 1024x768, are cropped when viewed at a resolution of 800x600.

The issue then becomes, what resolution should a designer work with? The easy answer is, “Whatever the most commonly used resolution is.”

• Colors

Once the screen resolution bridge is crossed, we move on to color issues.

Did you know that PCs and Macs display colors differently? They do.

Somewhat thankfully, there is a palette of 216 colors, called the “color safe palette,” that allows web designers to use colors that display the same way on both systems.

For a print designer, however, with a palette of over 4 billion unique colors, switching to 216 colors can be quite a challenge.

If a designer is defiant and discards the 216 color palette, they open themselves to arbitrary color substitutions. In other words, the shade of gray that a designer wants may be replaced by a different shade when it is displayed on a PC or Mac.

• Gamma

Gamma, or brightness, also plays a role in a website’s appearance.

With print, gamma is consistent with the surrounding environment. However, it can vary greatly on a computer monitor, producing results such as designs that are too bright or too dark.

To correct this issue, every person surfing the web would have to calibrate their browser to the same standard. An impossibility to say the least.

• Typography

Typography, or the look of the text, is also a consideration.

Just like print design, web designers can use any font or text style they wish. However, they must consider if the font is installed on a web user’s computer.

If a web designer wants all the text on a web site to be written in the “Poor Richard” type face, they better hope every web visitor has that font installed on their computer.

If not, it will be substituted. More than likely, with a less than similar replacement.

• Compatibility

After screen resolution, color display, gamma, and typography are considered… compatibility jumps on the scene.

Compatibility relates to different browsers such as Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera, and others.

Each one interprets the code that makes a website, differently. One may place an image where a designer wishes… the other… may not be as accommodating.

In print, an element stays where you put it. On the web, it can move around depending on the browser it’s viewed in.

Yet another slight variance to consider.

• Javascript, Multimedia Plugins, Etc.

The last thing a web designer considers is javascript and various multimedia plugins. This is especially important to consider when using the Macromedia Flash plugin or using javascript for validation.

If the end user doesn’t have the needed plugin or have javascript enabled, all the work a web designer put into a site is lost.

Suffice to say, web designers have many things to consider before they can hail their work as a success. With a variety of variables, it’s amazing that they accomplish anything!

So the next time you meet with your web designer… give them a big hug. God knows they need it!

Brian Shoff http://www.shoffy.com Brian is an Internet marketing and technology consultant based in the York, Lancaster, and Harrisburg area of Pennsylvania. He specializes in helping small business unlock new opportunities for their business to gain new clients and improve overall business efficiency. Personal Blog: http://www.brianshoff.com