Carly Langlois                                                                                               Wrt 351

Print Design vs. Web Design

The basic difference between print design and web design stems from the medium for which they are created. Print design created for a tangible medium, paper, and web design created for viewing pleasure on a computer screen. Their mediums demand different techniques for development, yet, both induce the cohesion between words and graphics.

Neilson and Williams navigate through these differences, both finding relevance through individual aspects of dissimilarities.

Neilson focuses on the difference of the mediums in that print lets your eyes wander throughout the page picking and choosing what you want to spend time looking at. Web design lets your hands explore by clicking and scrolling around the different pages. He compares the two forms of design by relating them to a human’s senses. He speaks of how it looks and feels to experience both mediums and what each of their perks are in that respect. He says that:

·         Dimensionality plays a roll in how both print and web design are created. The reader’s needs are different due to 2-dimensional print and 1 dimensional web pages. You can skip so much so quick on the web without having to ever see what you are missing.

·         Navigation is a benefit of print because page turning is “ultra-simple.”

·         Print can be astounding at a glance because you can take it all in with one peek at the page. But, web can use links to be user friendly. If you do not understand something or need more information on a subject you can usually click a link to get more information.

Both Neilson and Williams agree that:

·         Print has been around longer. Therefore, it is faster and more visually appealing.

·         Web introduces a user engagement and a world of information. It is newer, and therefore exciting.

Williams makes a few points that Neilson did not discuss. He gives all of the web advantages extensively up front and follows up with a single page of print advantages, avoiding all biased conclusions. He pointed out that:

·         Web publishing has a relatively low cost enabling a designer to work freely without the threat of money hanging over their head.

·         Revisions in print design all have to be corrected before the document is printed, in web design you can update text and pictures daily.

·         Web design allows for sound and animation. Print could never favor these options.

To summarize, both print and web design have their perks as well as their downfalls. They both give the designer an opportunity to be creative in different aspects. Neither is better than the other, they both just serve different functions.

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