Okay…all design is subjective; however there are distinguishable differences between design for print and screen based design. Just like Roger Federer has dominated the world of tennis it would be fair to say he would take time to adapt and master another racket based sport like badminton. The point I’m trying to make is that understanding your medium is key; web design has its own set of consequences which are not always understood by those outside of the design community. In essence as a web designer you need to understand the implications of your actions. I don’t think it would be wrong to suggest that the web is more technical than print design and very much mixes science with art. So with more and more print designers migrating to the web (and also having made the transition myself several years ago) I will discuss some of the differences between the two disciplines as well as the pros and cons of what print design can bring to the web:

Approach
The approach of print designers has traditionally been more meticulous to that of their web cousins. The main reason for this is print design first began in the type foundries and print presses whereby even the smallest mistake could not be undone once the work had gone to press. This naturally meant an eagle eye for detail and multiple checks were fundamental for the print designer. The nature of web is pretty much the polar opposite of print. The web is a constantly evolving and changing medium. Mistakes are also easily rectified meaning that web designers have sometimes become sloppy in there eye for detail. So I think it would be fair to say printers bring strong fundamental graphic design values (grids, typography, typesetting, hierarchy etc) which could be migrated to the web and help it move forward. Current trends I see developing are actually leaning more towards print design than ever before. In the future I see my own approach being similar to that of newspapers and magazines as larger screens and new technologies are lending themselves to embrace this approach.

Content
An understanding of SEO is vital for a print designer to acquire…understanding the importance of keywords and techniques to optimise your site is something which cannot be ignored. Make sure your page titles and filenames are keyword relevant, use keyword relevant headings and sub headings, highlight your keyword / company name in bold, use keywords when naming your images…the list goes on and on. Print designers also need to understand that content is scanned rather than read on the web so techniques have to be used to catch the viewers eye (see my previous article “site content”) like quotations, headings, visual stimuli etc. Even if you don’t apply them, it is important to have an understanding of web rules like “fitting content above the fold” and keeping scrolling to a minimum. As I’ve always said…learn and understand the rules before you break them

Design control
Print Designers are used to being omnipotent in terms of their control over the design. However with the web you have to realise that your design will always look slightly different depending on what browser your design is viewed on or what screen resolution and brightness is being used by the viewer. One of the reasons fluid design layouts are becoming extinct is because web designers yearn more control over their designs, and with the influx of print designers this will continue to be a hallmark of many a website.

Fonts / Typography
Print designers are often frustrated by the lack of fonts available to web designers. To get around this there are techniques to use other fonts (i.e. Cufon and SIFR) but I would advise not jumping on this bandwagon without some thought. I’m from the same school of thought as Mark Bolton; web fonts were designed specifically for the web whereas the majority of other fonts were designed for print. So all I’m saying is that that handful of web fonts are there for a reason. I think the best way forward in terms of web fonts would be to have specifically designed fonts for the web rather than using existing print favourites.

Colour
Often colours and colour combinations that work well in print don’t work well on screen. Again print designers need to be aware that colours will look slightly different on each monitor. A good resource is kuler.com to see some useful web colour palettes.

Keeping up to speed with technology
The interactive nature of the web means that the designer needs to be grounded in web design technologies and also keep abreast of current trends. Keeping on top of trends is a skill in itself and there are a variety of techniques you can use to do this (which I will touch upon in a future article). Having an understanding of how technologies like jquery work is really important as these can really bring a design to life with interactivity or simply be used to fit more content onto a page (using show / hid techniques). Users now expect a more immersive / rich experience from the web so keeping on top of these technologies is essential.

A Final thought
So in conclusion I would say to any print designer looking to make the transition to web:

“Welcome on board Mr or Mrs print designer…you bring a vast array of graphic design principles which will stand you in good stead for the web…but just realise you will need to evolve as a designer…and this may take time. Immerse yourself in the web and above all be patient….once the penny drops your designs will flourish.”

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