While an increasing number of people choose to catch up with the news via the Internet, social media and blogs to get ideas and advice, there is still a demand for the printed branded printed materials. For example, business cards, books, magazines, notecards, invitations and even wallpaper are all printed materials. What business owners need to consider is the differences between designing for the web verses designing for print.
Differences Between Print and Online
If you consider the way you browse a company’s website, it is very different than how you would peruse their catalogue or brochure. On a website you would use a search bar for a shortcut to the exact item you are looking for. Your eye may be drawn to moving banners and pop-up images, but you only have 7 seconds to make your website visitors feel like they are in the right place. If you are using their catalogue, you might use the index to find the correct page and may be drawn to certain items depending on what is on the front cover. A website may be presented to you via a search engine while a catalogue may arrive through the mail.
A designer needs to bear in mind how the potential customer comes across the website or a catalogue and, in turn, how they can design each one to be as effective as possible. When designing for print, there is more control over how the images and text are presented – the exact size of text, font style and color in the images can be controlled and finely tuned.
Color can appear differently monitor-to-monitor, however, and people can zoom in and out on a website on a smart phone. In print, you can pre-decide where you want the reader’s eye drawn to and plan the layout accordingly. On the other hand, web design requires more strategic planning to get the viewer interested enough to stay on the web page and therefore more likely to make a purchase. Another huge difference between web design and print is the level of interactivity. On a website, people can leave instant feedback and easily ask questions while a printed communication is one-sided; you are just presenting the information.
For both print and web design, you need to ensure that everything is easy to read. You can typically use slightly smaller text for print. Web design requires a minimum of 12 or 14 point font, otherwise the viewer will struggle to read it which can be off-putting. Classic fonts are perhaps best for both physical print and web design as they are easier to read. Very few people will stay on a website that has used Comic Sans!
Do not take up unnecessary space. Always seek to look professional. Clever design is not always good. The general layout is important for both print and web design. A strong layout makes the first impression so this needs to be carefully planned and considered.
There are some similarities to designing for print and designing for web but a lot of differences, mainly in the reader’s experience so you should try to bear in mind how they are navigating it. How it is presented will maximum effectiveness. Don’t be afraid to use two separate designers for your print and web materials. Not every designer will be good at both types of styles.
Frank Golden formed his company Print Hut in 2006. After being made redundant, he took inspiration from a conversation in his local curry house about the incredibly high prices of menu printing. Frank’s ambition was to form a print company dedicated to supplying print at highly competitive rates. Frank’s experience and contacts in the print industry were instrumental in helping him realise his dream and he now runs a successful print solutions company, which outsources its printing to businesses nationwide. Learn more at http://www.printhut.co.uk/ or follow Frank on Twitter: @printhut
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