Designing For Online vs. Print

Considerations of design for a printed piece are different from those for an online one. What needs considering firstly is layout and this has been established by Parker (2003) who states that single columns are not appropriate for documents intended for onscreen reading. Nielsen (1999) points out that ‘print design is 2-dimensional, with much attention paid to layout’. To the contrary, Web design is ‘1-dimensional and N-dimensional’ with up-and-down scrolling experience for the users.

The treatment of type is another area that differs between online and print design. For example, the use of HTML text in web has to limit the placement of type by separating the page elements from the HTML texts. In contrast, on a printed page, designers have freedom to use layout, spacing, font type, etc. This is clarified by Lynch and Horton (2002) who point out that ‘each line of text, each headline, each unique font and type style is re-created by a complex interaction of the Web browser, the Web server, and the operating system of the reader’s computer’.

The pages in these figures are good examples of the differences of online and print design that are derived from the same source, but published in different genres.


The Web page: The Jakarta Post (Indonesian newspaper)


The print page: The Jakarta Post (Indonesian newspaper)

It is clearly seen on the printed page, the typography can be fully integrated with the other elements. In contrast, this is impossible with the typography on the website.

However, the differences between online and print design must be appreciated by making use of the strengths and underrating the weaknesses. As clarified by Nielsen (1999):

1. Print design is based on letting the eyes walk over the information, selectively looking at information objects and using spatial juxtaposition to make page elements enhance and explain each other.
2. Web design functions by letting the hands move the information (by scrolling or clicking); information relationships are expressed temporally as part of an interaction and user movement.


References

Lynch, P & Horton, S 2002, ‘Typography’, Web Style Guide, 2nd edn, viewed 2 May 2008, <http://www.webstyleguide.com/>.

Nielsen, J 1999, Print vs. web design, 24 January, viewed 2 May 2008, < http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html>.

Parker, RC 2003, ‘Ch. 14: Designing documents for web distribution’, in Looking good in print, 5th edn, Paraglyph Press, Scottsdale, Arizona.