What is the difference?
A lot of articles and even books have been written about design, but still, many have questions that are hard to find the answer to. This article was written specifically to clarify for readers the difference between web design and graphic design.
Therefore, now we are a little immersed in history. So, graphic design originates in the printing industry. Whether it’s a magazine layout, a children’s book, a newspaper, or something else. Any printed materials are generally less interactive than their digital counterparts. We hope it’s not worth explaining why. But it also depends on the artistic assembly of images, text and other graphics to tell a story or convey a message. There should be logic and navigation through printed materials, that is, the table of contents of a book, magazine, newspaper, and so on.
Not surprisingly, web design, despite being similar to visual design, focuses on interaction. That is, with which people can interact and participate, and not just consume. This is the main difference, which for some reason remains incomprehensible to many in our time. While graphic design appeals to the visual component, web design appeals to interactivity.
A web designer can work with a graphic designer to visualize a clearer perception of individual elements, such as illustrations and graphics, but the web designer will then combine all these elements together to create a complete interactive design, something that will be interesting for interaction and usable. That is the difference, but let’s continue our amazing research to gather more information about this topic.
Something about terminology
Speaking of terms, we can mention that the graphic designer is called UI design, and web design is called UX design.
Many people think that the problem in website design is that UI design is not beautiful, not trendy, etc. Alas, this is not so. In a sense, a graphic designer, like web designers, is interested in the UX user interface. But they are not so much worried about the user interface, that is, how the user behaves on the site.
Web designers must ensure that users have an interest and can achieve their goals on the site. They understand how navigation elements, call-to-action buttons, and other interactive elements guide, influence, and enhance the user’s journey.
It might be surprising to someone, but a graphic designer has the same skills as a web designer. They both know typography, color palettes, composition rules, and layouts. But web designers are paying attention to how these elements affect interactivity and usability. Of course, for the user, the most important thing is not the beauty of the site, but the ease of use. And if this item is satisfied, then the user is already thinking whether he likes the site design or not.
Remember yourself and your thoughts at the time when you first get to the website. What do you think first of all? What do you like and what do you dislike? What attracts you to websites? Would you use a beautiful but inconvenient site? Answers to these questions can lead you to interesting but most importantly very useful thinking.
When size matters and when not
Each profession has its own nuances that prevent professionals from doing their job well. Monstrous file sizes – this is what worries web designers. Images, moving graphics, animations, and other graphic elements should look good and be light enough so that they can be quickly downloaded to all devices. A long download time leads to poor interaction with site users and high bounce rates. Moreover, remember your behavior when you wait for the page to load. Do you stay on the site if the download takes more than 30 seconds? Unlikely. Most likely you will find another site with similar content, but which will work faster.
Nowadays, speed is very important. When time has become a currency, we all appreciate speed. We want to get a lot of information and quickly absorb it. In the time of instant messaging, we don’t want to wait for pages to load. We want the pages to load so fast that we would not notice it. Therefore, it is important for designers to monitor the size of their files. Once again, beauty is only appreciated after being honored. If it is beautiful but inconvenient, you are unlikely to find your audience, and if you do, it is unlikely to be wide.
A graphic designer only worries about file size when they try to place this huge banner ad in the trunk or in the back seat of their car. And that is their difference. This is the fundamental difference between a web design and a graphic design. For one, the file size does not matter, and for another, the file size can be fatal.
The best solution for your design issues
Did you know that web designers have barriers in using typography? But this is indeed so. A graphic designer can use almost any font, without worrying about how it will be displayed in the final result. Anyone is suitable for printing and there is nothing critical in this.
But web designers need to consider how text will be displayed on different screens and in different browsers. And this is not so simple, because each device has its own nuances that you need to know about and understand when choosing the right font. You may even need to change the fonts, adjusting to the size of the screen and the changes associated with it.
Fortunately, adding the @font-face rule to CSS allows us to expand the selection of fonts. An experienced designer will always find a solution to any problem. Do not despair when faced with font restrictions. On the contrary, you need to find the optimal solution that will solve this problem. And often such a decision is experience. So, if you encounter a similar problem, then write to our experts and they will share with you their knowledge that will make your project better. You can do it now. We will help you to do your best in the developing process, doesn’t matter how difficult your development is. After all, the sooner you write to us, the sooner you will receive an answer to questions that prevent your project from becoming the way it is able to win a wide audience of users.
One more difference
Web design and graphic design are similar concepts, and therefore they are often confused. At the same time, web design and graphic design are quite different, and now we will find out one more difference between them.
Another difference between a web design and a graphic design is this. Often, a graphic designer works as part of a specific task, that is, they create a project that is only for one specific device. Web designers should work on creating a project that is suitable for each device, regardless of its size or shape, without the need to redo the design.
Please note how many sites on the Internet are not adapted for a mobile device. And this is the loss of potential visitors and customers. You yourself lose potential profit when you do this. How do you lose profits? Everything is simple. You would reach a wider audience than you reach. The mobile version of your website is a must have in our time. Even Google ranks worse than sites without a mobile version. Did you know that users use smartphones more often than PCs? Surprised? Perhaps you should think about the need for a mobile version?
Web designers need to consider scale. Typography, images, and other visual elements increase or decrease depending on the screen size on different devices. The goal is to ensure that all of these elements are readable and provide ease of use on any device.
Web designers are not limited by the size of the canvas, but they need to consider all the possible ways to display the site. Good, thoughtful web designers adapt the basic design to ensure ongoing user interaction. Now you know how important this is. Now you know one more difference.
Features of the interaction of the audience and design
As you know, any site is traffic and repeated visits. A site is a platform that interacts with an audience, even if this audience consists of one or one thousand users. If something is wrong, someone will notice it and say about it. When something on the site does not work as it should, or when users hate design, web designers know about it. They have such an amazing ability to foresee how users relate to their work. But how do they do it?
The Internet is a network for opinions and feedback. Just read the comments on any article and everything becomes clear. Take, for example, a billboard: of course, the slogan may not be pleasant, and the color scheme is silly, but few people call the agency and say: “I do not like this banner!”. A man in the air expressed his dissatisfaction and that’s all … This usually ends here.
Web designers can receive feedback on the successes and failures of their design using Google Analytics. Part of the job of a web designer is to look at analytics and think about the actions they can take to improve performance. Bounce rates, keyword clickthrough, and popular content are just some of the data a web designer can use to figure out what works and what doesn’t. This is how web designers get feedback from users. This is how they learn how users were satisfied with their work. The ability to get these reviews is another difference between a web designer and a graphic designer. And now you know about it.
Bottom line
Web design and graphic design are different, albeit similar, directions. Now you can distinguish between them, although it is not always easy to do. A little practice, and you will succeed in finding difference between these two visual fields. There is no better tool for success than knowledge.
Web design and graphic design are two areas that are important and necessary in different ways. Web design and graphic design are brothers who are not loved when they are confused. Web design and graphic design and their difference is what distinguishes a good customer from a bad one. It is unlikely that a web designer will be delighted with working with you if you don’t know what the difference between web design and graphic design.
No matter how similar these 2 directions may seem, they are still different. Do not try to figure out who is more important. The really important thing is how you can interact with these types of design while working on your project.
This article provided only basic information. In fact, design is a broader concept than you might think now. Therefore, if you really want to understand the difference, if you really want to create an excellent project that will become popular, then you need to write to us and we will help you make your project a reality.
