There are a lot of people who are both into web and graphic design since these two professions share similar characteristics. Both professions require creativity, good knowledge, and mastery of typography, graphics, and design. Yet, it is important to make a clear dividing line between these two, since some basic features differ in many aspects. Before hiring a web or a graphic designer, pay attention to the following points which define differences between these two fields.
Printing vs. Digital World
Graphic design requires physical creation on paper, that is to say, printing. Graphic designers are hired to illustrate children’s books, magazines, and all the covers which tend to be material and static. The final product is not always a print material, since graphic designers nowadays use different software packages and apps to work. On the other hand, we can say that web design can find its origins in graphic design since web design puts some dynamic into pictures and makes digital formats out of photos and images.
What’s more, web design tends to create material that people should only consume, while graphic design provokes the audience to interact with the creation.
Aesthetics vs. Engineering
Graphic designers are predominantly focused on the size and aesthetic appeal of their work. In other words, they are more artistically oriented, focused on the content they want to present and the message they want to send. In that way, they establish a one-way connection with their audience and they get slower feedback. Web designers find a way to assimilate art to technology and to mediate their masterpiece with digital platforms. Therefore, web designers have a more engineering approach to their projects. When they want to transfer some message to their audience, they also have to take care of the constant interaction with the audience, which brings feedback faster.
Independent work vs. Teamwork
Graphic designers can work solely on their projects and do not necessarily need other people to fill in holes that cannot be covered. The process of graphic designing does not necessarily include directions from others, yet feedback, in the end, is always welcome. On the other hand, web designers have to possess a great knowledge of programming and they usually work in teams with web developers. Therefore, web designers need to constantly communicate with developers and other colleagues during the very process of web designing. Visual effects Since graphic designers include printing, they turn to CMYK colour mode. Web designers use RGB mode which they adapt to their images. As far as fonts are concerned, graphic designers have a free choice. Web designers have a limited font choice due to the characteristics of HTML. When taking graphics into account, in graphic designing they have more performance than in web designing.