Graphic Design

Is there any difference between a graphic designer and a web designer? Well, if you consider that both roles demand artistic skills and representation of ideas in artistic forms then it can be said that there isn’t any difference at all between a graphic designer and a web designer. But considering the media where these entities operate it will be seen that graphic designers are more suitable to trade their skills in the print media while web designers are suitable of designing websites. Since it is important for designers to have knowledge about the media where their creations are published, graphic designers can qualify to become web designers provided they acquire the knowledge and skills that would familiarise them with the web media.

Switching over to the web

Although both disciplines use the media of visual communication, graphic design is usually linked to creation of logos, industrial design and sketches for fashion, website user interfaces, flyers, advertisements, animated characters, print, newspaper headline, typefaces, textile designs and movie credits. In order to widen their professional horizon, graphic designers can encroach into the world of web design provided they come to terms with the technical aspects involved in web designing.

From JPEG to Gif

Images are integral to both graphic design and web design but there are subtle differences in the way it is presented in the web media and the print media. The print media uses images that are created in JPEG format. The advantage of using this format is that this format is capable of capturing minute details together with the complete colour scheme in its true form. This format, also known as Joint Photographers Expert Group (JPEG) is best suited for the print media as it can reproduce almost millions of colour shades.

In the world of web design, GIFS or Graphics Interchange Format is the most suited format for reproducing images as this format is capable of displaying 256 colours and is supported by web browsers of all kinds. This format is ideal for images that are only to be viewed on screens. Images with transparent background are excellently reproduced by this format.

Choice of fonts

In the print media, the graphic designer is aware about the final looks of the fonts that have been used as it remains the same after printing. In web design, selection of fonts can be tricky as one can never predict exactly how the fonts will appear when viewed on screen. This uncertainty arises because the appearance of fonts is influenced by web browsers that can differ a lot if the browser does not support the font that has been used in the design.

Image size restriction

The image size in the design has to be restricted to match with the maximum resolution permissible for perfect viewing, which is72 pixels per inch.  Oversize images can slow down loading speeds and will be disliked by viewers.

It is not difficult for graphic designers to learn the tricks of web design as they are already equipped with basic designing skills.