What are the differences between website design and print design? Optimus has the answer, read on to learn more: 

If only the world of design was as simple as transporting an idea from print to your new website. However this is not the case. The two types of design are completely different, and this needs to be considered when moving a print design to a website, or trying your hand at something different in terms of design. Read on to learn about the differences between print design and website design and decide which one works best for you. 

Print Designers Designing for a Website
When a print designer tries to put a website together, they mainly focus on the arty side of the website. They are more concerned with how it looks and this is the main priority. They believe that the aesthetics of a website will determine the value of the website.  A print designer will have the urge to add a number of design features such as animations, sounds, images and videos. Unfortunately this does not work for website design.

Website Design for Websites
The most important part of this design is that of the content. The design and artwork should be used to compliment the content and assist the visitors in navigating around the website. This type of design and functions exists to ensure that the readers get what they are looking for, in the simplest way possible. All designs should serve a purpose and not just look fanciful, creative and decorative. 

All About Print Design

• Print design has a much bigger canvas that allows their designs to be more interesting and pleasing to the eye.
• Printed text is easier to read than information on a computer screen.
• All designs are a fixed sized canvas, whereas with a website you need to scroll up down and the page to continue reading.
• It is believed that for the moment, print is better in terms of time to get to the required information, the resolutions of the pictures are better and the canvases are bigger.
• Print design is not interactive, while website design is.
• Print design is considered more stable and permanent.
• Print that looks great on paper may be very difficult to read on a computer screen.
• The consumer will pay for the information printed in the media, while internet users can come by this information for free.
• The quality and resolution is better for print design, this is because the internet wants to load quickly so they will publish lower resolution pictures.
• This information is more permanent and can be kept forever, but it is difficult to get it once it has been pulled off the shelves, whereas internet information is available forever provided that it has not been removed.
• In print media, the design will guide you from one page to the next, attempting to keep your attention throughout the publication.
• Print designers have complete control over the design and everyone who reads it will see it the same way.
• The outcome of a print design is material and physical, something you can hold in your hand.
• Includes anything from billboards to magazines and offline advertising.
• Space available is measured in inches, where the space available in website design is measured in pixels.

All About Website Design

• Text and information is able to adjust to different window sizes.
• Easier navigation than that of a printed article. Websites have links and other navigational lists and buttons.
• The nature of the internet allows you to get information as soon as it goes live on.
• Too many graphics can cause the website to download much slower.
• Smaller text is more difficult to read online.
• The content should be shorter and more to the point when designing and writing for a website.
• The internet and website design is more interactive. This is because the viewer can participate more, become more engaged and enjoy videos, voice over's and blogs.
• A website design might look different and not work at all from one browser to the next.
• The information on a website might look different depending on browser, screen resolution and operating systems. Whereas the print design looks the same no matter where the magazine or newspaper is bought.
• Adding colour to your website costs nothing while adding colour to your newspaper can be costly.
• You can make your website look exactly how you want it to.
• If your visitor's computers aren't equipped to view the font you have chosen, it will automatically change to another font. This means that you will need to use a default font. Whereas the font chosen in print is static and constant throughout the publication.
• You have very little control of how the website will be viewed by your visitors. The font, size, white space and colour will all be largely determined by the web browser.
• Web users are free to jump from one link to the next, whether it is internal or external.
• All webpages must be able to stand on their own, because it is unlikely that the visitor will arrive to your website, via your homepage.
• Websites are less expensive to update and are faster and easier to keep up to date.
• The internet has a broader array of knowledge available than in a print publication.
• Colours on a screen look different to colours on paper, as well as from one screen to the next.
• The writing style of the internet is different to that of print media. This is because it needs to be straight to the point and less fanciful. This is known as SEO writing.