GRAPHIC DESIGN VS. WEB DESIGN! WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Graphic design and web design seem to be the same job. However, there are some important differences between the work of a graphic designer and that of a web designer. These differences are important both for those who want to hire a designer and for those who want to start a career as a designer. Let us take a look at what each type of work entails.

What is graphic design?

Graphic designers focus on creating creative graphic design, combining typography with photographs and illustrations to present an idea. Traditionally, graphic designers tended to work on logos and printed materials such as posters, brochures, magazine and book layouts, and packaging. But over time, design has evolved with technology and today graphic designers work more on creating digital content for the web and emails.

The graphic specialist has a good knowledge of the fundamentals of design. Mastering design elements such as typography, color theory, visual hierarchy, and layout are the keys to graphic design. They use software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign daily to create their work.

What is web design?

Web design, just like graphic design, is the creation of graphics, typography, diagrams, and images to convey an idea. However, website design and development is only about websites, not printed matter. Web designers are responsible for creating websites that not only look good but also load quickly. Therefore, web designers are subject to certain restrictions that do not apply to graphic designers. For example, they have to take into account things like file size, image resolution, and so on. They also have to turn their designs into a functioning website, which requires programming. Web designers of web design companies need to have a good knowledge of HTML, CSS, and possibly other programming languages such as JavaScript, PHP, etc.

How do web design and graphic design differ?

We all have a better idea of what graphic design and web design are in their respective respects, what about the main differences between them?

Technical skills

The main difference between graphic designers and web designers is technical skills. Web designers need to know HTML and CSS and how to implement a design on the web. You can fully customize the design without too many limitations with the help of traditional graphic design. But with web design and development, you have to consider technical limitations like file size and load time.

Dynamic vs. Permanent

In many ways, graphics and design are permanent. If you design a book cover or a poster, once it’s printed you cannot make any changes. Web design, on the other hand, is a dynamic medium.  Every few years, a company can completely redesign its website. Design trends continue to evolve and the business needs to stay relevant.

 Interactive vs. Static

In web design, the user can interact with the design. They click a button and navigate through different web pages, there can even be moving graphics and videos on a web page. Professional graphic designing is less interactive. You can look at it and touch it, but it does not change when you interact with it.

Conclusion

Many people do not know the difference between these two professions. So it sometimes happens that a web project hires a graphic specialist and expects them to know about things that only a web designer knows. So if you are interested in creating eye-catching images that effectively convey your idea, but do not need to worry about how your final project will look on the web, then a more artistic graphic designer would be a better choice. Of course, this is also important for those who want to choose a career path. Both careers require different skills, with graphic design focusing more on artistic skills and web design focusing on programming and knowledge of the internet, although there is a lot of overlap in both areas. So if you want to hire a designer, choose the best digital marketing company ThedigiCat to get incredible graphic and web development services.