Web Design is not Print Design
The web is NOT print.
Many designers attempt to join the web world these days with a print background. Now, either they were print designers or they are just used to the control factor that print gives. The world of print provides permanence and stability, you simply do not have this on the web.
The biggest problem is that it's easy to forget that when you build your web page and test it in a browser, you get it looking exactly how you want it too look, but when you test it in a different browser it looks different. And if you go to a different platform, it will different again. Well surprise surprise PRINT poeple.
This is why it kills me when I hear poeple say "oh yea, we got the website covered, our print guy is doing it" The web designers job is simply far more complex than one thinks. Don't get me wrong, not trying to knock the print poeple out here, just setting the stage. As of a matter of fact I think alot of print designers are very talented but they simple have no idea what's in store for them on this side of the fence.
As a designer, you'll need to work with customers. You will be dong them and yourself a disservice if you don't explain the difference between print and the web. Especially if you bring your porfolio as "PRINT OUTS". This is a common problem, where the customer expects the print outs to represent EXACTLY what the web page will look like.
This article although geared towards our own customers is more of rant on our part as I mentioned, but it must be said and I am sure it has several times over in various places.
So advice from us the web designers to our counter parts on the print side of the house...
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE:
Know the characteristics of the audience of the site you're building. Design a site to suite them and your customer will not be complaining to you later.
TEST, TEST, TEST:
This is something we do around here very well, test the design in multiple browsers, expect our friends at MS to throw a few monkey wrenches with their browser since it barely abides by web standards and make the adjustements as needed.
RESOLUTION:
Ok, people, I'm sure you'll figure this out soon enough but in our world it's 72DPI not 300 or 600 DPI. So please don't send us those large files. The actual point to resultion however I am talking about though refers to the end users screen resolutions, deisgn for their size and again you'll be glad you did.
While it is possible, with CSS to get precise layouts, it will never be as precise as print. If you can remember that as you're designing your website, you'll save yourself a lot of stress.
Antonio Navarrete
Silentblast Interactive.
