The Design War: Print or Web?

Document designers constantly face a problem with genre change from print to web design. When designing, document designers should use the principle of design as guidelines (McClurg-Genevese 2005):

• Balance
• Rhythm
• Proportion
• Dominance
• Unity

Both print and web design have its own weaknesses and strengths that differentiates them apart.

According to Nielsen (1999), print design is “based on letting the eyes walk over the information, selectively looking at information objects and using spatial juxtaposition to make page elements enhance and explain each other”. Nielsen also mentions that print design should be striking so that it can create a better impact than a web page because it will be mostly text-based.

Google Image: The Oprah Magazine

As seen above, the magazine design does consider several principles of design. One principle that can be seen applied is dominance. In the Editor's Choice page, a coloured box (framing) was use to emphasize in which to determine the reading path. Framing is the "devices which signify what elements belong together and what elements should remain separate" (Oakley 2005, p. 299).

Meanwhile Nielsen (1999) states that web design “functions by letting the hands move the information (by scrolling or clicking); information relationships are expressed temporally as part of an interaction and user movement”. Nielsen (1999) suggests that when designing for web, the key element to consider is user engagement and visual logic.

Oprah.com: The Oprah Magazine Online

In the example given, I personally feel that this webpage is well-designed. It is simple and has used a good balance of visual, text and graphics. This strongly illustrates a good use of the principle of design - balance. People hardly read web pages word by word; instead they scan through a webpage (Nielsen 1997).

Reference

McClurg-Genevese, J D 2005, ‘The Principles of Design’, Digital-Web.com, viewed on 10 November 2008, http://www.digital-web.com/articles/principles_of_design/

Nielsen, J 1997, ‘How users read on the web’, Useit.com, viewed on 10 November 2008, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html

Nielsen, J 1999, ‘Differences between Print Design and Web Design’, Useit.com, viewed on 10 November 2008, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html

Oakley, Todd 2005, ‘Implied narratives in medical practice,’ in Language & Literature, vol. 14, no. 3, p.295-310. (UNISA electronic library)