Web designers are concerned with website design (UI), it is user experience (UX), and technical aspects related to computers in the design, such as file sizes, screen resolutions, and speed and performance. This immediately tells you that a graphic designer is usually focusing on the visual, artistic aspects of the project, whereas web designers are in charge of the technical, digital aspects. Graphic designers typically use computer software to produce their work, while web developers are highly concerned with the aesthetic appeal of the site, so there is obviously overlap.
Of course, some types of graphic design may make it onto the site, via icons, images, and the like, but it is the web designer that figures out how to make that work with the constraints of a screen. A web designer might collaborate with a graphic designer on the visual elements, such as illustrations and iconography, but then a web designer would put all of those pieces together to make an entire interactive design that is something usable.
Digital designers make the images and elements that end up on the screen, whether itas on a computer screen, a phone screen, a dashboard, or in any other form of digital. Using graphics or illustrations, typography, and imagery, the graphic designer will envision concepts which are turned into digital graphics, like brochures, posters, or branding materials like business cards. Graphic artists are capable of working on both print and media campaigns.
Print materials are still dependent upon the artful composition of images, text, and other graphics in order to tell a story or convey a message. Graphic designers typically draw on paper by hand, and also use special computer software (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW) to develop ideas that inform, inspire, and attract consumers. Graphic designers may also produce a website or application design, but may need the skills of a web designer or other type of developer to bring it to life.
For web designers to make their designs into functional, interactive, user-friendly websites, they must have either strong programming skills themselves, or work closely with developers. As a result, sometimes, a web project will hire a graphic artist, trusting that they will know how to do things only the web designer would. To do both graphic design and web design well, creatives need to bring to the table their full knowledge of typography, layout, and color theory; it is however, important to keep in mind that, although they are both visually consumable, each has its own important role to play when it comes to marketing your company.
As businesses continue to grow their digital presence, and as eCommerce continues to become more robust each year, it is going to take some talented graphic designers to help craft visually engaging and effective site layouts. As HTML editors get more adept at creating efficient websites, it will become easier for graphic designers to leverage the world wide web to showcase their ideas. If you are interested in creating attractive images that communicate your ideas effectively, but you do not have to worry about what your end product looks like online, a more artistic graphic designer will be the best choice.
In graphic design, you rarely have to consider final effects, but with web design, graphic sizes and quality can affect website speed, and also the degree of legibility a graphic has in specific screen resolutions. To optimize a site, web designers must consider file size in order to determine how long it takes to load, but also keep quality visuals.
Figuring out how to reduce graphic designs and images, while keeping the quality and legibility intact, on the iPhone screen as opposed to a desktop screen is a critical step in the web design process. Site designers are required to create websites that not only look great, but also load quickly.
A site is going to have various paths users may go down, and the web designer needs to ensure users are having an excellent experience and are getting what they are looking for. Since websites are a dynamic medium, web designers have the advantage of being able to change a site as it comes — changing out content, updating the brand, and adding new products or services when needed. Most user interface designers work from a design system in order to stay consistent across pages and areas on the users site, application, or product.
UI designers focus on the visual design elements such as the layout design, iconography, and the flow of the user. User Experience (UX) and user interface (UI) designers both focus on how something looks. The various areas of web design include web graphic design; interface design; authoring, including boilerplate code and proprietary software; UX design; and search engine optimization.
A web designers brief can involve developing an entire visual language for a brand or product, whereas a visual designers brief can include developing an entire visual language for a brand or product. Working as a freelancer, web designers may choose to add services to their web development, learning to build bespoke websites using tools such as Webflow or CMS. If you already have a graphic or web designer that you want to teach UX and UI design to, invest in high-quality, user-friendly visual design tools they will be able to pick up with little effort, and consider sending them on a code bootcamp specifically designed for designers.
While the lines have started to blur between graphic design and digital design, it is important to understand the key differences of each. Another way of looking at the differences between graphic and digital design is by type of deliverable. Another subject of debate is the differences between graphics architecture and overall site design. Perceptions of graphic design as being more cutting-edge are probably due in large part to this distinction.
Designing for print is a much more linear task compared with designing for web, where the user will bounce around page after page scanning for keywords to guide them toward further information on a site.