Print vs Online; Design Considerations

Kress and Leeuwen (2006, p.32) state that visual communication is always coded. Semiotic modes are shaped by the intrinsic characteristics and potentialities of the medium and by the requirements, histories and values of societies and their culture. Furthermore, culture and social valuations and structures strongly affect the uses of these potentialities (Kress & Leeuwen 2006, p.35).

Everywhere writing now involves close attention to typeface choices and layout. Magazines, web pages, factsheets, and many other kinds of text are no longer just written, but ‘designed’, and multi-modally articulated (Kress & Leeuwen 1998, p.187).

Design is the visual organisation of information. Reep (1997, p. 90) states that design and illustration used effectively can help readers to find information, understand content, remember information more effectively and provide insight into the culture of an organization. Whereas design and illustration used poorly can impede readers in finding information, distract from the message, ultimately discouraging readers and driving them away.

Good design stems from a thorough knowledge of the building blocks of graphic design and specifying them appropriately, based on format and function of an individual project (Parker 1990, p.11). The general principles most designers consider are: balance, proportion, sequence, and consistency.

Balance refers to visual weight: big weighs more than small, dark weighs more than light, colour weighs more than black and white and unusual shapes weigh more than simple circles or squares. Sequence refers to how readers usually start at the top left corner and end at the bottom right corner, in between they tend to scan. Furthermore readers tend to notice things with the most visual weight first. Proportion refers to size and placement of text, graphics and format elements on the page (Reep 1997, p. 112). Consistency refers to presenting similar features in a similar style.


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Putnis and Petelin (1996, p.223) state that when we write, we need to ask key questions, including; Who are our readers? What are their needs? How will they access the information? These questions are valid for both online and printed mediums. Parker (1990, p.11) states that good writing relies on many things, including; sensitivity to your purpose, your readers and your context; understanding of how readers read, comprehend and act upon documents; ability to research, structure and sequence information; and your own critical and analytical skills for reviewing your writing (and the writing of others).

December (1994, p. 1) states that for a website to be user-friendly, it must be easy to navigate, clearly organised, meet visitor’s/user’s needs, provide short download times and be aware of what the user sees first on screen. Horton (1995, cited in Schriver 1997, p.362) argues that when it comes to moving documents online, there should be “no dumping” allowed.

Users can enter a site at any page and move between pages as they chose, so designers should make every page independent and explain its topic without assumptions about the previous page seen by the user (Sun Micro Systems 2008).

At a Glance:

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A unique and important element when dealing with online design is the high level of interactivity - multimedia accessories such as audio, video and high quality images. These exciting trappings are the key to what makes online media so much more dynamic than print is, or ever could be. Kress (1997) stresses the importance of these elements, which allow viewers to connect with the information presented, on multifaceted levels without needing to read all of the text.

Web facts:
*79% of users always scan; only 16% read word-by-word

*reading from a computer screen is 25% slower

*web content should be 50% the size of its paper equivalent
(December 1994)

Reading from paper is much easier than reading from a monitor, as when a screen emits light, it makes it strenuous for viewers to watch it for long periods of time (Parker, 2003). Therefore the layout and design regarding use design elements such as whitespace, the amount of text on the screen and the colour scheme employed will greatly influence how long the reader will want to, or can view the page.

Although these design elements are also important to print media, the consideration of factors such as eye strain from monitors, which could cause real discomfort or damage to users mean that they become more vital when designing for online.


References:

December, J 1994, ‘Technical/professional communication summary’, viewed 05 October 2008,
<http://www.december.com/john/teach/techcomm/summary.html>.

Reep, DC 1997, Technical writing: principles, strategies and readings, 3rd edn, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, pp. 90 – 128.

Kress, G & Leeuwen T 1998, ‘Front pages: (the critical) analysis of newspaper layout’, in Bell, A & Garrerr, P (eds) 1998, Approaches to media discourse, Blackwell, Oxford, Chapter 7, pp. 186 - 219.

Kress ,G & Leeuwen, T 2006, Reading images: the grammar of visual design, 2nd edn, Routledge, NY.

Parker, RC 1990, Looking good in print: a guide to basic design for desktop publishing, 2nd edn, Ventara Press, Chapel Hill, NC.

Parker, RC 2003, ‘Designing documents for web distribution’, Looking good in print, 5th edn, Paraglyph Press, Scottsdale AZ, Chapter 14, pp. 269-293.

Putnis, P & Petelin, R 1996, Professional communication principals and applications, 6th edn, Pearson/Longman, NY, Chapter 6, pp. 133 – 172.

Image: Mequoda Daily 2008, "Magazine Membership", <http://daily.mequoda.com/media/ui/membership-magazine.png>.