We all know that the internet has changed the way we receive information in the past 15 years. These changes are mostly for the better- we now have greater access to information that used to be restricted either because of geographical location or cost of reproduction. Who hasn’t had to do research for an important paper at some point in college only to find that all the books you need have already been checked out from the library?

We now have greater access to news reports from non-commercial radio and television stations from all over the world, we can try out recipes published online from famous chefs, listen to obscure new music or buy the master work of an up-and-coming new artist. In short- more voices are being heard. This is generally considered to be a good thing, and is certainly a more democratic approach to the dissemination of images, reviews, instructions, advice, videos, support groups and almost anything else you can think of.

However, as every designer knows- the internet may make it easier to get the message through, but not always exactly as you imagined. This, I believe, is the main difference between print design and web design- the degree to which the designer controls the final outcome.

When designing a product package, a business card, a wedding invite or any other printed material, the designer has many choices to make AFTER all the design has been done. When it comes to paper, choices abound. Paper weight, texture, and color must be decided. Metallic, recycled, handmade? Coated or uncoated? Gloss laminated or matte? Rounded corners? Embossed?

The best part about printed material is that you don’t have to know any technical terms in order to get exactly what you want. Even the least experienced person can come into ColourTime (or any other print shop) and touch and feel and decide what is best for his or her product. We then print out a sample on the paper of your choice, finish it, cut it and tailor it to all your specifications. When it is absolutely perfect, we make another five or ten thousand copies and you KNOW that each and every recipient will be seeing the exact same colors, feeling the same paper texture, reading the same font at the same size.

As any web designer knows, this is NOT the case when creating a website or html newsletter. After all the design has been completed, a tester must experiment with different browsers, different versions of different browsers, different operating systems and different screen resolutions.

If you want to use a font other than the most basic and boring sets, you must use images. But images can’t be understood by search engines like Google or Bing, making it harder for your site to be located by potential clients.

If you want to use fancy effects like animation you’ve got to bet on the fact that the viewer will have the latest version of Flash installed. If you want to provide printable pages you’d better hope that the viewer will have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed. And don’t even get me started with the myriad problems encountered when sending an html email blast…

In the end, you don’t want your important message derailed by a screen that warns: Error! or a big blank space where an image is supposed to be. Simply put, when it comes to the fidelity of your brand, printed products can more accurately represent and deliver your message. That’s the kind of positive impact all businesses need!

Tags: design, print vs. web
Posted in For Your Information, Graphic Design, Print Industry | No Comments »