DOCUMENT DESIGN FOR PRINT AND ONLINE
What are some of the different issues when designing for print as opposed to designing online?
For a recent assignment I had to design both a magazine article and a website design with a document. The information and content in which I had to base my designs on was already provided, the content was about the use of smart-phones in the workplace, an article called "un-plug".
Essential key design factors needed to be addressed with changing the genre of a document to a webpage and a print design. These included visual balance, presentation, proportion and consistency.
One important factor for web design is the balance between images and text. This is supported by Reep who states that "in an effective document, the words and visual support each other" (Reep, 2006, p.134). As the print document I was designing was a magazine article, I used columns to spread out the information. The design of the text and juxtaposition of the images on the layout of the page was crucial to the print documents aesthetic.
Parker (2003) in "Designing documents for web distribution' notes that"when reading a printed document, readers can see the entire page - typically a vertical rectangle. Without physical activity-scrolling through the page or moving their head-they can quickly skim the document, going directly to points of greatest interest and easily seeing how the individual paragraph they're readings relates to the page as a whole" (p. 271).
Designing a magazine publication there were many issues involved such as: Written content, pull quotes, images, titles, design layout and article template.
Online publication includes: Links, written content, online template, headings and groups/content.
Reference: Reep, DC, 2006, Document Design, Technical Writing, New York: Pearson/Longman 6th ed, ch.6, pp. 133-172, URL:
Parker, RC, 2003, Designing Documents for Web Distribution, Looking Good in Print, Scottsdale, Ariz : Paraglyth Press, 5th ed. Ch. 14, pp. 265-293, URL:
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