This time I’m shamelessly jumping on a post from my ex-boss which discusses why web based information is, in his opinion, less visual than its printed equivalent. This seemed a particularly apt point to discuss because I’m redesigning my website. Why? To make it more visual!
These are a few of my thoughts on the difference between presenting information on screen and in print.
For the sake of this discussion I think it’s necessary to define ‘visual’. Visual isn’t just about images. The reasons why there is less imagery on the web can be put down to the constraints of technology. Visual is the way information is laid out on the page, how the presentation of text and imagery is crafted to create beautiful aesthetics.
A good starting point for this discussion is to consider how much printed or online information our eyes can take in at one time, and how this affects the way designers present it.
In printed materials the reader can see a page’s full content (of an article for example) in one go, and this is what allows printed materials to make use of the devices that create visual interest: columns, panels etc. Printed materials are also forced to make use of these devices to make the best use of the physical space available on the page to guide users’ eyes round the information.
Web pages on the other hand have potentially endless space available, but are restricted by the unpredictability of how much will be seen at once; from a designer’s point of view there’s nothing worse than your work being presented in a way you didn’t intend. Because of this, web information is usually presented in a series of lines which, although they may appear on screen at the same time, work independently of each other. For example although a menu may run vertically down the left of the main page, the user will treat the menu as a separate element. Because information is presented in these lines, its layout is predictable so there is less need for the graphic devices which add interest to printed materials.
One other consideration on the topic of ‘print v web’ is that of the human desire to touch and feel. This process stimulates parts of the brain and engages the reader in a more meaningful communication. The tactility of a printed document can be extremely important when selling or marketing high value products such as cars, houses and holidays. Lithographic [and in some cases, even digital] printed documents portray qualities that are [almost] impossible to achieve when rendering web pages in html or highly visual Flash. These qualities include: the most obvious ‘size’ [grand, imposing]; ‘finish’ [matt/silk/gloss polyester laminates and varnishes]; metallic and flourescent inks, foils and embossing; and most of all the satisfaction of reaching the end of a folio and ‘turning the page’. Sad isn’t it?
Cheers,
Al.