Web VS. Print Design

(Collected from a bunch of websites)

If you’re used to print FORGET what you know

The Difference between web and print design:

Dimensionality

Print design is 2-dimensional
Web design is 1-dimensional and N-dimensional.

Navigation

In print:

it’s just a matter of turning pages

In web:
Hypertext navigation is a major component of web design, requiring decisions like:

• Appearance of links
• Making it easy for user to move around the site(telling them how to get somewhere and wher e a link will take them)
• Visualization of the user's location
• IA- Information Architecture

Response Time, Resolution, and Canvas Size

In Print:

• Doesn’t need to be fast. It’s on paper (duh)
• Pictures need to be in extremely high resoloution.
• Has to be large enough for people to see without straining themselves.

In Web:

• Bandwidth fast enough to download a Web page
• screen resolution sharp enough to render type crisply
• huge screens the size of a newspaper spread

Multimedia Interactivity

Print:
can stun the reader with high-impact visualization

Web:
Allows interactivity, which makes it more engaging for the users.

Principles of Web Design

Here are the principles of web design based on these three articles:

1. http://www.digital-web.com/articles/principles_of_design/
2. http://www.sitepoint.com/article/principles-beautiful-web-design
3. http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-
   principles-of-effective-web-design/
4. http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/09/27/
   10-usability-nightmares-you-should-be-aware-of/

The general principles of design apply:

1 Balance

• Symmetrical
• Asymmetrical

2 Rhythm & Repetition

• Regular
• Flowing
• Progressive

3 Proportion

4 Dominance

• Dominant
• Sub-dominant
• Sub-ordinate

5 Unity

• Closure
• Continuance
• Similarity, Proximity and Alignment

Related Concepts:

• Contrast or Opposition
• Positive and Negative Space
• Rule of Thirds
• Visual Center
• Color and Typography

The basic rules of usability and common sense:

• a clear, self-explanatory navigation,
• precise text-presentation,
• search functionality and
• visible and thought-out site structure.

Principles Of Effective Web Design:
1. Don’t make users think
2. Don’t squander users’ patience
3. Manage to focus users’ attention
4. Strive for feature exposure
5. Make use of effective writing
6. Strive for simplicity
7. Don’t be afraid of the white space
8. Communicate effectively with a “visible language”
9. Conventions are our friends
10. Test early, test often

WebPage Anatomy:

1. Containing Block (1)
2. Logo (2)
3. Navigation (Small green boxes)
4. Content (4)
5. Footer(5)
6. Whitespace (6)
7. Grid Theory
8. Rule of Thirds
9. Column Navigation (Left (3), Right, or Three Column)

Fresh Trends:

• Expansive footer navigation
  
  
• Three-Columns with content first
  
  
• Resizing: Fixed width VS. liquid width
  
  
• Variable Fixed width layout
  
  
• Screen Resolution

Things to Avoid!

• Hidden log-in link.
• Pop-ups for content presentation.
• Dragging instead of vertical navigation.
• Invisible links.Visual noise.
• Dead end.
• Content blocks layering upon each other.
• Dynamic navigation.
• Drop-Down Menus.
• Blinking images.
• Don't use pop-ups.
• Don't change users window size.
• Don’t use too small font sizes.
• Don’t have unclear link text.
• Don’t have dead links.
• Have at most one animation per page.
• Make it easy to contact you.
• Links should open in the same window.

My Fifth Week @ Flip

This picture only shows about a fifth of the people working here (There are about 50 people working at flip)

As you can see from the title,it's been five weeks since i've been at Flip Media.

I actually really like it here, you don't have to be uptight and proper like in most advertising/interactive agencies, you don't have to immerse yourself purely in your own "tasks" , you don't have to worry (too much) about the way to talk to or address people. You can wear whatever you want, ask for help or to give help to/from others, and you can speak to everyone as peers.

And, unlike many other companies in the U.A.E. they have a proper naming/ filing / work system to follow. Which, in my opinion, is on of the main base reasons behind their success.

They also follow MBWA (Management by walking around) in which the CEO allows us to speak to him freely and even sits with the employees to do his work instead of doing it in his glass enclosed office.

They also give people good chances at working here, they train you and give you minor jobs until you understand the system enough to do a major task.

I like it here, i like the people and the way everyone works together. They have also been extremely understanding when my car broke down twice (which made me late for work) and when i overslept (late again) and when i took a day off to sort out my car.
I don't know if i'm going to be punished but so far they seem fine about it.

I really like the atmosphere and work ethic they have here, and i hope to work here once i graduate.