From print to web: Transitioning from a traditional graphic designer to a web designer.

There seems to be a huge mind block when it comes to traditional designers feeling that they are unable to design for the web, when in actual fact it is a rather simple transition.

I have heard several designers tell me that they are clueless when it comes to design for the web.  Some say it is because they were never taught web design in college or that the coding element scares them. Although I do agree that you should stick to what you are good at it doesn’t do any harm trying something you may be great at.

Any great print designer is not only creative, but understands the ins and outs of the print process. Designers understand the need for bleed, crop marks and colour separations.  They know what positives are and how they are used, they also understand the difference between litho, digital, web and screen printing. They know about UV Varnish, spot gloss, embossing and matt lamination. Whether to lay a job out for work and turn or work and tumble. Quality designer also understand their medium, so they know about paper types, grammages, coatings and uses.

If print designers know so much about the print process are they also classified as printers? Absolutely not! The key here is that they understand the next process and this understanding is what gives them the edge over others. Knowing exactly what the print process entails ensures that their jobs get done quickly and properly without any costly mistakes.

The very same principles apply to web design. This is what makes the transition so simple. In web design you are still designing on a page where proper layout and typography rules still apply. The difference is that designers are now free to use some interactivity with this new medium and if mistakes are made they are easily corrected at no great cost.

Great web designers should understand the next process which is development. This doesn’t mean that they have to understand high-level mark-up languages and database integration. Neither does it mean that they need to be able to create dynamic applications from scratch. What it does mean though is that web designers should understand how their design will be implemented and used. They should understand the advantages and limitations of (X)HTML & CSS. The knowledge of exactly how your design will be used will assist you as a designer to ensure that nothing distorts or gets left out in the development procedure.

Most web designers today have a firm understanding of (X)HTML & CSS and some even branch to other areas like Flash, Wordpress & JavaScript. The ability to take your design and create a working template is an advantage that you really want to have. Great web designers are sought after especially since the market is flooded with mediocre and terrible ones.

Be creative, be brilliant, be exceptional, but above all be yourself!