Advice: Web Design vs. Graphic Design – What You Should Know
There are many terms with the part “design”, which may be confusing for clients and those new to UI UX design services. This post is made to clarify two very similar terms – web and graphic design.
We’ll explain what UI/UX design services do when developing web and graphic design and what are the differences between these design areas.
Let’s go!
Short explanation
Web and graphic design don’t clash – they complement each other. Web design creates functional, visually appealing websites, focusing on user experience, interaction, and layout. Graphic design uses typography, colour, and imagery to tell visual stories, often for print or branding.
Let’s break these terms down a bit further…
Graphic design
Graphic designers are experts in producing visually stimulating designs that combine typefaces, images, and pictures to convey ideas.
Creating logos, posters, book layouts, and other print products like brochures and packaging was traditionally their area of speciality.
And with the rise of digital media, many graphic designers have broadened their expertise to include UI/UX design, allowing them to produce content for websites and even email campaigns.
Web design
Developing a website’s interactive and visual components is called web design. The aim of a web designer is to create a UX structure for the website and then make a beautiful wrapping for it.
Like graphic designers, they need to understand fundamental UI design concepts. This involves knowing how to design a beautiful user interface for websites.
A comparative table of web design vs. graphic design
The overlap of web and graphic design
Shared design principles
Both graphic and web designers strive to create visually appealing designs that help users navigate the product and differentiate it from competitors.
User experience focus
Both graphic and web designers increasingly focus on user experience (UX). While web designers directly create interactive elements, graphic designers must also consider how their visuals contribute to usability. This shared attention to UX ensures that both aesthetic appeal and functionality are prioritized in digital designs.
Brand consistency
For a brand to remain consistent across many platforms, web and graphic designers are equally accountable. Web designers ensure these components are properly incorporated into the digital experience, while graphic designers establish the visual tone for logos, colors, and typography. This shared accountability aids in the development of unified brand identities for print and digital media.
Conclusion
Even though both web and graphic design aim to create visually appealing material, the untrained eye may quickly become confused between them.
Utilising a UI/UX design consultancy can help you to achieve the right results, regardless of the design required – and more-so when the agency combines artistic creativity in graphic design with solid programming skills in web design.
