WEB VS PRINT

Which do you prefer, Print design or Web design? Let go deeper into the discussion. In print, a reader reads from left to tight or right to left considering their cultural background. That is, ‘reading is linear …’ (Kress & van Leeuwen 2006, p.178). While in web, reader does not read linearly but in an F-pattern. A reader usually reads ‘in a horizontal movement … Next, users move down the page a bit and then read across in a second horizontal movement … Finally, users scan the content's left side in a vertical movement.’ (Nielsen 2006).

(Picture (a) Homepage of www.guinnessworldrecords.com)




(Picture (b) Guinness World Record Handbook)

Both pictures shown above are the Guinness World Record. Picture (a) is the layout of the Guinness World Record website. There are different kinds of languages provided and the word is easy to understand and attractive colourful picture.The language used in web page is simpler and straight forward as it is aim for readers to scan through and is able to get the message (Walsh, 2006). In web design, links to other articles are also included, something which cannot be done in print, in additional, video and sound were provided in web design to make it seem to be much more attractive. The electronic form publications are designed with technological differences such as hyperlinks, menu buttons, frames and windows to assist and attract the readers (Walsh, 2006).

Picture (b) the first attack from the Guinness World Record handbook is the picture in the middle which is clear and there word above and below the picture is in capital form as to attract the attention of the readers. Salience can create a hierarchy of importance among the elements, selecting some as more important and more worthy of attention than others. (Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2006). The picture has to be big and colourful. Walsh said that responses in an audience are usually achieved by the choices of color, size, angle and so on. She called this ‘visual grammar.’ (Walsh 2006).

References

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 2006, Reading Images: Grammar of Visual Design, Routledge, London.

Nielsen, J 2006, F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content, Useit.com, viewed 13 November 2008, < http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html>.

Walsh, M 2006, ‘“textual shift”: examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts’, Australian journal of language and literacy, vol.29, no.1, pp.24-37.