Designing for Print versus Designing for Online

As Nielsen (1999) proclaimed, ‘anything that is a great print design is likely to be a lousy web design.’ I have made a summary of some key points to note when designing for each genre as highlighted by Nielsen (1999, 2008):

PRINT	ONLINE
Superior type and image quality. High resolution graphics possible.	Low resolution graphics and limited type availability due electronic format limitations and browser compatibility.
Users ‘read’ the publication.	Users ‘scan’ the publication.
Navigation - Simple user interface - i.e. page-turning in cases where article unusually exceed allotted canvas area –a full page or double-spread allows full capture of article.	Navigation - Scrolling required sometimes right from the start. Hypertext navigation to lead to links for further reading, subject to information architecture.
A canvas experience -      Full-page newspaper or large magazine layout possible	An electronic document experience -      Limited to the size of the computer screen
2-dimensional	1-dimensional & N-dimensional
Longer text, full sentences and details are possible with linear content, allowing storytelling.	Shorter text, fragmented sentences owing to reader eye-fatigue and typical impatience of web-users. A solution-hunting, actionable content model.
Immediate access to article.	Access is slowed down by download speeds and internet connectivity. But all these can be improved with technology advances.
Static elements. Lacks user interactivity.	Non-static. Its multimedia elements and overlays enhance user engagement and interactivity.
Creative headlines and titles are used frequently as teasers to draw audience in to read further.	Reliant on plain keywords and highlighted text to enhance Search Engine Optimization (SEO) utility.

The differences in designing for print and designing for online meant different design approaches should be taken to utilize the strengths of each medium and minimize its weaknesses. Agree wholeheartedly with Nielsen (1999) that the differences should be respected and relished!   

Related reading:

Writing style for print vs web

Designing For Print vs. The Web

Web is Not Print - But Good Design Practices Still Apply

References

Nielsen, J 1999, Differences between print design and web design, Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox, 24 January 1999, viewed 15 October 2010, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html>

Nielsen, J 2008, Writing style for print vs. web, Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox, 9 June 2008, viewed 15 October 2010, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/print-vs-online-content.html>

Image source: http://www.link-creative.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/webprint21.jpg

New Forms of Media Publishing

The Yellow Pages now come in many formats (as seen above). Technological convergence brought together computers, telecommunications and media, transforming media along the way, resulting in a media convergence (Gordon, 2003). Digitization of media into computer-readable forms, together with the proliferation of wireless internet access allowing convenient connectivity to the internet, has changed the world of media forever.  

Publishing on the web has many advantages over publishing in print – including the ability to be searched, indexed, linked-to, and copied, all without sacrificing any trees. Its outreach to people worldwide far outweighs the usual output of a book, a journal or publication. Electronic communications such as blogs, websites, e-books and social media networks assert dominance. There is increased interactivity as the multimedia allows topics to be discussed, investigated or even challenged almost instantaneously defying geological boundaries.

Birkerts (1994) laments the depreciation of literature and historical context. "The order of print is linear, and is bound to logic by the imperatives of syntax”, as reading is fundamentally an act of translation, electronic reading works differently for “information and contents do not simply move from one private space to another, but they travel along a network. Engagement is intrinsically public, taking place within a circuit of larger connectedness in the vast resources of the network.” (Birkerts, 1994). While electronic communication can be passive, its contents can be changed or deleted with the stroke of a key. With multimedia, visual impression and image take precedence over logic and concept, at the expense of detail and linear sequencing.  

Gordon (2003) points out that this change in media infrastructure brings key challenges in managing content creation, distribution and consumption, in particular pertaining to ownership, ethics, tactics, structure, information gathering and presentation/storytelling.

Though many publication houses are losing ground against new medias with free online content, many traditional newspapers, journals and magazines have gone online and have experienced significant growth in readership. (Source: Nielsen Online, NAA: Newspaper Companies Drew Record Traffic in Q1 2010).

The big question remains: Would consumers pay for online content?

Related articles:

• What’s Your Online Content Worth? Global Consumers Say: It Depends
• Three Screen Report: TV Remains Strong as DVR and Online Video Show Most Growth
• 74% of U.S. Adults Read Newspapers at Least Once a Week in Print or Online
• Nielsen at the European Journalism Centre Innovation Series
• OnDemand Online, TV Everywhere and What It Means for Audience Measurement

References

Birkerts, S 1994, The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age, Faber and Faber Inc, Winchester, MA.

Gordon, R 2003, Digital Journalism: Emerging Media and the Changing Horizons of Journalism, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc, Lanham MD.

Covey, N 2010, Changing Models: A Global Perspective on Paying for Content, The Nielsen Company, viewed 12 October 2010, http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/changing-models-a-global-perspective-on-paying-for-content-online/

Image source: http://www.speakingsensis.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Network2.jpg