Value of design in creating content
I recently was forwarded a link for a blog post off of a site called Book Business Extra, where a publishing industry executive, Michael Weistein, discusses the value of design in creating content through print and web. I was asked my opinion on it from a graphic designers point of view on the subject.
I am a print girl at heart. Don’t get me wrong, I am embracing our new technological world. Though I don’t own a IPad or Kindle, I am not oppose to them. That being said, I still prefer actual books/magazines over reading them online or through an App. I value layout and typography … oh typography how I love you so! I have always felt that design for print wais completely different from design for web. Apples and oranges … both fruit but completely different. I am not a web designer, though. My background is in print, always has been, so my view points are from a print perspective.
I agree a lot with what the author has written in this article. Good design is just as important as the actual content. I come across a lot of materials that may not be the most fascinating of information but my job is to make it look good, and not take away from the content. I prefer print products in this case for most things. When transported to the web, many other technologies surface that can sometimes take away from the content being displayed. The blog I read is a good example, even while trying to read the blog I was constantly distracted by the flashing small advertisement in the right hand corner of the poker player.
Print products set boundaries for me to stick to the subject matter, but I wonder where the boundary lies when carried to the web. Are many online creators transporting print to online and going overboard with Flash, mini-movies, advertisements, etc.? The author talks a lot about not utilizing all the design opportunities that non-print products have to offer … but because they are available does it mean we have to use it?
Let me know what you think with a comment below!
Until next time,
Michelle