Things to Keep in Mind When moving web design to Graphic Design

Graphic designers text and images to create designs and layouts. This is the responsibility to create interesting designs that grab the viewers’ attention and communicate the message effectively. The message can be intended for both offline and online audiences. To put it briefly, graphic designers are all about what objects look like. It’s all about making the static designs as visually appealing as possible. There are branches of graphic design, and designers specialize in creating one category of work – such as designing Raj Khatri for the movie posters – while others prefer to do a bit of everything.

The interface looks to the audience. At the same time, users of user experiences are more concerned about what happens when one deals with the interface. Together they both work on how the product feels. Their goal is to maximize the simplicity of the product. They refine and replicate to create the best possible experience for users.

As you can see, graphic designers differ from UI / UX designers in terms of their process as well as the final result.

Many graphic designers actually make the switch to web designers. Are you also looking forward to switching?

The designers are the ones who do not have all the answers. Huh, what? The key is to understand that all customers are different and that one solution will not work for all. You understand what designs they need exactly and create them for them. Often it is not enough to answer them. You need to investigate and give the customers reasons why your answer is correct. Be prepared to get blunt every day and work hard for every change you make because you have to meet the needs of the customers in your design.

Good web designers always start with the basics, always plan ahead as you work, and create rough wireframes for your designs. Many designers often do them to make their wireframes look beautiful and lose focus on their purpose. This is an important point for graphic designers, as aesthetics takes a back seat when it comes to creating wireframes. It doesn’t mean that you have to throw away your creativity, but that you have to learn to focus on it and use it in the right places.

It is a science as much as an art.

If you are a web designer, you need to adopt product thinking. Being a web designer means you have to understand that designs overlap with product management because no one can design an intuitive user interface for a product they have no idea about.

All kinds of prejudices should never get in the way of the design process. This means that you need to conduct interviews, studies, inquiries, and tests to validate your design and ensure that it is intuitive to your users.

This is a scientific approach, and you need to understand that the definition of beautiful in web design makes users feel as they navigate through your interfaces and not just what is easy. To achieve that, you not only have to be good with the art, you also have to understand the science behind it all.

Design for information

Web design is not so much about pixels, colors, or typography as it is about the content in your designs. People do not use websites and apps for their beautiful design, but because they want easy access to the content. While switching from graphic design to web design, keep this aspect in mind and make sure that your designs are as simple as possible. It is important to make it as easy as possible for users to find the content they need. The complete interface should be logical and easily accessible to the end-user.

Follow guidelines, do not invent your own

“Wait, you want me to follow the meeting!” While it may sound like cyanide to graphic designers, it makes perfect sense when it comes to web design. Just like programming, UI / UX design has guidelines, like Google’s Material Design for Android or Apple’s iOS Human Interface Interface guidelines. And it’s critical to make sure your design does not cause any confusion among users.

If you completely break down already established patterns, you may experience a tighter learning curve for users. Many will not bother to figure out your design patterns and will go to another website or application that matches what they already know.

This does not mean you have no room for customization and awkward design solutions. You extent, but unless you work for Apple or Google, it is not advisable to come up with complete design patterns that your users are already accustomed to. It is not creativity but usability that is important in this area.

Play around

While it is obvious that you should research and read as much as possible about the world of web design, one thing you will miss is that as a web designer, you should visit as many websites as possible. Many graphic designers feel that reference throws away their intrinsic creativity and use of references for what they create.

Notice what you like about them and what you do not like. What makes them different from their competitors? What facilitates your access to content? Do you like that additional menu bar?

Closure

Keep in mind that your work process and attitude will change radically. The hardest part in this transition may be changing your perception of design and its purpose.

So before you sketch your first interface, try to get into the user’s shoes to understand what they are looking at.