Part 1: Graphic Design at a Website Design Company
How different is a website designer’s job compared to a graphic designer’s job? It sounds like 2 very different jobs, and it technically is, but the line is very blurry. As a website design company, we often get asked if we design logos, and the answer is yes. But that is because we have evolved to become a full-service website design company. Can you have a website design company without an experienced graphic designer? Maybe you can, but we don’t recommend it. Let’s explore the differences and how they have merged over the years.
A Graphic Designer is a Problem Solver
Our creative director graduated with a degree in graphic design in 2000, and wow, things have changed a lot since then! 2000 seems like a long long time ago. At this time graphic designers mostly worked on print projects, obviously, which included logo design, posters, product packaging, billboards, book covers, magazines, direct mailers, and much much more. The keyword here is print, but let’s face it, how often do we see printed materials? And if we do, most of it must translate well to digital, and not just print.
The Evolving Job of a Graphic Designer
Websites, social media, and digital marketing have quickly taken over, and I think we can safely say, we love that! But that doesn’t mean the profession of graphic design is dead, it’s just evolved, in a great way! If you aren’t evolving, you aren’t going anywhere, right? The job of a graphic designer, very simply explained is to tell a message by combining an image or graphic plus text. And if you are a successful graphic designer, your message involves the audience. Meaning your text shouldn’t just say what the image is, it should add to the graphic to create the message. The audience gets to make the connection and it’s much more interesting. Or you can go easy and just make it big, read and just use the words “sale”. But solving the problem and creating the design is just part of the job. And really, that is the same as a website designer, the goal is to quickly convey the message.
How Does a Graphic Designer Become a Website Designer?
At first, the thought of transitioning to a website designer seems easy, doing the same work without the stress of getting it printed properly. But it’s not that simple. As website designers and developers you have to understand a whole new set of parameters and applications. Website designers have to consider what the website is being designed for. It might just be an informative website like a blog, or it could be an eCommerce website with thousands of products. As soon as a visitor arrives at a website they must quickly be able to understand what the website does, who the business is, and what they offer. And the overall look should be on-brand, powerful, and yet easy on the eyes. Then the designer has to consider how the website will work, how will it navigate, and where do you want your visitors to end up? Do you want them to take an action quickly, or stay and read? It’s sounding a lot more complicated, right?
Can The Company You Hired for your Business Do Both?
Often times businesses and professionals want the website design company to create their logo, overall brand, and a whole new website. Or the website designer has to take an existing logo no matter how good or bad and design a site that will complement it and elevate it. And what about sizing and responsiveness? The design has to look good on desktop computers, laptops, phones, and even large TVs! So when it shrinks, the text size and image need to coordinate to keep the message. And how large do you want the text to be? You have pixels, image compression, screen brightness, various file formats, and more to understand and learn. Not only do you have to consider the design for the visitor, but you must be in sync with the website developer. Can they code the design that you created? Their jobs are pretty complicated too and that’s a whole new story to tell.
Making the Brand Message Last
But the core problem is the same, a visual, plus text must create a dynamic message or it will be forgotten. And the better the design, the longer a visitor will stay. Bounce rates, and how quickly the visitor stays on your website are extremely important, not only to your business but to Google. And that can create a whole new set of problems. With printed materials, they have the ability to hang around. If you get a printed magazine in the mail, how quickly do you throw it away? It might stick around on your countertop for a few days. And if it’s a well-designed message, it’s going to attract the attention of your audience a little more. And then you have the wonderful world of social media. This can be a designer’s dream or nightmare depending on how they look at it and take advantage of it. You have to get the message across as fast as possible before your audience swipes or scrolls. Ack, the pressure!
Hire Full-Service Website Design Company
We are proud to say that our Creative Director can successfully do both. And even more importantly they are in sync with our lead developer who understands design and how websites need to be built. We at Websites in a Flash are now a full-service company, meaning we create powerful graphic design solutions, and innovative websites. We also provide website marketing, including SEO, google analytics, social media profiles, and advertising. Our team of developers understands design, and our graphics experts understand websites. When you are looking to hire a website development company, you should make sure that they are full service as well. Even if you don’t require a logo, business cards, or other printed materials, you want your website designers to understand them. We often get logos that are low res or file formats that won’t translate well on digital screens. We are able to redraw the logo so that it looks beautiful on your website. A website developer might not be able to do that. And you don’t want a fuzzy logo at the top of your homepage.
Learn More About a Website Designers Job in Part 2
We could go on and on about this subject and the importance of both, and we will, so please stay tuned for Part 2! Just remember to hire a web design firm that understands all aspects of design, branding, print, and the digital world.