/CSS/ Get inspired by print design
04/12/2008 | Filed under Develop > CSS
Enabling certain aspects of magazine and print design to influence your websites can lead to a more satisfying and visually appealing result, says Craig Grannell
In an era in which websites are increasingly built from modular components, there’s a real danger of designing identikit layouts, pieced together from various disparate chunks of information. The results are often unsatisfactory and ‘bitty’, with various on-screen components that don’t relate to each other in any meaningful way. Although the likes of Facebook can perhaps get away with this, smaller websites that are aiming to portray a unique, design-conscious approach should be wary of following suit – and yet, many do.
Part of the problem is down to designers slicing up websites into modular, linear chunks and having one chunk of information follow on directly from another, without any consideration for the design as a whole. When working in Photoshop and Fireworks, you’ll see many designers take a ‘top down’ approach, working from the logo/masthead area down to the foot of the page, without taking care over how elements line up or reference one another. Consequently, the tendency is for sites to follow a rather dull sidebar/main content layout pattern, with little tying together of the entire design. But this kind of thinking rarely pervades in the print world, where pages tend to be designed in a rather more holistic manner.
About the author:
Name: Craig Grannell
Site: www.snubcommunications.com
Areas of expertise: Information architecture, site concepts, graphics, interface and front-end design
Clients: Swim~, Rebellion, IDG
What was your favourite school subject? None of them
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Comments
Kiribu / 28/02/2009 / 22:47
Yes, i agree with Craig. As monitors get bigger and better, the webpage is beginning to expand way beyond 800px. There's more space to work with and boring stock layouts are killing many sites.
Using the grid intelligently to add dynamism and help bring some visual interest and gestalt means taking a closer look at the printed world. That's where a good solid grounding in print aesthetics can cross pollinate the web design fields more now than ever before.
