At their basic level, both print and web design are concerned with the clarity and readability of information, communicating a message in the most effective way possible. However, that’s where the similarities end. For instance, the way the information is displayed and consumed by the reader is very different, summarized concisely by Jakob Nielsen:

• Print design is based on letting the eyes walk over the information, selectively looking at information objects and using spatial juxtaposition to make page elements enhance and explain each other.
• Web design functions by letting the hands move the information (by scrolling or clicking); information relationships are expressed temporally as part of an interaction and user movement.

Obviously both print and web design have their strengths and weaknesses. In print you have the luxury of being able to select format/canvas size, as well as paper stock and utilize special printing techniques to create a rich visual experience. You can be creative with layout using photography, typography, color and spatial awareness to lead the reader on the right path through the information on the page. You also have complete control over the final physical product. Everything will look how it was set out during the design process. Print is more intimate. Not only can you see it, but you can touch it and even smell it. It stays with you.

At the opposite end of the spectrum you have web design’s fixed-width (depending on screen resolution), scrolling page. Graphically, there are limitations due to resolution and file size/loading times. There are a limited number of fonts with which to set your text, and you have much less control over how that text will look across different monitors and operating systems. A more uniform approach to layout must also be adopted. With a single click the design can be gone from the screen in an instant.

Where web design comes into its own (and this has by far been the biggest challenge for me) is with its interactivity and user engagement. The typical extent of a reader’s interactivity with a printed piece is the turn of a page, unlike a web site where scrolling and clicking on multiple links lead the user on a non-linear path through the information. Interactive Flash presentations, audio and video can be used in place of text effectively summarize an otherwise lengthy read.

Of course, while the visual aspect of web design interactivity is very important, it is the ease of navigation through, and structure of information that creates a more fulfilling experience for the user. It’s all very well having a clear style defined for a link rollover, but if it isn’t clear where that link leads, or if the requested information isn’t clearly defined on the target page, then it is all for nothing. User experience design goes much, much deeper than that though, and is a science (or an art) in itself. I still have a lot of learning to do in that respect.

I’ll never unlearn the knowledge of print design I’ve gained in the last 11 years. My ultimate goal is to gain an equal amount of knowledge in web and User Experience design. While print design is my number one passion (alongside corporate identity and typeface design), I’m slowly warming to the possibilities of design off the printed page. Whether I’ll be as versed in it as with print, only time will tell.

Needless to say, when Kristian Andersen + Associate’s extended their summer internship position to me, I was thrilled. The prospect of having a job at all was magical (my hometown had the biggest year-over-year unemployment increase in the nation), but the prospect of having a job that resonated with my personality was sublime.

Last fall, I was fortunate to hear Zappos.com’s CEO, Tony Hsieh, lecture on the importance of measuring a company culture as we search for employment. He stressed to the hundreds of college students in attendance that any good company has a set of values, and if those values aren’t harmonious with our own, we probably shouldn’t bother. Not only will we be unhappy, but we will be doing that company a disservice if we aren’t wholly committed.

I based my impending internship hunt around this notion, and if I couldn’t visualize myself starting and managing a company like the prospective employer, I didn’t invest my efforts any further. Sure, with the aforementioned job market crash, turning down any opportunity for employment is risky, but the hunt for the ideal culture paid off immensely, and now I truly look forward to coming to work every day. I’m surrounded by a collection of talented, positive, forward-thinking individuals–and that’s exactly what I wanted.

Further reading: Hsieh puts his money where his mouth is with the quit-now bonus.

Training, Inc. was founded in 1981 with the purpose of providing career training for those living in poverty in Marion County. Their 12 week training program equips clients with the life-skills, situational training and the
confidence they need to succeed. These men and women develop the marketable skills they need to support themselves and their families, and ultimately give back to the community that gave to them. Equipped for success, Training, Inc. graduates get jobs, retain them, and make more money than other similar career training programs. 91% of Training, Inc. graduates are placed in jobs after completing the program. Just one year later, 83% are still employed. These high results contribute to a high ROI. For every dollar spent on training, $2.96, nearly triple, is returned to the community in taxes paid to government, dollars returned to the economy, and savings of annual welfare and food stamps.

But with a track record this good, and unemployment figures on the rise – resources like Training, Inc can quickly run out of bandwidth to serve all those knocking for opportunity. 6 News even reported on the swell in tonight’s 11 o’clock news. I had the privilege of joining Training, Inc.’s board this January, which is why I’m here right now eager to generate awareness and support for this best kept secret in Indy. If you’re interested in learning how you can become invested in Training, Inc., we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to contact me at janneane@kaplusa.com or visit our website.

Tomorrow the team from Kristian Andersen + Associates saddles up and heads to Austin, TX for a few days of pixels, podcasts, angry academics, lonely gamers, geeky tech-moguls, mexican food for breakfast, and Shiner. Stay tuned for daily dispatches from the front lines.

This year the staff at Kristian Andersen + Associates traveled from Indianapolis to New York City for our annual Holiday party . It was a whirl-wind 48 hour trip for the KA+A team (excepting Clay and Erin – who decided to prolong their holiday). We started with a little consumer marketing research (aka shopping) and finished with dinner at Nobu. We were blessed with a perfect NYC Christmas experience, including copious amounts of snow, sleet, and the tangy scent of urine on the subway.