How Graphic Design and Web Design Work Together
When creating a strong online presence for a small business or non profit, graphic design and web design services and skills often overlap on another, but serve a very different purpose. Graphic design creates the visual identity and look of things like logos, icons, and brand elements. Web design brings together those visuals and makes sure they are integrated into a functional, mobile-friendly site. In many ways, graphic design is included in web design. The two must work together and blend to create a seamless brand experience for web, digital, and printed materials.
What is Web Design?
Web design is the process and steps of planning, creating, and developing the structure, layout, and functionality of a website all while making sure it is built and developed to common web design and development standards. A web designer must think about and plan for how users will navigate, browse through, and interact with the site, how the content should be structured on the site, and how the overall user experience will feel on all devices. Unlike a flyer or brochure (which are great marketing pieces!) that has a set or predetermined size (height and width), web design needs to be fully fluid and responsive. Web designers are responsible for making sure the site looks and functions great on everything from a large desktop monitor to 14 inch laptop display to a small smartphone screen.
This tends to be a more technical side of web design. It provides the foundation for a website’s success, functionality, and future growth. It blends so many aspects together such as usability, accessibility, SEO, and overall performance. And it blends those all together to ensure a site not only looks good but works great and provides an ROI for the business.
What is Graphic Design?
Graphic design is focused more so on the look and visual communication of the design. It’s a skillset that is done using typography, imagers, icons, colors, and brand guidelines together to create a clear message and visual identity. A graphic designer is needed to design things like logos, business cards, flyers, brochures, banners, rack cards, social media graphics, and many other print and digital materials. And all of these must showcase and reflect a brand’s style.
Unlike web design, graphic design doesn’t usually deal with coding, site responsiveness, or functionality. Instead, it designs and creates the design elements that can then be used across various platforms, including websites. Both web design and graphic design fields are creative, but they require very different skills, approaches, and thoughts.
Where Graphic Design and Web Design Overlap
There is sometimes the question, is graphic design included in web design? In many ways, yes. The two disciplines and skills often work hand-in-hand to create consistency and impact across a business’s marketing. For example:
- Website visuals: Graphic design will be needed to provide the visual design itself as well as elements like icons, illustrations, and background graphics that bring a site to life.
- Brand consistency: A website needs to use the same logo, follow the same color pallet, and be styled as close to printed materials like business cards or brochures as possible. If a company has a brand guide – it needs to be followed in a website! And graphic designers are the ones who can help see that through.
- Design concepts: A graphic designer might sketch the initial look of a website and create the look and feel of the site. It then takes a web designer to ensure that design works in a responsive, mobile-friendly format and achieves the company’s goals for the site.
Keep in mind: a great graphic designer might not be a great web designer, and a great web designer might not be a great graphic designer. Someone who excels at creating logos and print pieces may not have the technical skills for responsive layouts, while a talented web designer might not be the best choice for designing a logo, business card, or flyer.
Why It Matters for Your Business
When asking if graphic design is included in web design, the key takeaway is that while the two overlap, they are not at all interchangeable. Your business needs both: a strong brand identity through graphic design and a strategic, responsive site through web design.
At Full Scope Creative, we’re proud to provide both services. Our designer, Christa Cape, is incredible at everything from logos and business cards to full website designs. She brings a creative eye to every project and ensures your brand looks professional and consistent, whether online or in print. This means that while your website design project might not include a full logo design or business card design – Full Scope Creative can help with all of those.
Bringing Graphic Design and Web Design Together
The answer is that graphic design is included in web design in many ways, but yet they remain separate specialties. Graphic design supplies the visuals and web design makes them work in a digital, responsive, and results-driven way. At Full Scope Creative, we bring both together so your small business or nonprofit has a brand presence that looks sharp and works hard across every platform.