Screen versus Print Document Design

As what has discussed in the previous post, new media has a big impact on journalism. Other than it alters the trend of journalism, it also creates differences between Screen and Print document design. The following is going to examine three main considerations (differences) of designing based on the elements of layout and writing structure.

1. Dimensionality

In this case, the dimension is referred to Page Dimension. According to OLAP (1995), 'a page dimension is generally used to ... define the specific page requested for display'. In other words, it considers the element of spatial on a page. Print design is 2-dimensional. It pays much attention to layout of the page. Readers can turn the page physically, but it is rare to have substantial interplay between different spreads. Nielsen (1999) states that 'typically, each view is a design unit created for a fixed size canvas - often a big canvas when designing newspapers or posters'.

Example of two-page-spread in Lucky Magazine (Palma Collection 2009)

On the other hand, 'web design is simultaneously 1-dimensional and N-dimensional' (Nielsen 1999). Instead of flipping the page in canvas, users have to scroll the page to read further. There is no fixed spatial relationship between elements. As Nielsen (1999) clarifies, 'users often begin scrolling before all elements have been rendered, and different users will scroll the page in different ways throughout their reading experience'.

The arrow shows the way of scrolling Twitter page on a smartphone screen. (Business Insider 2011)

2. Typography

Typography (Brown 2009)

'Typography is a central component of design. It gives us an understanding of the heritage behind our craft' (Bailey 2011). It helps to pass on information to others by arranging the type.  The arrangement of type influences readers' understanding on a particular subject or content. 'It works with your layout, grid, and color choice to create a well-rounded design ... your choice of typefaces and your technique of setting type give your composition its character, pace and style' (Bailey 2011). For instance, types of fonts can maximize legibility. 

In print form, 'the number of fonts available are almost limitless and a font can be chosen that precisely gives the feeling and function desired' (Benetos 2005). Conversely, screen form has the limitation of the choice of fonts. This is because the font in a hypertext document has to be common to the platform which displays the hyperdocument. Monitor resolutions and reader preferences have to be considered for the appearance of the text. For instance, serif fonts are more legible in print, while 'sans-serif fonts are [the most] legible at small sizes for most monitor displays' (Benetos 2005).

Newspaper in serif fonts (In House Media n.d.)

Sans-serif fonts on webpage (Lloyd 2009)

3. Multimodality

Multimodality is needed to express the meanings in texts effectively. According to Walsh (2006, p. 24), ' ... meaning is communicated through a [synchronization] of modes. That is, they may incorporate spoken or written language, still or moving images, they may be produced on paper or electronic screen and may incorporate music and sound'. For example:

(i) Print form - picture books, newspaper and magazine.

(ii) Screen form - film, video and the Internet.

Print-based texts (DHD Multimedia Gallery n.d.)

The novel above is in print-based texts. Print-based texts are 'the words that "tell", including the discourse, register, vocabulary, linguistic patterns, grammar. Arrangement and layout of chapters, paragraph and sentence structure, typography' (Walsh 2006, p. 35). The reading pathway is mostly linear and   follows a certain sequence.

Multimodal Texts (Jessica & Heidi n.d.)

The picture above shows multimodal texts that consist of photos, hyperlinks and tagging. Multimodal texts are 'visual images that "show" including layout, size, shape, [color], line, angle, position, perspective, screen, frames, icons, links, hyperlinks. Movement, sound, animation with graphics, video clips, voice-over and write-over' (Walsh 2006, p. 35). The reading pathway is non-linear and non-sequential.

References:

Bailey, C 2011, 'The basics of typography', Design Instruct, June 22, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://designinstruct.com/tools-basics/the-basics-of-typography/>.

Benetos, K 2005, Design considerations when writing: print vs screen, TECFA, Universite de Geneve, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://tecfa.unige.ch/staf/staf-k/benetos/staf13/per5/lire.html>.

Brown, A 2009, The use of typography, Examiner, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://www.examiner.com/web-2-0-in-miami/the-use-of-typography>.

Business Insider 2011, 20 secret tips and tricks to get the most out of your iPhone, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-hidden-easter-eggs-2011-4#if-youre-scrolling-through-a-long-web-page-or-list-tap-the-bar-on-the-top-of-your-screen-to-go-immediately-to-the-top-1>.

DHD Multimedia Gallery n.d., Texturas text-sample-of-novel, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://gallery.hd.org/_c/textures/text-sample-of-novel-DHD.jpg.html?sessionVar=spider&sessionVarLocale=es>.

In House Media n.d., Newspaper design - how can you use it to improve your website, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://www.ihm.co.uk/blog/news/newspaper-design-how-you-can-use-it-to-improve-your-website/>.

Jessica & Heidi n.d., Websites, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://bedyear4newliteracies.wikispaces.com/Jessica+and+Heidi+--+Websites>.

Lloyd, I 2009, Learn HTML and CSS: an absolute beginner's guide article, Sitepoint, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://www.sitepoint.com/html-css-beginners-guide-14/>.

Nielsen, J 1999, Differences between print design and web design, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html>.

OLAP 1995, OLAP glossary, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://altaplana.com/olap/glossary.html>.

Palm Collection 2009, Palma collection is in Lucky Magazine this month (April 2009)!, viewed 22 August 2011, <http://store.palmacollection.com/blogs/media/1267902-palma-collection-is-in-lucky-magazine-this-month-april-2009>.

Walsh, M 2006, 'The 'textual shift': examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts', Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 20, no.1, pp. 24-37.