Screen vs Print Document Design

Before technology revolve around the society nowadays, print media used to be the main hard media to convey messages, news and updates spread around the world. It didn’t take too long for technology to play such a big role nowadays with screen media such as blogs, online newspapers and websites that provides the same content as print media today. One of the biggest differences would be the credibility of an article comparing screen and print media today as screen media can be accessed by anyone on the internet and credibility of information or a finding can then decrease as it is hard to find the correct source of editor (Nielsen, 1997). There are a few significant differences between the degree of screen and print media.

Kress and van Leeuwen (1998) did stress on the layout of the importance of a front page and his theory involves several elements that are combined to create an impactful front page layout. Saliency which is part of his theory states that when an element is placed on different part of the page it carries a different value of importance that helps sustains the reader’s attention. Linking it to Neilsen’s theory, print document design places more emphasis on visualization because it intends to capture the attention and maintain the reader’s interest to continue reading. The image beside shows an example of saliency being applied on the front page of a magazine.

Morkes and Neilsen  (1997) states that internet consumers who reads from the web usually scan through appealing and important content on a page on a website and information are often ripped off the first line of every paragraph. Martinec and van Leeuwen (2008) did mention that how the information value is more important when it comes to designing a website. Layouts are divided into Given & New, Real & Ideal to ensure that readers maintain their attention on the page due to the position of individual element on the front page. Such as where an Image should be on top to tackle the human mind that helps resembles the perception of their experience towards the image then given the facts at the bottom. The image beside shows an example of how a layout of a web design would defer from a news print.

Sources :

Neilsen, J 1999, Print vs Web design, viewed 8 April 2012, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html>.

Martinec & van Leeuwen 2008, ‘Simple non-linear models’ in The language of new media design.

Morkes, J & Neilsen, J 1997, Concise, SCANNABLE, and Objective: How to Write for the Web, viewed 12 April 2012, <http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/writing.html>.

Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. 1998. “Front pages: The critical analysis of newspaper layout”, in COMM 1033. (UNISA electronic library)