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Web design vs graphic design

Are they the same? Which should you pursue as a new designer?

Monica Galvan

Published in

UX Planet

8 min readNov 25, 2020

If you’re new to design, you may be wondering what is the difference between graphic design and web design? Are they the same or do they require completely different skill sets? Which should you pursue and which offers more opportunities as a freelance designer?

In this article, we’ll start with defining what each role specializes in then discuss key differences and similarities between the two. I’ll also offer recommendations for the next step when you’re deciding which career path to pursue as a new designer.

What is graphic design

Graphic designers focus on creating graphics, combining typography with photos and illustration to present an idea. Traditionally, graphic designers used to work more on logos and print design like posters, brochures, magazine and book layouts, and packaging. But over time design has evolved along with technology and now graphic designers work on creating more digital assets for web and email.

Graphic designers have a deep understanding of the fundamentals of design. Mastering design elements like typography, color theory, visual hierarchy, and layout are key to graphic design. They use software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign on a daily basis to create their work.

You can think of visual design as an umbrella. Graphic design and web design are subcategories within design.

For more of a background on graphic design and how it has evolved over time, check out this article on A brief history of graphic design. You’ll also learn how key art movements influenced graphic design.

What is web design

Web design is the process of designing the visual look and feel of a website. As a web designer, you’ll focus on planning the user experience of the website, wireframe layouts, organize content and images in a way that tells a story, and design the final UI.

Web designers also need to master the design fundamentals graphic designers must know. They need to understand how to use typography, color, hierarchy, and layout when designing the UI for websites.

Interesting article. Thank you.

I've often taken a more simplistic comparison of the two—Web being a mere subset of Graphic Design. You can't really be an effective Web Designer without having first learned the principles of Graphic Design.

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Web designing is a vast concept which requires graphic designing services too. However, effective or professional web designer also learn the basics of graphic designing too. Graphic designing include logo creation, infographics…