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.

Graphic Design and Web Design may seem like they are basically the same job. However, there are a few key differences between what a Graphic Designer does and what a Web Designer does. These differences are important both for those looking to hire a designer as well as those looking to start a career as one.

How are web design and graphic design different?

Now that you have a better idea of what graphic design and web design are in their own respects, what about the key differences between them?

Technical skills

The main difference between graphic designers and web designers are technical skills. Web designers need to be familiar with HTML, CSS, and how to make a design work on the web. With traditional graphic design, you can fully customize your design without too many limitations. But with web design, you have to consider technical constraints like file size and load time.

Web design is dynamic, graphic design is permanent

In many ways, graphic design is permanent. When you design a book cover or a poster, once it’s printed you can’t make any changes. Web design, however, is a dynamic medium. It has the power and flexibility to change and adapt. Every few years, a company might go through a complete redesign of their website. Design trends evolve and it’s important for the business to remain relevant.

Web design is interactive, graphic design is static

With web design, the user can interact with the design. You click a button, navigate through various webpages, there may even be motion graphics and videos on a webpage. Graphic design is less interactive. You can look at it, touch it, but it doesn’t change when you interact with it.

DPI and pixel dimensions

Web designers are concerned with technical constraints like file sizes and load times. For this reason, images need to be sized down. Here’s an article to help on how to optimize images for better web design and SEO.

File size plays less of a factor in graphic design. Usually, you want the highest resolution images for print which tends to create large file sizes. The same image used on the web vs on a printed layout will vary significantly in size. This is due to the DPI (dots per inch) and pixel dimension. Images for the web usually are saved in 72 DPI while printed photos need to use 300 DPI. This is why if you’ve ever tried to print a photo from the Internet, it’s often blurry, pixelated, and super small on the paper. A printed image requires more pixels than a computer, tablet, or phone screen needs to display an image.