Is web equal to print? (aka : The Question)
html print web
Warning, rave ahead
The past 10+ years, I have been building web applications and sites. And with me coming from a print / graphic design background, you inevitably get The Question popped to you one way or the other. The question is what drives us, kinda like in the matrix. And it is:
Is web equal to print?
The people who ask me (or us if you are fellow web worker) this question have different background. They are skilled project managers, very talented graphic designer and even user interface designers that ask The Question.
The Question can be asked in many different ways, it kinda depends whom it comes from...
- From project managers you hear it like this:
- I want this to look exactly the same in every browser.
- It looks kinda funny on my computer (with strange settings), but don't spend any time on accessability. Just fix it!
- From graphic designers you may hear something like:
- I really want that header in Baskerville SemiBold Italic font.
- Make sure that you align this the same no matter what.
- Just make it look like my psd.
- From user interface designers you get:
- This is not like my visio.
- I don't care what the browser does, do it like I said
The strange thing is that a lot of these people have been around for quite some time doing web work. And they still don't know what the answer to The Question is.>
If you really want to know, I will provide you with a gentle answer:
So take it from me, if you want a happy, productive web worker. Don't ever asume that you know the answer to The Question is anything other than I just provided for you.
We as web developers are being hired for our skill, so use it and ask us before you assume anything about your design.
No project managers, graphic designers or user interface developers were harmed writing this post