Web Design vs Graphic Design: What Makes Them Different?

Understanding the difference between web design vs graphic design isn’t always easy. While they share many similarities, some key differences can help understand the different tools, skills and goals of these disciplines.

So, whether you’re looking to hire a design professional or start learning graphic design yourself, here’s everything you need to know about graphic design vs. web design. 

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Graphic design vs web design: shared characteristics

Technically speaking, web design is a subfield of graphic design. So, it’s no surprise that these disciplines overlap in many ways. 

Design elements

Every piece of design, be it print, web design, or even a logo uses the same basic design elements, such as lines, shapes, color, texture, and typography.

Color is a particularly important field that consists of two areas of study color theory and color psychology. The first studies how colors are mixed and combined, while the second examines the psychological effects of color. 

Basic design principles

Design principles are ways of using design elements to achieve a certain goal. For example, the principle of contrast explains how a single different element (bigger or smaller, different color or shape, etc.) will draw attention.

This principle is often applied in web design (e.g. for  CTA button design), but also in graphic design in general (e.g. many famous logos, such as FedEx use two contrasting colors to make them more eye-catching). 

There are many other vital principles including, visual hierarchy, balance, proportion, and repetition. 

Trends

Unlike visual art, graphic and web design always serve a certain purpose. They’re designed for audiences in the here and now, so they need to fulfill certain expectations.

This of course doesn’t mean every trend is going to be valuable for a business. However, every web or graphic design should have an understanding of the current trends to know how to make visuals that are both trendy and on-brand. 

Shared skills

While there are many specific skills each of these disciplines requires, both graphic and web designers need skills such as creativity, problem solving, communication, and time management to be able to work with clients and deliver results.

On top of that, they need to know how to use professional design software. Of course, there is quite an array of options here, as we’ll discuss later on. 

Web design vs. graphic design: key differences

So, while the foundation of the two disciplines is the same, they often serve very different purposes. Moreover, graphic designers require different skills and sometimes tools to create web and graphic design.

Here are some of the key differences between graphic design vs. web design. 

Static vs dynamic medium

Graphic design often produces finishes for print or static digital assets—posters, packaging, social media images. So, designers typically create assets that are meant to have a fixed look indefinitely. Just think about iconic logos - these graphics are meant to last years without losing its impact.

On the other hand, websites are interactive, responsive, and constantly evolving, with updates and redesigns a regular occurrence.

Technical skill sets and tools

Graphic designers mainly use tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign. These programs require no coding experience, but offer extensive editing options. 

Vital skills for graphic designers include an understanding of color psychology, layout, typography, and often illustration. 

Website designers often use tools like Figma, Sketch and Webflow that incorporate front‑end programming languages like HTML, CSS, and sometimes JavaScript/PHP .

These programs have features for image optimization, responsive layouts, performance, accessibility, and cross-browser compatibility.

Web designers often work within an existing brand design framework, so they don’t necessarily need to know how to create an effective brand. Instead, they focus on creating interactions and a smooth user experience—clickable elements, navigation flows, hover states, form validation, and so on.

Constraints and medium-specific challenges

Image optimization is a key consideration in web design. Web designers must balance quality with load times due to bandwidth and resolution limits. Print designers, however, focus on high-quality images, and aren’t bound by conforming to a specific file size. 

Typography also tends to differ in web design and graphic design. Web fonts must be browser-supported and performance-optimized. Designers often use font stacks to ensure fallback legibility.

Nearly 90% of websites have responsive layouts, adjusting to varied screens . Graphic design isn't bound by the constraints of responsive design.

Pricing

If you’re looking to hire a professional for your business, you should know which type of designer charges more.

For graphic designers working freelance average hourly rates stand at around $35. Web designers typically charge similar rates, but creating a web page usually takes longer than a simple graphic design project. So, you should expect to pay more for web design vs.  graphic design. 

Value to business

The value of graphic and web design for a small business can hardly be overestimated. However, the purpose of hiring one or the other can have a vastly different effect

For example web design 94% of users cite web design as the primary factor when judging trustworthiness of a site. In addition, great UX design can boost conversion rates by up to 400%. So, hiring a web designer is a great choice for a business trying to level up and get more customers.

On the other hand, graphic design is integral in branding and marketing. Without a well designed logo and visual design identity, you can hardly build brand awareness and loyal target audience.

Lifecycles & project engagement 

Graphic projects are often one-off— a poster, logo, or brochure are all created with one final moment of approval in mind. 

On the other hand, web projects are often ongoing, requiring periodic updates, feature additions, and UX enhancement. So, web designers often maintain long-term relationships with clients .

Web and graphic design all in one place

Hopefully this illustrates some of the differences between web design vs graphic design and settles any doubts over what kind of designer you should hire.

Still, what happens if you need both a graphic and web designer? If you work with freelancers, there’s a solid chance you’ll need to go through the hiring process twice. As a result, you might end up spending double the time and money to get all your projects done.

Is there a better solution? Absolutely!

ManyPixels offers a full graphic design and web design package in one flat monthly subscription. Starting at just $599, you can get your logo and brand guide, marketing materials, as well as custom landing and web pages.

If you wish you can also add our Webflow add-on to your pricing plan and get fully responsive websites that are easy to manage with this popular website builder.

Keen to discuss your design needs with us? Book a time that works for you and we’ll be happy to give you a 1:1 personalized consultation.