Design & Internet Marketing Harmony

The general consensus is that “web designers can make a site, but they can’t make it look good. Graphic designers can make it look good, but can’t make it work.”

I say, bollocks to that!

When I was a design student there was a clear-cut difference between Graphic Design and Web Design. You would think that the differences were easy to determine, i.e. graphic design is print and web design is internet. But that was not the case. The difference was simply this: graphic designers were trained to primarily do print work. They were trained to take color, typography, layout and even psychology into consideration when solving a design “problem”. They were even given an “intro” into web design and using some of the web programs.

On the other hand, web and multimedia designers were given an “intro” to layout and very basic design theory. They were trained to use HTML, CSS, PHP (coding) and the programs of the trade like Dreamweaver, Flash, Director, etc. They learned how to incorporate and implement pieces, developed in these programs, into the web world.

Bottom Line: While they learned to proficiently use these programs and write the code; they DID NOT learn how to design with these programs. Function without form. You can see proverbial hole in this logic, I’m sure.

This is why I feel that when working with Internet Marketing it’s is extremely conducive to have a harmony between graphic and web design. They need to work together and feed off each other. Nowadays it’s atypical to have a person who specializes in JUST one or the other. Most designers have become somewhat “hybrid” in nature. Sure there are things that I can’t do that my geeky web buddies can do, but in the same way, there are things I can do design-wise that they can’t. In my opinion, any graphic designer worth their salt can do web and any web designer can do design. When one can’t accomplish it on their own, they can count on the other to help it along. If one can’t do it all by themselves, they can certainly do it as a team! Cooperation, I says!

(yeah, I know I said “says”… what of it?)

In today’s highly competitive internet marketing race you need to have the best of both worlds. An effective graphic appearance AND a savvy web presence. When paired together, not only do you get a look that is powerful and pleasing to the eye, but also user friendly and capable of nurturing a prospective lead once on the site.

When these two forces of visual nature collide they create a marketing beast that is just waiting to be unleashed!

The key to unlocking the beast… SEO.

By Ashley Walter, Director of Operations

Ashley Walter is ProspectMX's Marketing Operations Manager. With a BS in International Business and concentrations in Marketing and Spanish, Ashley uses her knowledge in these industries to manage every aspect of a client's campaign. Before coming to work full-time at ProspectMX, she held an internship with us and demonstrated remarkable skill and knowledge in the internet marketing field. Creative, meticulous, and hardworking, Ashley is the go-to girl for ProspectMX and can handle any task or situation that is thrown at her.