Digital vs. Print Media
Same design principles, completely different constraints — toggle to compare. Runs in your browser — no server call, no tracking.
570 Years vs. 30
Gutenberg's printing press (c. 1450) gave print a roughly 550-year head start as the dominant mass medium. The World Wide Web, released publicly by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991, is barely a third of a century old by comparison — and has already overtaken print for most day-to-day communication.
Color: Additive vs. Subtractive
Screens generate color by adding light (RGB); print generates color by subtracting light with ink on paper (CMYK). This isn't a stylistic choice — it's why a color that looks vivid on-screen can shift noticeably once it's actually printed, and why proofing matters.
Fixed vs. Responsive
A printed page is one fixed size forever. A digital layout has to work at phone width, tablet width, and a 32-inch monitor — which is exactly why responsive grid systems (breakpoints, fluid columns) exist as a discipline unique to digital design.
Permanence vs. Iteration
Once a print run ships, it's final — mistakes are expensive and permanent. Digital products can be corrected, A/B tested, and re-deployed in minutes. That single difference shapes almost every process decision between the two disciplines, from proofing rigor to release culture.