From an online forum… The point is made by a design student that more employers are asking her about web design abilities. She asks if web and print design are inseperable, that is, if you can work in one area or the other in the future.

Simply put, the answer is “Yes.” The future will have need of both web and print, however, the internet’s importance is growing rapidly.

In other words, the web is the future.

Think about it this way: a web site is already mandatory for every business to have. More and more businesses are seeing their website become the primary “place” that most of their customers go. Even the ones that have strong brick and mortar presences are realizing the potential that their website has.

Since every business from now on will need 2 presences (online and physical, and for many, online only), web developers are the architects of the next century of business, creating the public places where business will be conducted. Billions of dollars will go into creating good online “spaces” with strong databases, good design, good functionality, and good features. Designers need to realize this, and make sure their skill set is evolving with the times. I don’t think business owners need to be preached to about how important it is that they get their operation online, yet, strangely enough, many designers are trying to keep everything the same for themselves. Usually it is the other way around: business people have to be forced into innovation while field experts, such as graphic designers, lead the way.