I’m a Graphic Designer but also a Print Maker I’M a print maker but also a Graphic designer
By Nathan Bolton
Graphic Designer Editorial Branding packaging Display
01 09 17 25
Print Maker Print 33 bookbinding 41 format 49 craft 57
01 / Editorial
editorial Books & Magazines are at the forefront of our visual culture, therefore demand a high standard of design. however this does depend on the life span of each product.
“ Part of the appeal of a publication is what it feels like to hold � 88% of magazine & book readers in the UK prefer to read a printed product.
03 / Editorial
05 / Editorial
There are so many wonderful things about graphic design. At its best, graphic design can motivate people to do things, try things or make things that they never thought they would or could. As its role is in the realm of the creative, design remains controversial. Like other art forms, the quality of graphic design is in the eye of the beholder. Graphic design can be extraordinarily beautiful. Sometimes we don’t even care what is being communicated, choosing instead to luxuriate in the sumptuousness of the brilliance and execution of the piece. But of course, as in other creative forms, there is a great deal of graphic design that is consciously or unconsciously referential to forms that have preceded it. There’s certainly nothing inherently wrong in this.
Originality in graphic design should perhaps be defined. I like this definition: “The quality of having been created without recognizable reference to other works” (taken from a site no longer available online!). When graphic design is original, it gains additional power to move the mind and the soul, regardless of the message. In the pre-Internet era, graphic design, if not intended to motivate aesthetically, was often consciously asked to undertake the challenging task of motivate action from the viewer – obviously this was at the core of advertising.
07 / interview
An Interview with.. Ben Haworth
1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age?
4. Do you feel pressured as a designer of the changes that digital design is bringing?
Print has been on the slide since I graduated 10 years ago but it’s still here. I’m sure letterpress went through the same thing but look how popular that is at the moment.
Not at all, it’s only pressuring people who can’t look beyond print. If things don’t change the industry, everything stays still and you’d end up with a situation akin to the mid 90s where you have 20 monster agencies swallowing up the majority of the jobs and suffocating the standard of the creative.
It’s only relevant to designers who are obsessed with print to the point they don’t feel any other type of creative is as worthy. Constantly looking back can be lethal in this game.
2. Do you feel that digital publishing is going to take over print or is there room for them to work together? Yes, it will takeover print if it hasn’t already. Anything can work together. Remember, something as archaic as opera probably has more chance of reaching new audiences through digital media.
3. With the advances of iPads, kindles and other tablets and reading devices, do you think printed publishing has a future? Yes, I think printed material will have a future (at least in our lifetime).
I love print and I’m not the biggest fan of digital but the decline in print being the primary medium to designers has meant we as a company have been forced to be more creative than thinking of a foil block or a nice fold. Think about art directing a photoshoot, writing a script, conceptualising a product, naming an event, selecting a font, selecting a model or styling a set. Design and creativity is a much bigger playing field than print v digital.
09 / Branding
Branding
Design is what translates the ideas into communication.
A common misconception – and one that designers are always at pains to correct – is that a brand is simply a logo or identity. The logo is just one manifestation of a brand, although it’s often a top-level communication, seen most frequently by the greatest number of people. It should therefore embody the key ingredients of the brand in a distinctive, recognisable marque.
11 / Branding
13 / Branding
Businesses increase their market share by 6.3% through using design.
An organisation’s brand is a whole set of associations which people make when they think about or encounter that business. with brand communication; there’s good and bad print and good and bad digital. Creativity needs to be used to deliver great design in brand communication. Print needs to be used in combination with digital. Print brings a physical and emotional connection to a brand and can make a recipient feel special and valued. Research has shown that direct mail with strong creative achieves twice the average response rate. Whereas digital offers immediacy, speed and efficiency and is well suited for brief, follow up messages to existing customers.
15 / interview
An Interview with.. Dr. Me
1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age?
4. Do you feel pressured as a designer of the changes that digital design is bringing?
We’re still big believers in print, we like to touch the things that we make.
Not really, we are adaptable people and enjoy learning new things. Be excited and fearful of tomorrow, it’s what makes it worth the wait.
2. Do you feel that digital publishing is going to take over print or is there room for them to work together? It may do, hopefully it won’t and will just make the quality of what gets to print much better in the long run.
3. With the advances of iPads, kindles and other tablets and reading devices, do you think printed publishing has a future? Yes I do, I don’t think I could personally use an ipad or kindle to read a magazine or book, it’s not something that I feel makes the experience any better. iPads and Kindles are simply luxury devices that potentially feel somewhat redundant in 5 years time.
5. As print is a long process that needs a lot of attention and time compared to designing digitally, do you find that this takes away the enthusiasm for a project and maybe results in a different outcome in the end? No definitely not, attention and time should be put into any design regardless of the medium.
17 / packaging
Packaging
Packaging is just as important as the product itself.
48% more people respond to highquality paper versus lowquality paper.
Packaging plays many functional roles from protecting contents to helping the user employ the product but perhaps its main job is still seen as one to help sell the product at the point of purchase. Most products are meaningless without their packaging. once functional considerations are completed the most important design consideration is how best to create and tell a story that stands out from the crowd.
19 / packaging
21 / packaging
Keep it simple but do it well.
packaging that uses bold colour get 33% more responses.
With around 40,000 different packs to choose from in the average supermarket, across food and non-food items, the challenge is to stand out from the crowd. Over 70% of purchase decisions are made at point of purchase. There are thousands of products competing for shoppers’ attention in store and, according to various research findings, a pack on a supermarket shelf has less than three seconds to grab that attention.
23 / interview
An Interview with.. Matthew tweedle
1. What attracted you as a designer to work with digital over print? I have worked in both print and digital and I still like to work on print when I get the chance. Tactility of print can never be replicated online. The things I like the most about designing in a digital agency are: - Being able to make flat designs come to life through interactions and animations - The challenge of designing for multiple screens/devices - Making useful things that help people day to day - Being able to iterate and evolve a product based on user feedback.
2. Do you fell that digital design is going to replace print in any way? It will never completely replace print. Certain publications and products will cease to exist in printed form. More and more brand touch points are starting to come through screens instead of the printed products.
3. Within the design industry digital design is still seen as a ‘new technology’ but how far do you think it can be developed and advanced? There have been significant advancements in recents years that are allowing for better design solutions on screen. Huge leaps have been taken forward in typography and text replacement. Mobile First/responsive design has been a significant design element that has started to be used more and more in digital design. Scaling vector graphics allow illustrations and graphic vector to be seen sharp and detailed at any screen size/ resolution.
4. Is there a clear divide in print and digital design or do you believe they should work together in unison? There has been a natural divide between print/brand and digital designers. I think this is starting to shift and will continue to over the coming years.
25 / display
display creating a more dynamic display, engages the audience further and leads to more interactivity.
Displaying work in a creative way produces a better response from the audience. Create something to engage them and make it more of an interesting visit.
A product has more meaning when displayed in the right context.
27 / display
29 / display
make the presentation clear & precise.
the hard work of designing and creating the product is done. take time to present and evidence the work, so that the users fully understand the product and see it at its best potential.
31 / interview
An Interview with.. paul pensom
1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age?
4. Do you feel pressured as a designer of the changes that digital design is bringing?
Print will fulfill a different function, but will be equally important. The more disconnected from the tangible we become, the more highly we shall value it.
Yes, in as much as the digital revolution in practice tends to mean designers are asked to do more and more in less and less time, and usually for no extra re-numeration
2. Do you feel that digital publishing is going to take over print or is there room for them to work together? They can and do work together. Digital expands into the areas it is best adapted for, print remains to remind us we are still human.
3. With the advances of iPads, kindles and other tablets and reading devices, do you think printed publishing has a future? Not only do I think it, I feel certain of it. By and large print projects are becoming more considered and more beautiful. We are in fact entering a new golden age of print.
33 / Print
Print Print is uk’s uk fifth largest manufacturing industry, but is industry placed in the same environmental risk category as mining, oil & nuclear power industries. industries
45 Trillion pages are printed annually. annually
Print does have redeeming features - Physicality. Print is tangible, it draws you in to it. It offers exclusivity, collectability. The tactile nature of print can serve as a source of inspiration in itself.
35 / Print
37 / Print
“ Paper and print offers a physicality that can be experienced and felt – it lives and breathes. It’s tactile, sensory and offers added value. “
“ Printed paper will always carry a sense of prestige; it has qualities you just can’t replicate on screen. The way a printed sheet smells and its tactile nature will always make digital mediums less appealing. We are so bombarded by the digital world that when you’re given a printed piece it makes you want to cherish it even more.”
“ For online brands, print is a neat way of gaining extra marketing attention and boosting their community, even if there is no money in it .” “ Paper and print is a very tactile and eye-catching medium, which opens up an incredible range of opportunities for designers and marketers that wish to create beautiful, multisensory pieces of work. “
39 / interview
An Interview with.. Darren Evans
1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age? Print hasn’t gone away and never will. As with any communications it’s about relevance - to who you are communicating with. Even though more clients are using email and social media to communicate with customers, certain printed materials add the element of touch and connection that digital applications can never do.
2. Do you feel that digital design is going to take over print or is there room for them to work together?
I don’t think it will replace print - in fact digital technology is actually making some print more accessible. We’ve seen more digital/small run web services starting that offer high-quality printed materials at reasonable cost that would never have been in reach of budget a few years ago - moo.com, blurb.cometc. I think low-run, high-quality print will become more popular. It will be important for companies to keep a mix in their communications of print and digital.
3. With the advances of iPads, kindles and other tablets and reading devices, do you think printed publishing has a future? Yes, but in a smaller, niche kind of way. Higher quality print, small run stuff. Digital low-run Newspapers are popular at the moment. There are technologies that are trying to combine the 2, i.e. QR codes, which are just a fad in my opinion.
4. Do you feel pressured as a designer of the changes that digital design is bringing? No. Probably the opposite, I think it brings more opportunities. Designing for print is clearly different to designing for digital but the core craft skills, problem solving and approach remain the same.
41 / bookbinding
bookbinding
Because this is the last stage in the creative process, it is often overlooked. You have had the idea, seen it develop and now you want to get it out there into the world.
“ Its not just the final box to tick-off in a long process, but an extension of that original thinking for which we all strive for “ Modern bookbinding by hand can be seen as two closely allied fields: the creation of new bindings, and the repair of existing bindings. Bookbinders are often active in both fields. Bookbinders can learn the craft through apprenticeship; by attending specialized trade schools; by taking classes in the course of university studies, or by a combination of those methods. Some European countries offer a Master Bookbinder certification, though no such certification exists in the United States. MFA programs that specialize in the ‘Book Arts,’ (hand paper-making, printmaking and bookbinding) are available through certain colleges and universities.
Hand bookbinders create new bindings that run the gamut from historical book structures made with traditional materials to modern structures made with 21st-century materials, and from basic cloth-case bindings to valuable full-leather fine bindings. Repairs to existing books also encompass a broad range of techniques, from minimally invasive conservation of a historic book to the full restoration and rebinding of a text. When creating new work, modern hand binders often work on commission, creating bindings for specific books or collections. Books can be bound in many different materials. Some of the more common materials for covers are leather, decorative paper, and cloth.
43 / bookbinding
45 / bookbinding
The reaction to how something is made, what it is made of and how it’s finished and formed is purely sensory & emotional. You can’t argue interllecturally about how it feels in your hands - it just does. When something feels good,, you know it - you good can’t explain why it just does.
Books today are taller than they are wide because originally the pages were parchment and in this way of cutting it created less waste.
Production within the design industry is vital. vital Production is the one thing you can’tt evaluate interllectually. interllectually
47 / interview
An Interview with.. Mark Edwards
1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age? Print will still remain relevant for some time to come although I do feel with the emergence of more disposable technology that can hold digital content and send it out to a wide audience the traditional uses of print will diminish, eg, newspapers, magazines etc. This is already noticeable upon the high street as magazine and newspaper sales have fallen dramatically with many newspapers moving to online only publication.
2. Do you feel that digital design is going to take over print or is there room for them to work together? Without doubt digital will and is overtaking print but I do feel there is room for both. From personal experience we see brands regularly re-embracing print as a marketing tool, its especially powerful as a brand-positioning tool. When digital was really taking off many major brands ceased to produce printed brochures etc and instead moved to the much cheaper option of simply emailing or downloading a pdf version for potential customers. This practice is now seeing a reversal as many brands have recognised that while many people download content
it is then often left hidden in a virtual folder and never read.
3. Do you feel pressured as a designer of the changes that digital design is bringing? Not really, design is about ideas and the creation of solutions that improve what’s currently in existence (or not in existence). Print or digital are simple mediums to be utilised to deliver those ideas just as video and sound are too. Designers have always faced changes to the tools they have available to them from the Marker pens of the 80’s to the emergence of Apple Macs in the 90’s. Digital is a fantastic opportunity for designers and brands a like and if anything it has been a great leveller to allow smaller players in the market build brands that are loved globally. Print will remain in one form for the simple reason that we are physical beings who enjoy touch, smell and sound as much as sight. Objects are collected and treasured not just for their contents but also for what they stand for (the brand). Packaging and delivery of goods is one hugely competitive and vibrant sector that still uses print as its primary medium.
49 / format
Format Interactivity is a great way to engage the user within the product.
Challenge confromities of traditional design. Scrap the grids and favour a more crafted tailored approach.
Think outside of the box, working in A-formats is a constraint to your design process. A design should live at the size it needs to be to communicate the message, don’t down scale or fit it to a page. Do it justice and let it speak.
51 / format
53 / format
Users prefer to have a physical product than read through pages online.
The format of a product has always been a key part to the success of any design. Displaying the content in the right way to communicate to the audience is the most important factor, but you can always be creative with.
96% of news reading is still in print.
There are 87.1 billion monthly printed page views
55 / interview
An Interview with.. John Watters
1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age? Print is not dead but re emerging as a product for the discerning customer who like owning a nice car, watch etc. will have a collection of printed material that is carefully and artistically produced. A return to our early days of printing such as the Gutenberg Bible, which is almost priceless today‌ it is not an everyday communication anymore, we leave that to the instant consumer in News and magazines at present. Print is as relevant today as ever and is merely evolving.
2. Do you feel that digital design is going to take over print or is there room for them to work together? it is a directive and requirement
of the difference of information consumers, there will always be a vast community of consumers who will use tablets, phones etc. to scan and skip through text material without the requirement to retain for the future, as they can re access at any time post reading. iBooks, eBooks etc., whence downloaded from an app store or similar can regain the download after first purchase.
3. With the advances of iPads, kindles and other tablets and reading devices, do you think printed publishing has a future? As above the market will become completely different and segmented to the page turners and the swipers of tablets and phones. The simplicity of digital reading is the search process that helps the reader/viewer to access the exact point in the text without the need to find a section of information by reading or indexing. The true appreciator does not mind the time spent looking to find a section within a book. Print will always go hand in hand with digitally accessed information.
4. Do you feel pressured as a designer of the changes that digital design is bringing? Personally no, but this is because I have spent a long career working with crafted print and now with digital deliveries. The main point is that the creative input as far as design, layout and colour is common to both print and digital, so as creatives we decide on the final outcome and delivery style or method, meaning it will not really have a massive difference to the design requirement?
57 / Craft
craft Making it is as important as thinking it. Its often a missed oportunity to make what looks like a good idea actually be a great idea and recieved as one.
“ Production shows craft, understanding, humility, insight and empathy for the person using your design �
59 / Craft
61 / Craft
61% of makers have a degree in art, craft or design.
The final aesthetic is an important factor in the design industry. Excellent craft skills deliver this.
A number of designers express how important they felt it is to make things with their own hands. This is partly an ethos – much like the slow food movement – but it is also a necessity. Who else is going to make their work? The rise of the designer-maker has a lot to do with the fact that while design is an ever more popular career choice, the opportunities to work with manufacturers are not growing at the same pace. Where product and furniture designers once aspired to get their work mass-manufactured, many have now given up on the idea. Before the recession, a phantom career path seemed to open up, where a select few designers could sell their work in galleries. Once that bubble had burst, the market replaced the notion of the designer as artist with a humbler proposition, the designer as craftsman.
There’s no real question of returning to a craft-based economy (or only in the darkest fantasies of a global economic meltdown). What we have here is a post-industrial nostalgia for the pre-industrial. In a culture with a surfeit of branding and cheap mass-produced goods, we romanticise the handmade because we yearn for quality, not quantity. The irony is that while western consumers aspire to craftsmanship, the majority of the world’s population lives in countries that have local craftsmen but aspire to industrialised products. Mass manufacturing will be essential to lifting a billion people out of poverty, and providing basic goods that we took for granted long ago. Meanwhile, we’ll be seeing more crafted industrial objects coming our way, as we lust after craftsmanship we can’t afford and disdain the industrial products we can.
I’m a Print Maker but also a Graphic designer I’M a graphic designer but also a print maker
By Nathan Bolton