The Relevane of Print - Questionnaires

Interviews Interviewee: John Watters Company: Self-employed 1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age?

My personal view on the digital revolution in comparison to the traditional litho. screen, letterpress or Gravure processes are similar to the music industry evolution over the last 20 years or so.

In music, vinyl was king and the design element was the sleeves, inserts posters etc and the product was not only audio, but visual with the printed material being almost collectable.

The 8 track cartridges reduced the print element to a simple sleeve and support material, the cassette again reduced in scale the design elements of an insert which in a lot of cases was in 4-5point text and just about readable??

CD was a big technological step and raised the scale of the covers and inserts and became almost books and in boxes and crafted cases that were collectable and re established a print requisite. Vinyl is on the rise again, as I feel the customer wants the experience to interact with the product and the use of coloured vinyl’s and photo image vinyl? Music now is mainly a download so the only depiction of the cover can be a few centimeters share as a jpeg?

The resurgence of vinyl indicated the requirement as I say for a ‘handle able’ and interactive product…so with print, the market is becoming more ‘art and craft’ where the customer wants to buy a collectable short run, but beautifully printed commodity. Something to pick up, smell and experience through touch the exquisite qualities of fine papers, expertly printed and finished as opposed to a digitally printed ‘zine’ or a fleeting image on a tablet or phone.

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?

As in Question 1, 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.

The antithesis of these are the consumer who wants to own a printed product that they can carry and even read in the bath (paperback market) but the all important group that see printed material as an artistic purchase and a collectable that can be re viewed at any time and seen by family and colleagues as a ‘work of art and craft’ such as the work the buy to hang on the wall.

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.

See Wired magazine’s project with Adobe and see how they do both. Look in Waterstone’s at the vast array of new magazines available and the use of stocks.

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?

Interviewee: Paul Pensom Company: Creative review 1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age?

Print will fulfil a different function, but will be equally important. The more disconnected from the tangible we become, the more highly we shall value it.

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.

4. Do you feel pressured as a designer of the changes that digital design is bringing?

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

Interviewee: Ben Haworth Company: The Beautiful Meme 1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age?

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.

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).

4. Do you feel pressured as a designer of the changes that digital design is bringing?

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.

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 photo-shoot, 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.

Interviewee: Mark Edwards Company: DR. ME 1. How do you feel about the relevance of print within this emerging digital age?

We're still big believers in print, we like to touch the things that we make.

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.

4. Do you feel pressured as a designer of the changes that digital design is bringing?

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.

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.

Interviewee: Matthew Tweedle Company: Numiko 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.

As digital design industry matures the standard is going up. More and more people come in to contact with brands through a screen, this will results in print and branding agencies having the need to pay more attention to the medium.

On a few projects I've worked on recently, I've been tasked with applying a new brand identity to a website. The website was to be the main touch point for the brand. Whilst it looked great, it had not been considered for on screen use. Collaboration between digital designers and brand designers would have led to better final product.

Interviewee: Darren Evans Company: The Engine Room 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.com etc. 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. In my opinion higher quality prints in a small run will be the focus. At the minute digital low-run printed products are popular because of companies such as the newspaper club. 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.

Interviewee: Mark Edwards Company: The Engine Room 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.

The one defining point about traditional print and books especially is that they act as a kind of filter. Digital is great and choice of literature is endless and there lies the problem – choice, there’s too much. How many times do we sit in front of our screen and can't decide upon which site to browse and it's the same with digital literature. A book or magazine helps to filter out the white noise and give the reader a narrow band of information that is very easy to take in.

Another point about print is its perceived value, the vast array of downloadable literature has and does de-value the worth of many books and information, where as printed material and its physicality offers us a chance to collect and show off our pre-read material especially our most favoured items that we feel define us. This is where I see the printed items niche, as collectable items that are purchased as much for their content as for their design. This can be currently seen in the wide re-assurgency of vinyl music sales as music lovers are now purchasing music in this format for the artwork and design and a chance to physically own a piece of their favourite band.

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. This is in complete contrast to a physical brochure for example which is delivered via post, and then opened and generally flicked through at the customer’s leisure; it is quite often shared with other potential customers too.

The great opportunity is to use print as the first beautifully design impression and then to utilise all that digital offer to back up this printed calling card. The content can be greatly enhanced by using scan-able content that takes

readers to video content online and more detailed information as needed. This is utilised really well by many cooking recipe books out there; a beautiful book to keep and look good on the shelf but packed with links to online content that makes cooking much easier to follow for all.

3. With the advances of iPads, kindles and other tablets and reading devices, do you think printed publishing has a future?

Refer to answer for question one.

4. 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.

Interviewee: Jason Leggart Company: Evolution Print 1. How important is print to you as a company and as individuals?

As a company print is very important to us, it is something that everyone within the company is passionate about. Its not just print as a product that we feel strongly about, its also educating others about it and making them appreciate the value of print.

2. Print is a specialist area; do you feel this limits the audience of it?

The problem with print is that there are so many generations that have been introduced to print in different ways. The older generations were brought up with print, as this is all that was available at the time. They need the physical object to make it feel real to them. As they have been brought up with it they appreciate the long processes and craftsmanship that print takes, they are used to the product and want to change from that. In contrast the generation of today are brought up with digital products, which for them are more interesting and up to date within our society. This has affected print, as the younger generations aren’t introduced to print in the same way, resulting in little appreciation for the product. We see that students studying design gain respect for print and are now bringing back the older techniques we once saw in the beginning of print.

3. There is a lot of discussion within the design industry about print and the environmental harm it has on the world. To what extent is the company environmentally friendly?

Customers like to know that we are environmentally friendly and doing as much as we can to make the process as clean as possible. In order to achieve this we have started to put things. The ink which we use are all vegetable based and we now get them delivered in silicone tubs, so all of the ink within them can be squeezed out and used, leaving less wasted ink. Once an ink tub is empty we simply send them back to the supplier to be refilled.

The aluminum plates we use for the printing presses are all recycled once a print job has been completed; this is the same for any waste paper. Finally the new printing presses we use are print ready a lot quicker, this uses less stock.

Also these presses use less ink when printing.

4. Do you find that clients don’t understand print and the processes used?

As a company we are finding that clients are now coming to us with little knowledge about print and various print techniques, but they still want to create a product that uses all the techniques we have available. As the competition for print is less than previous years we find spending time with clients and explaining the processes, helps both them and us. The clients understand the processes of the presses and the costs involved which gives them a more realistic view of what they can afford, and we know that the product that will be printed will be what they want and knowing they will be satisfied with the end results. We always find that if we take time with clients and create a good relationship with them, they will always come back to us.

5. How do you feel about the relevance of print in the digital age?

We feel that print is as strong as ever, if not more. We have seen there is a decline within the volume of print runs, but it is more focused on the quality.

There are more bespoke designs being sent through to us, with the use of printing techniques, stock and formats taking the limelight. The new generation of designers that are coming of university degrees are bringing back the printing techniques and old school printing, which we think is great and it all has an impact on success of print.

6. Do you feel that digital design is going to take over print?

In the present time, no we don’t think it will. It is evident to us that the need for print is still there as we still have high demands for print runs.

We feel that the knowledge of print is essential to any designer, knowing how to produce design work for print is important to any designer and will go a long way. In terms of digital design it is an area of design that is becoming more popular but we feel there isn’t the same value in digital products as print. With print you need to see it, to see the value of it, once you see the approaches, processes and craftsmanship taken to produce one print run the value of a product from that print run is much higher than any digitally created design which can be replicated by the click of a mouse.

In terms of digital within the print industry, the use of digital print is much higher than before, because it is cheap to produce and can be churned out very quickly. We see that clients use this process for printed material that isn’t as important; products that aren’t showcasing the company or public facing.

7. Do you think there is room for print and digital design to work together?

Yes there definitely is. As a company we don’t feel threatened by digital, instead we are looking to work with them. Any company will need printed material, even a digital company. For them the use of high quality, bespoke printed products will benefit the way the company is viewed and also presented to their clients. It is evident that people like to see things printed rather than digital, so showing a client their work through a nicely printed publication seems the right option.

Looking back at the environmental factor, people believe that digital is more friendly than print because it looks clean and they don’t see anything coming out of it, but all the times that it is charged in its lifetime will equate to a lot more energy usage than any production of a printed product. Print is as friendly if not more than digital.