Talking to WeAreGlad

As part of my design context but also enabling me to secure industry links as part of my PPD, I sent a few questions on a current topic I am very interested in; 'Print is Dead.' I adapted the questions slightly and sent these to designers, printers and paper suppliers to see the varying responses.

This is the the response from We Are Glad designers:

We Are Glad

Hi Kirsty,

Thanks for getting in touch - please see my responses below:

1. How do you think the current rise in digital has affected the way in which you design for print?

I think that print used to be about mass communication. I think that it is now more about luxury. The internet can do mass communication for us and costs a lot less. If you’re going to print something, you do it for a reason. So I think that you design for print with a knowledge that it needs to do something that digital can’t do.

2. Are more clients requiring high spec print jobs than previously?

Glad has only been around for a couple of years, but I do see a real interest in more expensive stocks, materials and processes like letterpress, foiling, embossing etc.

3. When working on a print job, is it necessary for you to take into consideration print processes and print finishes from the initial stages of the design process? 

Yes - print and production is part of the design, just as central as the choice of colour, typeface and imagery.


4. Do you use print processes in your designs to demonstrate the quality of the subject/content?

We use print processes to communicate. It’s not always ‘quality’ that needs to be communicated. Perhaps the process needs to help the work feel retro or authentic, as opposed to quality. Again, it’s a tool in the design toolbox to work alongside colour, style etc. to communicate whatever needs to be communicated.

Best of luck,

Dave.

As part of my design context but also enabling me to secure industry links as part of my PPD, I sent a few questions on a current topic I am very interested in; 'Print is Dead.' I adapted the questions slightly and sent these to designers, printers and paper suppliers to see the varying responses.

This is the the response from Leeds based graphic designers Box-Head:

Box-Head

1. How do you think the current rise in digital has affected the way in which you design for print?

It hasn’t affected how we design for print. We find that editorial design and layout have lot’s of cross over with Design for Print and Design for Web

>
> 2. Are more clients requiring high spec print jobs than previously?

Yes and No. We find clients are using print for shorter run, more bespoke jobs, things that digital/web cannot do, Like Process heavy invites etc.

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> 3. When working on a print job, is it necessary for you to take into consideration print processes and print finishes from the initial stages of the design process?

Yes - We normally get someone in from the printers/paper company to discuss potential specs and explore different paper stocks etc.

>
> 4. Do you use print processes in your designs to demonstrate the quality of the subject/content?

Yes

Personal Business Card Development

Using the new branding and logotype I created for myself, I have considered new design layout for my business cards.

KIRSTY FRUIN Business Card

Duffield Printers, Hello

As part of my design context but also enabling me to secure industry links as part of my PPD, I sent a few questions on a current topic I am very interested in; 'Print is Dead.' I adapted the questions slightly and sent these to designers, printers and paper suppliers to see the varying responses.

This is the the response from Leeds based printers, Duffield:

Hi Kirsty,

I hope my answers below help you with your research?

If you require any further information please let me know and I’ll assist if I can.

1. How do you think the current rise in digital based media has affected print based media?

It has had a significant effect and the print industry has been in a rapid decline for a few years now. Digital smaller run print is the growth area in the market place. We do believe print will always be a requirement but a lot less of it from previous generations. Printed packaging is also a growth area in print.

2. Do you think the rise in digital media has affected the way in which designers design for print?

Certainly on marketing campaigns where the customer is using both (cross media) ie/ Direct mail followed up with an email campaign.

3. Is it beneficial for designers to take into consideration print processes and print finishes from the initial stages of the design process?

Yes because budget is usually a big factor and there’s no point designing a print piece with lots of special finishes on designer paper if the client doesn’t have the budget to match.

4. Has there been a noticeable change in type of print jobs clients require?

Smaller run lengths in general.

No longer produce NCR receipt books/invoice sets etc. Also big reduction in amount of Letterheads/compliment slips being produced, most people now email instead of sending letters or hard copy invoices.

As part of my design context but also enabling me to secure industry links as part of my PPD, I sent a few questions on a current topic I am very interested in; 'Print is Dead.' I adapted the questions slightly and sent these to designers, printers and paper suppliers to see the varying responses.

This is the the response from Fedrigoni paper suppliers:


Hi Kirsty,

I hope you are well. Your email has been forwarded onto me by a colleague.

In looking at your questions, I think some of these questions would be better posed to a designer.

I will attempt to answer them however, sorry in advance for the short responses, I am extremely busy at moment.


1. How do you think the current rise in digital based media has affected the use of paper in print based media?

Some paper companies are struggling (research on this). Print naturally has deteriorated, but there will always be a need to have hard copies of everything. People passionate about paper will never let this happen!

2. Do you think the rise in digital media has affected the way in which designers use paper stocks for print?

I would say that they could be after paper that has more of a wow factor now, than before where they could have been happy with the typical white uncoated stockse etc, but now there is a lot more energy in using the best papers for their job.

3. Is it beneficial for designers to take into consideration paper stocks from the initial stages of the design process?

Yes, it is. Because each paper produces different results. They have to spec the paper in order to see what could achieve the desired look and feel of what they are going for. Plus they have to know what papers are suitable for what printing method.

4. Are more clients requiring bespoke paper stocks than previously?

Not really, no. Just more value for their money.
5. Has there been a noticeable change in type of paper stocks clients require?

No, each person / client is different and has different needs i.e. a greetings card manufacturer would need different papers to that of a calligrapher etc. That is hard to gauge unless a survey of a particular group of designers/printers was undertaken.


I hope this helps in some way towards your project! 

Have a good day.

Kibibe Bailey
Marketing assistant

Response from Team Printers

As part of my design context but also enabling me to secure industry links as part of my PPD, I sent a few questions on a current topic I am very interested in; 'Print is Dead.' I adapted the questions slightly and sent these to designers, printers and paper suppliers to see the varying responses.

This is the the response from Team-Impression printers:

Simon, Hello!

Thank you for having us in the other week, we really appreciated your time.

Whilst talking to you we touched upon the current situation with regards to the use of print today. I am currently working on a brief questioning the statement 'Print is Dead' so wondered if you could please take a few minutes to answer the following questions?

1. How do you think the current rise in digital based media has affected print based media? Massively, the truth is that lots of printing companies have ‘died’, any printer producing ink on paper products that we basically used for info only uses such as price lists, catalogues etc has suffered as this can be produced more effectively and easily updated electronically on the web. The marketing budget is now split across far more mediums (print, SMS, e-mail, web, etc) than it used to be. Therefore what is spent on print and paper is a fraction of say 10 years ago.

What printing companies have had to do is really find their USP to add value to what they do, just been a printer is not enough in these times. At Team we embraced the high end design led markets (fashion, arts, corporate) offering a full in house service of all facilities (litho, digital, POS, foiling, embossing, varnishing, etc) to enable us to produce any client requirement to any quantity.

Other printers have embraced more of a marketing solutions approach by linking print to SMS and electronic media, this is termed web to print. Either way just putting ink on paper is not enough.

2. Do you think the rise in digital media has affected the way in which designers design for print? Yes, because print is less used, when it is, designers want it to have more of a wow factor. Colours, processes, finishes, techniques, bindings are used to really make the experience of print more luxurious.

3. Is it beneficial for designers to take into consideration print processes and print finishes from the initial stages of the design process? Absolutely, see above. When designing for print, it is not just about creating something that looks good on screen, you need to know what is possible and how it will reproduce.

4. Has there been a noticeable change in type of print jobs clients require? Yes. Mainly shorter runs but more process and higher quality.


I hope you can find the time to answer my questions as it will truly aid the development of my brief.

Thanks,

Kirsty

Thank You Team Printers

Again, when visiting Team printers the other week we spoke about the current print situation however, I have sent Simon an email to both thank him for his time and get a written response to aid my design context project...