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Half a dozen major themes assert themselves throughout
the results of our 2004 survey, mailed to 1,500 creatives
selected at random in early June:
Print Is
Powerful
Print is still the number one way that graphic
designers earn a living and disseminate clients' messages.
Its classic strengths and values - permanence, tangibility,
sensuality, convenience, portability - deeply touch
and connect with the humanity that we share. Print pieces
are seen to work on a practical and an emotional level,
communicating and connecting as stand-alone projects
or in a cross-media context. Indeed, a new and important
theme emerged in the current survey. Designers are saying
that the cacophony of our digital age is actually making
the well designed, well specified and well printed piece
ever more persuasive and valuable.
Print Is Stable
The "paperless society" was an urban
myth. Now designers expect the mix of print in professional
and personal lives will remain relatively stable for
the foreseeable future. In trying to sort out the causes
of the print "ice age" of the past few years,
they believe it was more about external factors - the
post-9.11, post-bubble trauma - than about a flight
from print. Their prediction is that most, though not
necessarily all, types of print communication will rise
with the tide.
The Hibernation Ends
Creatives are shaking off the malaise, the torpor,
the dormancy, and again showing interest in mind-expanding
ideas and possibilities. With regard to print, this
is manifesting itself in the exploration of new techniques
and technologies; a marked enthusiasm for seeing swatchbooks,
promotions and spec reps; a fresh look at richer colors
and textures in the text and cover market; a renewed
interest in recycled papers; and somewhat more focus
on quality instead of price. These are traditional indicators
that the design community is feeling more optimistic
about business and the future.
Clients And Price
Creative professionals are embracing traditional
notions of quality in printing and paper with even more
enthusiasm than in the past few surveys. Most appreciate
the confidence that comes from character, craft, experience,
source and brand, and they recognize that confidence
sometimes comes at a premium price. But the battle lines
between quality and commoditization are sharpening,
largely because clients have learned to play the "price"
card during the past few hard years, but also because
our instant-gratification culture tends to lower standards
and devalue expertise. As the decade unfolds this faultline
between quality and commodity will remain the watershed
issue for every aspect of the visual arts, including
print products and services.
Digital Print Moves Mainstream
Last year we noted that creative professionals
were starting to adopt new print-related digital technologies
- workflow, proofing and printing - in meaningful numbers.
Many technologies are making print and prepress easier,
faster, more accessible, more integrated, more efficient
and more productive. We speculated that the movement
toward digital workflow was nearing a "tipping
point," the moment at which many small changes
suddenly reach a critical mass. Today's results, particularly
with regard to digital short run color, suggest that
the tipping point is closer than even we had thought.
Information Is Power
The increasing number of creatives responsible
for print production and buying raises a new challenge
for schools, mills, manufacturers, associations and
publications. To keep print truly relevant, there must
be more education and information for the current generation
of designers, who need to tap new methods for efficient,
effective and targeted print; for the new generation
of designers, who are not classically trained and know
more about computer input than about materials and output;
for economically-pressed clients under pressure to demand
fast and cheap; and, now more than ever, for corporate
management and the broader public, who need to be reminded
of the power of print.
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