The Future of Print—It’s All About the Brand

Posted by: Chris Lester, Principal Oct 05, 2009 0 Comments

There’s no shortage of conversations taking place about the future of print, or the lack thereof. Newspapers barely hanging on, phone books going straight to the recycling bin, printers closing shop—the examples are numerous. There’s no doubt that the Internet and interactive media are replacing print more rapidly than had been imagined, in part due to the cost of resources and awareness about print media’s environmental impact. It appears a mass print extinction is underway.

For many traditional print projects, the end is near, but instead of an all out extinction, there will be an evolution. The role of print is changing from an information delivery vehicle to a branding delivery vehicle. Print in the 21st century will be about experience, not information.

Traditional print is not yet completely gone, but it is quickly disappearing, as online tools become more sophisticated and gain greater adoption. It has become the norm to deliver information through websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, mobile apps, and any number of interactive resources that make information more meaningful and contextual. The reality is, there’s no better way to get and engage with information—a realization that the general public has come to not only understand, but fully embrace.

So where does that leave print? Squarely in the domain of branding. We will see print being used as a medium to communicate the quality of brand through exceptional design, sophisticated materials, and advanced printing techniques. Budgets will shift from spending as little as possible on a great deal of printing to spending more on far less printing.

Expect to see some of the standard formats disappear as well, once print is freed from the budgetary constraints of scale. A new advent of print design that explores unique and original ways to interact with materials will certainly follow. There will also be a greater emphasis on alternative materials and processes that have a low environmental impact.

Printers will need to shift focus to a highly creative boutique model and increase their ability to produce sophisticated and custom pieces of work. It will become more of an art and less of a trade, the result being fewer print pieces of much greater quality.

Government agencies, non-profits, and corporations looking to reinforce their marketing will turn to print as a powerful way to broaden exposure, engage the senses, and help solidify positive associations with their brands. They will invest more time and resources to develop print projects that make a great impression, have a longer shelf life, and are more environmentally responsible.

From the perspective of branding and design this is a positive development. The value of highly creative print is finally coming to light. In the very near future, expect to see print that feels great, looks beautiful, and engages the senses in unique and powerful ways not previously seen.

Gutenberg’s revolution is about to take another turn, one that will not only benefit culture, but also more responsibly use materials. New media and scarcity of natural resources will finally force print to become more innovative and creative—a win-win for branding and design, not to mention society as a whole.

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Chris Lester

Principal

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