Is print dead, dying or just evolving?

Let’s go back in time. 

Not quite back to the first episode of Mad Men, but a time when I first started my career in a creative agency. In the mid-nineties most client briefs that came in to the studio would be very print based.

The cool kids in Hoxton and California were 100% digital. The rest of us did design for print.

For context, when a client would be looking to launch a new product it would be showcased in the jewel in the crown – a 24pp four colour brochure, with a matt lam to the outer cover. If the budget would stretch, we may have added a fifth colour, or even a spot UV varnish. Sexy. 

The extra layers would be 48 sheets, press advertising, bus backs, direct mail, flyers, data sheets, product guides and an alcohol-fuelled trade show or exhibition.

Amazon launched in 1995. Google launched in 1998. MySpace launched in 2003. Friends Reunited launched in 2000. Bebo… well, let’s just leave it there shall we.

We’re not all millennial digital natives like our Hoxton friends, but we've all evolved, adapted, learned and survived. From my design and marketing perspective the world is a more interesting place. With digital we can laser target, create a massive visual impact and integrate thinking with the good old print channel.

One of my dear relatives (in her 80s) reads books on a Kindle, does all her grocery shopping online, rides around London courtesy of Uber and goes on Tinder (one of these isn’t true). Even if the digital transformation of global brands doesn’t buzz you, you cannot fail to have a bit of digital in your daily blood. 

We have arrived.

For a wider view, I asked a few of my friends and clients for comment:

"Print is not dying but it needs to evolve, fast. A key question for B2B businesses in 2021 is how do you reach your target audience with print based media if a large percentage of your prospects are now home-based, rather than office based? Getting in front of them with your print media suddenly becomes so much harder. The answer could involve much more personal outreach via email or social media, gaining permission all over again for direct mailings to a prospects home address". 

Robin Bodicoat, Marketing Director, Quotient Sciences ??

Maeve Manogue. Proofreader (ex Elmwood and Design Bridge) adds ??

"I think there will always be a need – and desire – for print in certain formats. For example, packaging. Many brands have iconic and even collectable packaging (Apple and premium spirits to name a few). Beautifully designed and considered packaging being part of the customer experience is an important brand consideration. For at least a few more decades, there will always be people like myself, who favour a physical book over digital or audio. I love the smell of a freshly printed book or magazine and the action of page-turning rather than swiping.

We all thought vinyl and CDs were dead, but there’s been a huge resurgence in demand for vinyl. Sure, it’s due to the audio experience, but I think the sleeves play a part in it too. It’s the physicality of the LP sleeve, poring over the details and reading the lyrics and sleeve notes. It’s a much richer experience than listening on Spotify or Amazon Music, and I think there will always be demand for print on some level”. 

And from Andy Peat. Pre-Press Manager, Print 4 ??

"The industry has seen significant changes over the years, the digital revolution was definitely something most saw on the horizon and not an overnight disruptor. But it has still created big challenges to certain sectors of the print industry as customers harness the power of digital marketing. 

We are now moving in to a time when sustainability is front and centre and the print industry has adapted well to these challenges. There has never been such a wide selection of sustainable and recycled substrates, and that’s fantastic. Last year we printed a job using recycled denim and another was printed on an artisan specialist paper made from elephant dung. Print’s not dead, just leaner and fitter”.

In this beautiful digital world we live in print isn’t dying or dead even, it just continues to evolve in harmony with its digital comms counterpart.

I'd like to think print is something that is still very dear to all of us – and as we get further into digital transformation, print will still continue to be a strong ally to digital marketing comms, or as a standalone emotional touchpoint.

Is print dead, dying or just evolving?

Images: Print4 / Bloom and Wild / Farrow.

I’d really welcome your comments below ??