Is printmaking becoming a thing of the past? Or, living in a (mostly) digital world, do we appreciate the process even more? Thoughts
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- @Natalia Glaz I completely agree with your point about Instagram content, I love using it but I mainly use it for work and I'm conscious of the negatives of the platform. It can throw us into such a negative spiral so I curate my feed so it's mainly lettering inspiration and accounts about sustainability :)
- @Ciana March I agree, I have noticed that too while doing my own projects. Handcrafted and then digitalised always looks and feels better!
- @Alister Shapley Great insight into the subject, thank you for that. I do agree with your predictions - a decrease in printing marketing materials is inevitable. More companies are looking for solutions on how to reach potential customer faster and engage with them through interesting content. I'd like to see print marketing though going tailored and targeted. Who doesn't appreciate a unique, beautifully crafted brochure or card? Also, thank you for Make's annual publication. Definitely want to see more of creative work like that.
- @Katelynne Kirk I totally agree with you, especially when it comes to books. I am one of these people who enjoy having and reading a beautifully crafted book and just being able to feel the texture (and enjoy the smell haha). 'I wonder if the fact that so much of life is digital now means we have more opportunities to become fans of certain artists' - this is such a great point. It is so much easier to find things that you like. Especially social media can provide a lot of exposure to artists but I have to admit I sometimes find platforms like Instagram to have too much of pointless (at least to me) content.
- Personally I appreciate the process even more. Even a print that eventually becomes digital, if made by hand first. has a richness to it that digital graphics can't rival!
- This question seems to have been a very popular one over the last few years with the rise of digital media. I certainly don't think it will ever become a thing of the past. The tactility of print and its visual texture is always going to be a draw. I suppose a more interesting question is how is print media going to change now we live in a digital world.We've seen an increase in letterpress, screenprint and risograph art pieces which is keeping the techniques alive. I also think print studios are making these processes a lot more accessible to people which is a great thing to keep print in popular culture.Print for product packaging is also never really going to leave. As things are ordered more online, external and internal packing is now becoming a key part of customer satisfaction. The more pleasing the packing with something extra inside the more that customer will use the store again and recommend to their friends. Certainly this has been my experience when ordering online and ordering from my local stores.Print in terms of brochure, flyer and are marketing leave behinds is what's going to change probably the most drastically. With digital marketing being so much cheaper and quicker print will inevitably take a back seat. Now I don't think it will be redundant but I think print marketing will be more bespoke, tailored and targeted. To be honest thinking about the waste caused by this kind of printing it's not a bad thing that the leave behind brochures are getting ditched by companies. A good example of print marketing is Make Architects annual (https://www.makearchitects.com/media/publications/annual-15/). Now this is a great piece of print marketing. Instead of the usual "how the company is doing" corporate annuals, this acts more like a contemporary architectural magazine complete with interviews with other professionals in the industry, thought and opinion pieces as well as obviously promoting Make.I'm going to stop there even though I could go on. This subject is certainly something I'm passionate about so I'm looking forward to reading other peoples thoughts on it. Also if anyone wants to continue the conversation on via a different channel please feel free to DM me.Thanks for starting the discussion @Natalia Glaz, I hope you found my response interesting.Thanks,Alister
- I definitely don't think it's a thing of the past. Some people used to say 'print is dead' and that we would all move to digitial but print is still going strong. Screen-printing is the same I think, certain people will always want that tactile, beautifully crafted element, a connection with the human who made it. In terms of printed books we maybe just look for even more luxury - cloth bound book covers with beautiful foils etc. as it's more precious to read a real book as opposed to a screen. What do you think?I wonder if the fact that so much of life is digital now means we have more opportunities to become fans of certain artists - we get a sense of them through social media as well as seeing their work. Maybe this shows we still want to have that 'made-by-a-real person' aspect, the same as ever, but how we make that connection has changed?
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