The advent of the internet and social media has forever changed the design and marketing landscape. Traditional media, including the likes of television, radio and print advertising, had to adapt to this new digital age where consumers were no longer confined to them. It is tempting to assume that these old forms of traditional media are dying out, but in the case for print, this is actually far from the truth. Even today, print advertising and printed branding materials are commonplace, making print design an integral part of the modern media landscape.
Digital Design and Print Design
Digital design, and in effect digital advertising, has a greater reach than print design, but it can only exist as pixels on a screen. The lack of physical interaction with digital media in this way can be less engaging to the consumer compared to physical media. Print design and print advertising, however, are limited by their physical form as they are limited geographically to whom they can reach. This is why it is important to use both print and digital design when considering how you want to brand and market your business. For a more in-depth comparison on the advantages and disadvantages of digital and print marketing, check out our article on the topic.
What is Modern print Design?
Print design encompasses more than just posters and business cards; it includes everything from business signs, flyers, tickets, forms, pens, stickers and so much more. Due to the many technical innovations of the past 10 years, you can now print on virtually any surface you can touch, expanding the potential reach of print design products. This new versatility of print design is what makes it a main stay in many marketing projects undertaken today.
There is also another reason that print design has had so much success in keeping up with digital content, and that is the popularisation of 3D printing. Thanks to 3D printing, print design is no longer confined to being printed on a 2D surface. It can now be sculptural with greater tactile features. The possibilities of 3D print design have already had wide spread effects on many industries including areas like medicine, model making, manufacturing, and construction. As 3D printing becomes cheaper and more refined it is sure to become a larger part of print marketing projects in the future.
Print Design Today
While print design, and by default print advertising, no longer enjoy a monopoly on the flow of information to the masses, they are still important to consider when creating design assets for you and your company as they can have a big impact on how people physically interact with your brand.