There is still a market for print communications. Brochures, sales sheets, even print ads still are effective. You just have to know your audience and choose the right vehicle for that group.
People are burned out of being online, so print has a huge impact. This is not to say that just because one medium is hot that the other can’t exist — it all works together. My clients have found success in catering to their audience with both print and digital versions of pieces I create for them. Touch and personalization are still key and help you stand out from all the ads and junk online.
Print rebound baby! There will always be digital and print media.
I agree 100% that print will have a rebound.
Print still has a place in marketing. However, the rise of digital media, accelerated by the pandemic, is indeed a primary focus now for us and our customers. Print must evolve and adapt to better support these changes. Honestly, looking at all media from a holistic view, what we use when, and in what combinations, will be driven by what is most effective for each individual project.
We are starting to see an uptick in print usage.
Print design will make a real comeback. The phenomenon of digital overload is a real worry.
Digital fatigue is real. I experience it and I’m in the business. I look forward to exploring what I get in the mail daily. It’s a needed break both for my eyes and my brain.
Digital fatigue is real, and because of it I think consumers are longing for things they can touch. You’ll make a different impact with print, because it is more rare. That said, we’re in a new world, so there will be a balance.
Remote work causes us to spend more of our time at home on a screen. Which means when the end of the workday rolls around, we want to do something other than look at a screen. I believe there will always be a place for print because we will tire of the novelty of digital everything.
There is no doubt that the pandemic created a need for digital access to resources and communications. With more and more companies increasing their virtual/work-from-home employee base, there’s less touch points for print communication in the workplace. However, digital fatigue is real, and I also believe that if people had the option to read a printed brochure vs. one on-screen, they would prefer the printed version.
There will continue to be a healthy mix of both mediums. Digital fatigue is a thing. People are gravitating towards less screen time, and we even are finding ways to utilize green and recycled print products. I believe the trend will move to sustainable print in addition to digital.
Print will NEVER die! Humans are wired for connection, and our sense of touch is one way that we connect with the world. I think that highly tactile finishes will continue to trend in print design, as will print pieces that incorporate augmented reality. I do think that screen fatigue is a reality, and that printed works are a welcome relief.
Digital fatigue and social media pushback will occur (already has), and the necessary communications will be print again.
Print still matters but I’d say we were already seeing a downward trend accelerated dramatically by the pandemic as employees and clients were working from home and realized they could get by with digital documents.
Any rebound based on digital fatigue will be modest and impermanent. The effects of the pandemic on all fronts are yet to be calculated. I live in Central Illinois and from my view see that print has a big piece of the pie. There is just something human about print that you can’t get in digital.
We wholeheartedly believe that there is value in well-designed materials that we hold in our hands, feel the paper’s texture, smell the ink, and enjoy the process of unpacking it and reading. We may reduce printing, but perhaps we may focus on a more targeted and valued production of materials.
The pandemic changed the way folks were sharing their materials and many things stayed digital. But we are receiving requests to print small print runs that can be mailed to constituents. Having a tangible piece that you can send to someone shows the level of care you put into your content. I feel there will be an uptick in printing.
The pandemic heightened people’s need for human interaction. People are shifting away from digital versions of books and magazines and are enjoying touching and reading the physical pages.
I disagree that things are trending away from print. People are always going to need printed items for a variety of reasons from packaging to business cards… everything cannot live digitally and whether people get fatigue or not we are a tactile and visual group (us humans) and we need to see and hold things that are not only on a dang screen!
I’ve worked remotely, mostly, and my work is largely print. Noticing the number of postcards, I receive in the mail each day proves to me that print is not dead.
I hope print rebounds due to digital fatigue! I know fewer emails are being opened so print is a great way to get in front of people.
Print will rebound as the pandemic recedes. Companies are returning to in-person trade shows; venues such as restaurants, concert halls and performance centers are opening, and all will require printed pieces. Logo design is always needed so print is not going away.
There will always be a need for print design as there will always be the desire to physically interact with an item or artifact, whether it be a post card, poster, book, or random item.
Social media is here to stay. Though I’m not convinced online advertising is delivering more ROI. If you have to deliver a lot of content or detail, I think a print piece is essential. People won’t read a lot onscreen
There must be a balance between the two mediums. Be smarter about what should be printed and what works more in digital.
Sustainability is pushing print design back but, as we understand, everything we do has an ecological impact; we need better information to decide if digital really is saving the environment.
Now that people are being allowed to work from home and most things seem to be done digitally, there will be a lot less paper. I also believe people are getting sick of social media, but I don’t think people want additional clutter. Digital forms and brochures are here to stay because they don’t have to be sorted and thrown away.
I agree that remote work has accelerated the trend away from print design, but I see print rebounding once we return to office.
I don’t believe newspapers will ever make comeback. I do believe there is the potential for print to grow but this growth is being tamped down by the high price of paper and delayed print press schedules.
Like politics, print will ebb and flow in popularity. That’s okay. Change and variety make the dynamic of this battle!
For certain things, we have now learned that digital works best and can be created accessibly for all. But I do agree that all the digital communication has made print more special and will stand out from all the digital clutter.
Print could rebound due to digital fatigue, but I wonder how remote workers will receive printed pieces/direct mail especially if their corporate locations have closed their doors.
Print will always remain a viable communications media; in conjunction with digital and social media rounds out a program to reach diverse audiences.
My focus is packaging design. I guess you can’t really be digital for 99% of this. I love working in print using materials and methods that are in the sustainable direction. My clients come to me for that very reason. If I had to make a claim: digital fatigue happened about 4 years ago … before the pandemic.
Pairing new and more accessible technologies, like AR, will give print an added boost. I also believe specialty printing like digital foil gives print a boost.
Print will always work well for traditionalists and those with a sense of nostalgia (or for those who are tired of looking at a screen all day), so I don’t see it going away. However, since the pace of change is so fast in society — especially since the pandemic — print will likely become more of a luxury medium or one that’s used to punctuate campaigns in a surprising way. I don’t see direct mail going away, however: We still get mail, and some marketers will continue to rely on it.
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