Essay

How has the Print Industry been affected by the need for digital media and the growth of new technologies?

It would be naive to assume that ‘Print is Dead’, but considering the shift from traditional print to digital media it is safe to say that print is having to battle against the growth of new technologies. It was inevitable that one day there would be such a demand for digital media but where exactly does this leave print? A vast increase in the number of smaller printing businesses having to close over the past few years highlights the vulnerable position of print, but does this mean to say that one day print will no longer be valued?

The printing revolution started in the 1450’s when Gutenberg created the notion of moveable type, which lead to the printing of the first bible in 1454. A significant development within print, which meant that for the first time print, could be used as a form of mass communication to thousands of people at what was considered to be reasonably inexpensive. By ‘1470’s every city in Europe had established printing companies’, and by the ‘1500’s around four million books had been printed’.

‘The history of printing is an integral part of the general history of civilization. The principal vehicle for the conveyance of ideas during the past five hundred years, printing touches upon, and often penetrated, almost every sphere of human activity..’

Steinberg, SH. (1974), Five Hundred Years of Printing, (Page 11)

It is print that revolutionised the form of mass communication and continues to do so with print technology continuing to develop further. Print played a fundamental part in how society revolutionised communication; print was at the forefront of communication and it was only towards the end of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries when the digital age began to impact on value of print;

‘…As the digital revolution took hold, newspapers lost half of their advertising income, one quarter of their subscribers and 30 percent of their editorial capacity… triggering hundreds of newspaper bankruptcies and tens of thousands of layoffs.’

Kovarik, B. (2011), Revolutions in Communication, (Page 101)

No one could have predicted just how much the digital revolution would have impacted on the print industry – but this did not mean that print was going to stop it came to the point where printed mediums and digital technologies would have to merge and work along side each other and not against each other, but this was easier said than done.

The beginning of 1995 saw the publication  ‘The End of Print’ showcasing the iconic works by Graphic Designer David Carson, who’s work was valued for the sole purpose of having broken the traditional rules and aesthetic of graphic design. Carson’s work didn’t follow the rules of ‘form follows function’ – he opted for a completely different style, which continued to impact on and influence many other designers. Carson had designed the book himself with the text written by Lewis Blackwell.  The revised edition of the book from 2000 highlights the shift between print and digital media and the reasoning behind the title of the book;

‘The Internet was firmly established, but few believed it would move so rapidly to become the overheated commercial reality and hype that it is today… The front-page news story told of an Internet business that had swallowed up many of the most venerable brands and content in the print, film and TV media… If such a business activity seems to involve a certain amount of hype, it also involves a certain amount of hard evidence: the U.S magazine industry has seen a 50 percent decline in overall ad pages in the 1990’s compared with the 1980’s while American newspaper have continued their thirty-year losing streak on circulation. We were not that provocative with out title… there are still those who cannot accept that the costs and limitations of print will condemn it to exist as a specialist medium rather than as a means of true mass communication… Websites and emails are rapidly eroding the need for printed-paper.  Now we are a little clearer on how ‘The end of Print’ links to general culture. There is noting challenging in the idea that print is most definitely a ‘Sunset Industry’… ‘The End of Print’ was a title that simply captured the notion that we were seeing the end of our certainty in print as The Communicator – an illusion that was long overdue for destruction. ‘

Blackwell, L. (2000), The End of Print: The Graphic Design of David Carson, 2nd Edition,  (page 7)

The text is in reply to a letter that was written by a young design student who was focusing on developing a better understanding on contemporary graphic design legibility. Blackwell makes an interesting statement about the limitations and cost of print implying that it is a specialist medium that cannot cater for the mass audience, but it could be said the internet and other digital mediums too have specific limitations. What cannot be achieved by print may be better suited by a digital medium but this still comes at an expense. Digital technologies are continuing to develop at a rapid rate but this comes at a cost. Before digital mediums print was considered as a means of mass communication and as times goes on will continue to serve it’s purpose as a sufficient means of communication. The decline in advertising in newspapers and other print forms wasn’t an indication that print was on the decline – it simply meant that there were other means of advertising through digital mediums which could be seen as more effective. Advertising within printed mediums still stands strong to this day; new and innovative forms of print have ensured it is kept alive. An article in Ray Gun magazine, which has been featured in ‘The End of Print’, discusses the change from print based to digital design and how this affected Carson as well as other designers. At the time, which ‘The End of Print’ was published, it was considered a ‘defining period for the profession as it moved abruptly and rather bewilderingly into the digital world’ Like most other designers Carson understood that ‘his work needs to embrace motion and the web.’ Whereas many designers were keen to leave the world of print behind Carson was aware that there needed to be a balance between both. By no means did Carson stop working with print as soon as the digital age emerged, he continued to use print as a medium for communication but at the same understood how digital mediums and the web were the way forward.

It was argued that print would be on the decline because the web seemed more exciting; it was a innovation that changed people’s lives on a daily basis. During the time of the digital revolution many designers recognised the need for print based design that was creative and which explored new possibilities and changed the way print was seen, it needed to be refreshed and create the same sense of excitement that digital media was creating.

Jessica Helfand writer on essays about Graphic Design, New Media, and Visual Culture, states how the need for digital media and new technologies has been driven by the change in how society has developed and changed, to the point were print was no longer able to communicate to the masses as effectively as the internet could. However it didn’t imply that print would no longer be a viable means of communication, it just meant that the internet would be better suited for certain means of communicating.  An essay titled ‘Sticks and Stones Can Break My Bones but Print Can Never Hurt Me: A Letter to Fiona on First Reading The End of Print’ discusses the importance of typography and ones ability to read words and form sentences, the point being that whether something is printed or seen on screen it will still say the same thing, ‘A lot of people say print is dead… Print isn’t dead, sweetheart. It’s just sleeping.’ As digital technologies are developed, new ideas are transforming the way in which we communicate, but as the digital world develops so does the print industry. There has never been a time were print as been so innovative and exciting. The development of digital technologies only furthers the demand for print that pushes the boundaries.

‘Publishing is Dead, Long Live Publishing’ – Quite a powerful statement from a well established graphic design magazine titled ‘Grafik’ that has been around since the 1980’s but also rather ironic considering it has had to stop being published, for what is the second time. The underlying reason as to why the magazine stopped publishing was due to the fact that the publisher no longer wished to support the magazine financially. Grafik had originally been struggling through the recession hence why they sold their title to publishers in the first place. During their initial launch after having seized publishing the team had decided to redirect much of their content online ‘We will always be in love with print but we’re also excited by how we can interact with people online. It’s a brilliant medium for creating a sense of community’ So much content and information is now available online allowing users to interact with the magazine. It seems like a reasonable point, why not generate interest through other means of communication, but is this impacting on the need for printed magazines?  An article by Angharad Lewis states that there is no reason for printed magazines to suffer as long as they;

‘…think in a completely different way about content, design and readership when considering the new digital platforms and find a strategy to diversify’ also raising a point that ‘Some others are refusing too enter the digital world while others are leaving print behind altogether’.

Lewis, A. (2011), Publishing is Dead, Long Live Publishing, Grafik Magazine, Vol 1, (No. 189), pp. 57-65

It could be said that many magazines today have decided to stop working with printed publications and redirected all their content online with some even creating ‘ezines’.  The online magazine requires less start up cost but can still offer the same amount of advertising space as a printed magazine. An online magazine requires less financial input as it doesn’t need to be printed and distributed – which are the main expenses of a printed magazine and yet it can continue to bring stable revenue. This could be considered a more viable option, which has less financial risk. At the same time e-book readers, iPads and tablets have proven to be quite successful, with the intention that you no longer need to buy a physical copy of a book, as certain devices enable you to download and enjoy thousands of books in one place. Many have already taken to the idea of not having to buy books but this isn’t the case for everyone, there are still those who haven’t lost sight of the value of a printed book.

Issue 189 of Grafik magazine featured an article focusing on the introduction of the iPad and how it was changing the face of publishing. American magazine Wired US set of their first iPad issue of the magazine, which lead to over 100,000 purchasers, quite a significant amount but within five months this had dropped to 23,000. With sales of iPad’s on the increase it would seem that the only problem is that;

‘…consumers are using the iPad to read digital versions of print publications; they jump from title to title rather than loyally following a single one. This seems natural for such a new medium – readers want to see what can be done with the format.’

Lewis, A. (2011), Publishing is Dead, Long Live Publishing, Grafik Magazine, Vol 1, (No. 189), pp. 57-65

Even with the introduction of the iPad it can’t be confirmed there will be a decline in the number of people purchasing printed magazines, designers and publishers are having to work together to create a balance between print and digital mediums and considering how they work together. By assuming that they can work without print by redirecting their content online would simply alienate what is a well-established vast audience.

It was 1980 when Terry Jones first established i-D magazine, and since then it had has gone on to be one of the leading magazines in the graphic design community. Jones points out that the survival of their printed magazine relies on their online presence, as society and culture changes a long with the digital revolution – so does the format of the magazine.

‘…  The question now is whether these magazines can move forward. This whole print and non – print argument is an on going one. What we produce has to become more valuable. And the Value of the physical object has to go hand – in – hand with what we do online, which is why online is growing. I see the importance of long – term value, versus the ephemeral, increasing… The survival of print is more a question of the survival of the methods by which it’s being distributed’

Moshakis, A. (2011) The Bright Future of Independent Publishing, It's Nice That, Vol 1, (No. 7), pp. 67-71

Terry Jones confirms the value of print but also recognises the changes and development of digital mediums; a stark contrast against the ideas of Lewis Blackwell in ‘The End of Print’ who states that print cannot survive against digital media. Having directed a lot of content online i-D magazine is able to cater to a wider audience but at the same time are able to direct their web audience back to the magazine. Jones discusses the point that the survival of print is reliant on the way in which it is being distributed; it can be assumed that not only does print need to be distributed to a wider audience but it also needs to allow people to be able to interact with it – something which has pushed digital communication much further.

The debate regarding print v digital has been going on for a while now, and will continue to go on. There are those who have taken to the digital revolution, found it’s potential and exploited it, and are still finding new ways to develop the technology further. On the other hand there are those who have stayed loyal to print, found ways of pushing the boundaries and continued to source innovative ways of printing without feeling threatened by the rapid expansion of the digital revolution. Finally there are those like Terry Jones who have developed a balance, a considered understanding that print and digital mediums must interact and work together to strive; in essence it would be naive to assume that one could possibly work without the other. Both provide a sufficient means of communication and will continue to do so for some time. It cannot be denied that digital media and new technologies have affected the print industry but it can only be considered a positive effect. It is digital revolution that has allowed print to develop, a catalyst that has driven print to become stronger. As Jessica Helfand writes ‘Print isn’t dead, sweetheart. It’s just sleeping.’

Word count - 1973

Bibliography

1/ Blackwell, L. (1995), The End of Print : The Graphic Design of David Carson, London, Laurence King Publishing

2/ Blackwell, L. (2000), The End of Print : The Graphic Design of David Carson, 2nd Edition, London, Laurence King Publishing

3/ Breede, M. (2009), The Brave New World of Publishing: the Symbiotic Relationship Between printing and Book Publishing, Oxford, Chandos Printing

4/ Bolter, J. (2001), Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext and the Remediation of Print, London, Routledge

5/ Gere, C. (2002), Digital Culture, London, Reaktion Books Ltd

6/ Gomez, J. (2008), Print is Dead : Books in our Digital Age, New York, Macmillian 

7/ Helfand, J. (2001), Screen, Essays on Graphic Design, New Media, and Visual Culture, New York, Princeton Architectural Press

8/ Jedlicka, W. (2009), Sustainable Graphic Design: Tools, Systems and Strategies for Innovative Print Design, Oxford, John Wiley & Sons

9/ Kovarik, B. (2011), Revolutions in Communication, New York, The Continuum International Publishing Group

10/ Lewis, A. (2011), Publishing is Dead, Long Live Publishing, Grafik Magazine, Vol 1, (No. 189), pp. 57-65

11/ Moshakis, A. (2011) The Non - Formulas Behind a Magazine, It's Nice That, Vol 1, (No. 7), pp. 59-66

12/ Moshakis, A. (2011) The Bright Future of Independent Publishing, It's Nice That, Vol 1, (No. 7), pp. 67-71

13/ Steinberg, SH. (1974), Five Hundred Years of Printing, Suffolk, The Chaucer Press