All posts tagged ipad

I live in the digital realm –

– a poster child of the Computer and Information Age. Whether I’m reading Gizmodo on my Hackintosh or flipping through Flipboard on my iPad, I am constantly surrounded in digital media.

It makes sense that I’m a digital designer. I swoon for UX projects because it lets me solve an interactive problem visually. You’ve got to predict the unpredictable nature of end users because there’s no single way to use an app or interact with digital media.

I used to envy print design. A lot. There’s nothing quite like the smell of ink, the feel of an excellent paper stock, and the tangibility of the work. Print design is real. You can hold it, feel it, and it’s there. Don’t even get me started on embossing and UV coats. Metallic Pantone inks? Ohhhh god. Just pick up the December 2010 issue of WIRED and you’ll see (and feel) exactly why I’m getting so flustered over here.

As much as I love my iPad and the crazy new paper-thin flexible displays, it truly saddens me that print design is “dying.” I entered the world of Graphic Design about five years into the transition to ‘completely digital’ design. The only reason I even picked up an x-acto knife in college was to cut the white border off something I printed from Photoshop. I had the privilege of viewing a professors portfolio deck a few weeks ago – work that spanned thirty years. Work he cut, pasted, photographed, and lettered by hand.

And it’s all better than any print work I’ve ever done. Everything.

But WIRED on the iPad is amazingly cool. It’s print… but it’s not. It’s digital design influenced by print – an evolution of a medium introducing multimedia, links, animations, and everything that I love about digital (interactive) design.

It’s easy and immersive… no wonder magazine and newspaper subscriptions have dropped 5.9% since last year. Print isn’t going anywhere in the short term, but it won’t be long before print is shadowed by digital copies. I think 10 years is a pragmatic estimate.

So why are people entering college in 2011 expecting to graduate four years later as an up-and-coming print designer? Does it even make sense? They’ll be out of a job in ten years. Right?

Until recently, I was convinced print designers were doomed to obsolescence. I, for one, accept our digital billboard and iPad e-reader overlords. Minority Report-esque digital signage will one day litter our aluminum-and-glass cities and hovering warp speed cars. There is no question that digital design is going to become a dominant player in the world of graphic design. Some would argue that is already is.

The real question: Is print dead, or is it evolving?

Anyone can appreciate craft – the production quality and feel of an object. Boutiques still create masterful vinyl turntables, point-perfect book layouts, and unreal poster designs. People can make a lot of money and a successful career doing boutique-style pieces. There will always be a niche demand for crafted objects.

This doesn’t mean vinyl record players aren’t dead. It’s an outdated medium lovingly used by hipsters because of how dead it is. Artists create vinyl copies of new albums for niche and keepsake appeal, but not for mass market. It’s not sustainable… which is the big issue with print. Can thousands of new print designers fit into the niche once print “dies”?
Probably not.

But what of these digital subscriptions? WIRED and New York Times look great on the screen. They pay homage to their print counterparts but also respect the new medium with interactivity and a digital refresh. Can print designers evolve with demand?

Would they still be print designers? I don’t know.

Pop the bubble

Regardless of opinion, it’s obvious that print design is changing. Young designers need to know understand not only the history, but the future of “print”. Skipping out on a Computer Science or Programming class because “you’re a print designer” is no longer a valid excuse. If print means “iPad version” in ten years then programming knowledge, or at least a basic understanding of programming dynamics, isn’t going to be a “would-be-nice”, it will be a must have.