You may think you are an expert on graphic designers. Designers use special software and design principles to create logos, websites, and other digital content such as infographics. It’s that simple, right?
But not so fast. While digital graphic design may be the most prominent, that doesn’t mean print designs are obsolete. Print design is still an essential part of the design industry. Incoming graphic designers must have strong print design skills in order to be marketable. What is print design? And why is it important? This often overlooked aspect of graphic design was answered by design experts.
Print design: What is it and why does it matter?
Print designs are printed on media such as brochures, billboards, and business cards rather than digital spaces such as websites. Print design has the same goal as digital designs: to communicate a message to viewers using visual graphics. It might appear that print design is rare at first glance. You’ll soon see that print design is everywhere. Print designs are a common part of everyday life. This makes graphic design crucial to advertising campaigns and brand marketing.
Communication is at the heart of graphic design. Print design is just one way to reach your audience and share your message. Hewling states that print design will continue to be necessary even if everyone can digitally project all of their messages. You should be able to create strong and compelling print pieces that will help you build stronger relationships with your target. Print design is evolving with digital technology. Mark Krenn, founder and CEO of Coastal Creative points out that marketing and experiential design “bridge the gap between offline and online worlds” with immersive print design. Print design will not disappear anytime soon, thanks to the new technology that combines print design and the digital space. Advertisers need comprehensive campaigns that reach all potential customers. This means that a mix of digital and printed advertising will continue to be viable.
Different types of print design
We take print design for granted, and it is everywhere. Print media is still a key component of traditional business marketing. In publishing industries, print design is a key component. A well-designed cover can help increase book sales.
These are just a few examples of types of print design you should be aware of:
- Business cards
- Packaging, labels, and shopping bags with branding
- Brochures
- Billboards
- Interiors and book covers
- Magazines and newspapers
- Signage
- Stationery
- Invitations and greeting cards
- Calendars
- Posters
- Menus
- Banners
- Print design vs. digital design
Both digital and print design have many similarities. Both share the goal of communicating with a target audience. The basic principles of design are the same for digital and print media. There are a few ways that creating printed designs is different from digital design. Krenn says that print designers must be able to work within a set of parameters and ensure the final product is perfect. This is different from digital design work, as mistakes and errors can be easily corrected with digital design. Another point to be made is that print design can be more expensive than digital. An error in a printed job can cost you thousands of dollars. This can result in a loss of material that could cost thousands and require a complete redo. Krenn says that printing design has hard fixed costs that aren’t comparable in digital. The additional challenge for print designers is working within narrow parameters. There is a limit on the size of banners or business cards, and the maximum number of words that can fit in a magazine spread. These boundaries must be kept in mind by print designers at all times.
Print design skills are essential for the workforce
Graphic designers require special skills to meet the challenges of printing design. This area of design requires you to be able to use a variety of software programs and understand the basic principles of print design in order for you succeed.
