Design for Printed Materials

In a generation of hyperactive media such as DVDs, digital TV, and of course the web, it almost feels as if printed material may not be necessary and as impactful in the coming years. However, in my opinion at least, print design will forever remain just as effective and is here to stay, no matter how tech savvy our world will become. Although both web and print designers share a lot in common, there are still significant variations that people (including ones inside and outside the industry) usually do not notice or understand.  These variations may range from tools and key terms to workflow/work environment and file specs/formats.

I believe the primary difference (among the many) between the two practices is how users approach and experience design. Physically holding something in your hands, whether it be a piece of paper, a brochure, or a book, is a completely different experience than looking at something on a screen. Not only can the colors differ, but the feeling of a soft-touch coated magazine or an embossed hardcover book will never be experienced through web. No matter what the final product may be, design always needs to make a good impression and printed materials present a beautiful mixture of textures and effects that is guaranteed to provide just that.

Now, I don’t mean to sound biased, and I am also not trying to say one is better than the other, but I do believe the the two disciplines have their individual advantages and disadvantages. I just want to point out and sort of make a reminder to all that print design is not being taken over by web/digital design – as stated before, they are just on two sides of the same coin.

As a creative agency in Los Angeles, one of our many services we provide is to design marketing assets, which may include printed materials every now and then. Below is a poster I designed for the re-released app game, Lumines.