Marketing

Graphic Design for Print – A Lost Magical Art?

29 December 2024 Stuart Nimmo Designing for Print, Graphic Design, Using Print for marketing

Are you looking to elevate your designs and improve customer journeys? Print possesses a magic that no other communication medium can replicate. It captivates us not only visually but also engages all our senses. The way it feels in your hands, its texture, its weight, and the attention it demands create a powerful sensory experience. Harnessing this experience through your own design and branding is a powerful art that can guide customers on a journey of engagement.

Welcome to a realm where graphic design meets print—a place where creativity unlocks new potential and take on extraordinary forms. In this article, we will review the essential technical aspects of print design that every graphic designer should understand. We’ll also explore the power of printed designs and how they can enhance your brand presence and impact by transforming visuals into memorable experiences.

Are you ready to discover how your digital designs can transcend the screen and come alive? Let’s dive in!

Understanding the Technicalities of Print Design

The Essentials of Colour Models

So, what is print design? At its core, understanding colour models is fundamental. Transitioning from the RGB colour model used in digital design to CMYK for print is crucial. This shift ensures the colours you have carefully chosen and used in your designs are accurately represented in the final print. It’s not just a technical change but a necessary step to bring the true colours of your creative endeavours to life. It’s also important to note that these colours should work well in other graphic mediums like signage vinyl and silk screen. Just because you don’t intend to use your brand identity in a certain way doesn’t mean it won’t be used that way in the future.

Resolution Matters

What should graphic designers know about printing? One vital aspect is resolution. In print, resolution is king. Print is the original High-Definition media! High-resolution images ensure that every detail of your artwork—from the smallest text to the most intricate patterns—is crisp and clear. A standard of 300 dpi or higher is typically recommended for most print jobs, ensuring that what looks good on screen looks even better in print. Hence why knowing the difference between vector-based content and raster-based content is essential.

Mastering File Formats

Is print design the same as multimedia design? While they share some common ground, print design requires a specific understanding of file formats. Formats like PDF, EPS, or TIFF are preferred, as they preserve the quality and intricacies of your designs. These formats ensure that your work is printed exactly as you intended, maintaining its artistic integrity from screen to paper. So content from the likes of Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw with vector based elements will provide über sharp content, knowing how to use Vector and Raster (Photoshop) content correctly will serve you well in creating brilliant printed projects.

The Sensory Experience of Print

Engaging your audience with tangible touch

Is print design, graphic design? Print design is indeed the original form of graphic design. Graphic design commercialised art, bringing it into the commercial world of mass reproduction for commercial purposes – just look at the legendary London Underground Posters from over a century ago. Many traditionally trained graphic designers understand the substrates of paper and other production materials like garments or signage. The physicality of design plays a significant role in the process. The texture of the paper; whether smooth or embossed and its weight; from light flyers to heavy cardstock, all adding a tactile dimension to your design and creativity. This physical aspect creates a deeper engagement with the audience, allowing them not just to see your design but to feel it, too.

More engaging than just a visual experience

What is the benefit of print design? Printed materials engage more than just the sense of sight. They provide a multi-sensory experience that digital screens cannot replicate. The feel of the material, the sound of a page turning, and even the smell of the ink all contribute to how your audience connects with your design on a deeper level.

Transforming Visuals into Memorable Feelings

Creating Meaningful Emotional Engagement through Print

The power of print lies in its ability to evoke emotions and forge lasting connections. A well-designed printed piece can resonate with your audience, leaving a lasting impression. It’s about transforming your digital message into a physical experience that can be cherished and remembered. After all, no one ever cherished a PDF!

Storytelling through a Tactile Experience

What is graphic design for print? It serves as a storytelling medium, where choosing the right materials for your print design is akin to selecting the right words for a story. I remember, as a junior designer, standing in a freelancer’s studio in our print works. The freelancer meticulously observed me and my peers as we engaged with a corporate brochure. He was interested in where our eyes were drawn and what captured our attention, ensuring the piece would resonate with his client. When combined with different papers, finishes, and printing techniques, all aspects of design for print can evoke varied feelings and responses.

Enhancing Marketing Through Print

Incorporating print into your marketing strategy is not just an addition; it serves as a multiplier. It enhances the reach and effectiveness of your campaigns, ensuring that your brand message is not only seen and heard but also physically felt and remembered. With the right synergy between digital media and print design, alongside the expertise of print professionals, your brand can create a more powerful and lasting impact across all marketing channels. You might currently be implementing a multi-channel campaign for your clients, adding print collateral can develop this into a true omni-channel experience, where cross media referencing enhances the conversion from prospect to customer.

Total Synergy of Online and Print Mediums

The fusion of multi-media digital design and print design creates versatile and comprehensive solutions. This synergy enables graphic designers to weave a coherent brand narrative that transitions seamlessly from digital to print.

Unified Branding: Consistent branding across digital and print mediums reinforces your brand identity. By applying the same design principles, colour schemes, and messaging, your brand remains recognizable whether viewed on a screen or held in hand.

Complementary Strengths: The precision and permanence of print design complement the dynamic and interactive nature of digital design. While digital media offers immediacy and broad reach, print adds a level of credibility and physical engagement. For instance, a digital campaign can capture immediate attention, while a printed brochure or booklet can provide a tangible reminder of the brand, thereby enhancing recall and connection.

Target Audience Engagement: Different audience segments respond differently to various media. While some may engage more with digital content, others might find printed materials more trustworthy and relatable. Utilizing both mediums allows you to engage a wider audience, catering to their preferences and increasing the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Cross-Media Campaigns: Integrating print and digital campaigns can significantly enhance marketing impact. For example, including QR codes in print materials that link to digital platforms or launching social media campaigns that drive physical store visits exemplify how these two realms can be effectively bridged for a holistic marketing approach.

Working with Skilled Artisan Print Professionals

Collaborating closely with experienced print professionals enhances the quality and effectiveness of your print marketing materials. Their expertise in print technologies and materials can add a new dimension to your designs.

Choosing the Right Printing Method

Different printing methods—such as offset, digital, and screen printing—each have their advantages and are suited for various types of projects. A print professional can guide you in selecting the most appropriate method for your needs, considering factors like quantity, material, and finish.

Quality Assurance

Print professionals play a crucial role in quality control. They can advise you on the best paper types, finishes, and colours to suit your design, ensuring that the final product meets your expectations and resonates with your audience.

Proofing and Prototyping

Reviewing proofs and creating prototypes are essential steps in the printing process. These steps provide a preview of the final product, allowing you to make necessary adjustments before the full run. This ensures that your design translates perfectly from screen to print, maintaining its intended impact.

Streamlining the Process

Collaborating with print experts like HAD-Print can streamline the entire process, from design to distribution. They offer solutions for efficient production and distribution, ensuring that your print materials reach your audience in optimal condition and at the right time.

Printing with seasoned professionals like HAD-Print

Bringing your designs to life

HAD-Print is your partner in transforming your creative designs into tangible masterpieces. With our modern printing technology combined with our graphic design expertise, we ensure your designs are realized in their best form.

A wealth of physical marketing experience

As a cross-discipline print service provider, we know how to extend your branding across brochures, banners, exhibition graphics, and garment printing and embroidery. We address consistency across all elements to maximize your results. Our team works closely with you to ensure your vision is accurately translated from screen to print.

The HAD-Print advantage

Choose HAD-Print for the ease, reliability, and performance of our printing services. Our commitment to customer satisfaction and attention to detail ensures your brand elements and graphic designs are in good hands. With our expertise, your printed materials will not only meet but exceed your expectations. Print with confidence and enjoy timely, honest pricing to achieve your results.

Conclusion: The Power of Graphic Design in Print

The journey from digital media design to print opens up a new world of possibilities. By understanding the technical nuances and embracing the sensory richness of print, you can elevate your designs to a new level. Printed materials have the power to leave a lasting impact, making your brand and message unforgettable.

With HAD-Print, embark on this journey with confidence, knowing that your project will be handled by a creatively trained and highly experienced team that shares your aspirations. Let your creative visions transcend the screen and become tangible experiences that captivate and inspire. Your designs will not only be seen but also felt and remembered.

Have questions about getting started? Talk to us today; our team is ready to guide you along your print journey.

We’ve all heard the phrase one-stop…. Does it work for Trades based businesses?

4 February 2024 Stuart Nimmo Builders, Electricians, Marketing, Plumbers, Print, Site Signage, Trades, Workwear

Savvy Trades have come to discover that building a recognisable brand and having values to it, which reflect who and what you do can help achieve more in business.

Over the last few years, we’ve worked with multi-faceted construction businesses, one-man plumbers, country-wide gas and plumbing engineers, groundsmen and landscapers. What rings true is when they take their identity and use it to not just deliver the basics but tie the visuals and communications together.

HAD-Print – understanding your needs…

It often starts with workwear, which has numerous benefits, and promotion, builds awareness of who and what you do. With customers, it also sets a tone of professionalism with a standard of apparel that reflects the business. As one trades business said to us, “We even get sub-contractors wearing our kit, and then they take ownership of the job they are doing”. Customer expectations have shifted with the rising cost of everything, and labour charges reflect this, equally, customers do expect to see professionalism and presentation. We have a wide range of workwear, from high visibility through to thermal protection

Building on professionalism; Regulatory requirements also mean that ownership of site health and safety can mean localising to make it relevant. Here at HAD-Print, we are well aware of the requirements to produce compliance (Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals Regulations) 1996). We have access to a library of standard Prohibition, Warning, Mandatory and Safe condition signs. So, site access boards combined with your branding and office details and relevant site marshals can be developed appropriately.

Over the years, we have been well aware that project sign-off, and authority to proceed following inspections all require necessary paperwork with signatures. Whilst digital technologies might provide some solutions in certain parts of the construction trade, the need for a physical document is the benchmark which provides the authority and sign-off on the job. We have a wealth of experience with No Carbon Required (NCR) sets providing duplicate and triplicate. Plus, we know what you expect to make them hardwearing on site.

More than just print – relevant marketing

Whilst every business runs social channels and other marketing, people still like people and referral is the strongest. Referral cards and business cards are probably key items. We do get asked for a bit more. One Gas and Plumbing business, left it late to ask us, can we do some flyers for an event… yes is the answer. However, what the owner wanted to develop the business into was maximising some of their recently high-value bathroom work. When running a team of lads, sometimes you just don’t get pictures of work done, equally pictures which sell. Thankfully through our connections, we were able to source the right pictures to meet the aspirations and benchmarks of the business. Combined with some careful copywriting finished flyers were artwork approved, printed and in the hands of Ben within 36 hours of the request.

Another top reason for using HAD-Print for your trade business, is we know/understand you (we’ve grown up with mates and friends in the trades); we can reflect this in any branding work. Make sure it will work across workwear, van graphics, site boards, traditional print and also into your socials. What makes it different, unlike “creative designers” that be architects and interior designers to you as a tradesperson, we suggest functional designs which work across multiple print and production methods. Plus, in our approach of being honest, like yourselves, we know how to bring it in on budget, plus our range of knowledge allows us to specify more efficiently.

Truly unique print…. That’s what we do.

14 October 2023 Stuart Nimmo No Comments

Bold statement, in an age of internet portals which deliver faceless, no support, and only transactional engagements. We exist to deliver customer service, and understanding with a blend of experience, values and pukka print.

We love working with people who have value sets similar to ours. Understand why a working relationship of understanding, and appreciation of the “craft” delivers not just a product, but something which will deliver above and beyond.

The Renaissance is just around the corner. Seriously we know this. No bullshit here. We talk to more and more people in marketing, and business, who are starting to question “the new norm”. The environment we have existed in, socially, politically and commercially has allowed “buzz fads” to lead and not be accountable. So, to some, it is just the bottom line, to the savvy it’s the return on investment.

Speed seems to have overtaken everything, instant gratification, quick fix and hit. However, can you remember, take in, and absorb important information in this environment? This has been echoed in two conversations recently

Chief Operating Executive and trustees at a board meeting (this was feedback to me by a trustee). “We are struggling to get engagement; we are getting less, and less event sign-ups. It takes more work to get people involved.” The trustee then asked the question around the “how” to the answer was “email shots, website portal entries, professional social media etc” The trustee then said, “Have you thought about targeted physical mail?” Yes, he’s a friend of ours and knows what we can do.

Another interesting conversation from a Marketing Executive who we know well “We’ve not been looking at the metrics, my manager/business isn’t bothered”

If you aren’t looking at the performance how do you know you are getting the results?

If you were in the Maclaren team, data, stats, and break-down analysis are key to tweak, change and develop. So, does this explain why this country’s growth is so stunted at the moment? Existing, rather than the desire to achieve? The definition of insanity is doing the same and expecting different results.

Thursday evening was a night out at Wilsons Republic (WR10 event), which is a creative community gathering in Huddersfield. The biggest learning from the event was the freedom of creativity. This freedom in creativity allows for the opportunity to “break the rules”, and to do something different, which is key to making an impact. Both the speakers; Dani Molyneux from Dotto and Tony Brook from Spin both ably demonstrated this break the rules and start the creativity. What was also very apparent, was that both them as skilled practitioners could transcribe this creativity into very reproducible work, or very print-savvy. Something which fresh, younger designers struggle to make happen.

Both of the above designers illustrated beautifully the impact which good design, which was considered for the mediums they were working with could truly deliver. This was backed up in conversation with Graphic Designers who knew about print, however, didn’t practise or promote print (we did talk to some who do print). The design process is all about creating an experience, helping marketers craft the journey, utilisation of different mediums is essential – both physical and digital.

We believe that the right piece of physical marketing or print can go a long way in moving on a customer journey. Everyday mundane, really doesn’t kick it now. Here are our headlines to making it work…

–           Be creative, challenge your audience, and thus be rememberable.
–           Structure and performance before making it look pretty – simple is sometimes best.
–           Be tactile and use different textures, paper has a huge range of textures.
–           Finishing and presentation, use folds in different ways, look to use different shapes of collateral.
–           Linked into the customer journey, what is the next action you want the customer/reader to do?
–           Make people talk about it.

So, if you want to be in the next wave of marketing, perhaps it’s time to revisit the “marketing mix” as we used to call it. Or the “marketing toolbox”, remember one tool doesn’t do every job.

The team at HAD-Print has over 70 years of experience between us. Ranging from magazine production, book production, commercial print, marketing agency and a lot of hands-on print experience. Harnessing digital print technologies with a wealth of experience brings a unique.

So, are you brave? Or are you mundane?

I’d hazard a guess you’re mundane, so don’t do any action after reading this.

If you’re ballsy, brave, an agent provocateur, leader in what you do – really simply talk to us.

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