The death of print?

The demise of the printed version of Design Week earlier this year after 25 years was a real blow for the print industry as well as the design industry as a whole. Here at TTP we looked forward to receiving each copy, with its mix of news, comment and profiles. Many of us were to be found at lunchtime, actually reading, not just skimming through it. Given that we spend most of our time staring at screens, it can be a welcome relief to read something on paper.

The death knell has supposedly been sounding for print for the past few years. Does the demise of Design Week (the printed version at least) mark the final nail in its coffin?

In a word, no. Whilst there’s no doubt that print media has suffered since the digital age exploded, it’s down, but not out. Yes, Amazon’s ebook division may have comprehensively outsold its print counterparts in the US (115 to 100 respectively), but there are other signs that suggest print isn't out for the count.

The latest research to come out of the US found that new magazine launches in the first half of 2011 were up 53% from the same period in 2010, from 90 to 138. The number of publications that closed fell 15% from 87 in the first half of 2010 to 74 in the first half of 2011. The UK market is seeing similar trends. The end of 2010 saw the launch of a new quarterly publication, Delayed Gratification, by the international editor of Time Out. The very title and its unapologetic tagline, “last to breaking news” is surely the antithesis of the immediate, yet throwaway news culture embodied by the digital age, featuring in-depth analysis of the previous three months’ news. The success of the free Stylist magazine, the rise in circulation of the now free Evening Standard and the launch of i from the Independent all hint at recovery.

Of course, the advent of the Internet and the increase in hand-held, digital devices has irrevocably altered the way we consume news and brings many benefits. When it comes to breaking news, the immediacy of online has a real advantage, but for longer articles, analysis and features, I believe print will always triumph. Digital formats, whilst interactive and exciting, just don’t lend themselves very well to this type of in-depth reading, being suited to more easily digested, easily disposed of snippets.

Let’s not forget the sheer physicality of print media. It's probably its saving grace. Books, magazines and newspapers are tangible and appeal to many of our senses; they are heavy, glossy, tactile, the pages crackle when they’re turned, and then there’s that newly printed smell of magazines, not to mention the romantic smell of musty old books.

Books, magazines and newspapers are evocative in a way that no electronic format can ever be. And that’s a very good thing.

I will freely admit I’m a Luddite when it comes to technology. I can barely work my iPhone, more than one TV remote confuses me and when it comes to books, I’m a romantic - I want the feel, smell and experience of an actual book. But I know not everyone agrees with me and, ultimately it should be the content that’s important, not the medium.

Electronic formats do of course have numerous benefits and e-readers are in many ways far more practical than books. They are incredibly light, readable in any light, store hundreds of novels and are bringing books to a new generation of people constantly on the go. They also save paper, enable a less expensive distribution of books and can help first time or unknown authors publish without an agent.

The problem is, as with all technology, what happens when the next generation of e-readers hits shops? Will all the obsolete models be destined for silicon heaven? Electronic waste is a huge issue due to our reliance on machinery– but that’s a topic for another blog.

However, the best argument I have heard against e-readers is that you can’t tell what other people are reading on the tube! Now, for those who have to suffer the daily commute on the tube, craning your neck to spy on others’ reading material takes your mind off the stale aroma emanating from the stranger’s armpit wedged above your head. Whether it’s interest in the book, a way to pass the time or plain old sniggering at someone else’s embarrassing book choice (come on, we’ve all done it) it’s a great form of people watching. Leaning in to get a proper look at someone’s e-reader means getting far closer than is socially acceptable, and surprisingly enough, people don’t seem to appreciate it very much.

But then again, the flip side of this is that no one else can see what you’re reading either. A quick poll of the ttp office suggests that boys really don’t want to be caught reading ‘chick lit’ or DIY manuals, whilst women are ashamed to admit they read self help books, dating guides, or any cheesy romance novel. But thanks to e-readers we can indulge that Twilight habit in complete anonymity!

Here at tothepoint we’ve embraced digital but a great deal of our work is print; whether it’s corporate literature, ads, staff handbooks, brand guidelines or bid documentation. The advent of digital was a huge cultural change and has altered the playing field irrevocably. The scope of what we can do now in terms of design is staggering, and looks set to become even more so.

Neither print nor digital is better; they are just different, with one sometimes more appropriate than the other to deliver a specific message. Having said that, many of our clients want both print and digital, working together so that they can maximise the effectiveness of their campaigns. Therefore, the challenge always remains the same, to deliver something that is innovative, relevant, unique and exciting - regardless of the medium.

Penny Davies.
Account Manager / Copywriter.


Additional comment by Ben Jackson (Head of Digital):

Whilst I agree with pretty much everything Penny's written above, I'm not sure the best argument for print is its lack of privacy! Whilst I probably embrace new technology more than most at TTP, even I was very sceptical when I heard about the Kindle (et al). However, I must admit, I wouldn't be without mine now - of course it's not the same as reading a real physical thing, but the clarity of the screen, the simple controls and (most importantly) the ease of lugging around all your books – whether on the daily commute or on the sun-lounger makes it the perfect book replacement for me. And I definitely prefer the Kindle to something like the iPad - whilst Apple's device is capable of so much more, that's also its downfall as a reading device - the screen, weight and dimensions just aren't so well suited to longer periods of reading.

That doesn't mean the Kindle will ever replace print in general though. Reading a glossy magazine, brochure or a throw-away copy of the Metro is a totally different experience and it would be very sad indeed to think the days are numbered for the more physical medium. And while technology marches on, there still isn't a perfect solution in terms of a single device that can do it all (although Apple's iPad and Amazon's new 'Fire' would like you to believe otherwise).

As ever, the disruptive effect of digital communications does not mean that the old ways of communicating are dead, they simply mean that there are ever more channels with which to impart your message and interact with your audience. Where the latest iPad newspaper apps may offer new ways to view and interact with media, I still hope that there will be a place for printed versions too.

The next big frontier for printed news is quite how to create a business model that incorporates both and actually makes money. News International are still experimenting with their grand pay wall that excludes anyone who's not signed up. Whereas the new releases of the Guardian on Kindle, iPad and Android focuses on a more open approach - but are they making any money from it?

Who knows, it may not be digital at all that ends up killing print - it could instead be a combination of poor journalism (regurgitating PR bias, poor fact checking, bad practices in order to get a story) combined with the widely held belief that the huge abundance of online content should always be freely accessible (perhaps it's all Google's fault?) But only time will tell on that score.

Ultimately, I think we should stop talking about one medium replacing another and realise that we need to play to each medium's strengths - printed newspapers may well have to give up trying to top Twitter as the first to the news and instead focus on great, well written content and opinion that's been created (and checked!) by those who really know their stuff (let's face it, Twitter and the average blog will NEVER replace that).

Feel free to express your opinion below (or maybe send a postcard?).

Ben Jackson,
Head of Digital.

Pevara - The measure of success

Pevara is a dedicated online system for financial experts - created by Efront (you can read their official press release here). It's designed specifically to provide performance and benchmarking solutions to support Limited Partners investing in private equity. It enables investors to monitor their portfolio’s performance, measure fund investments and evaluate new investment opportunities.

Having been briefed on the project, our first task was to find a name for the new service. It needed to be both unique and memorable (globally, across multiple languages) and more importantly, it needed to be available as a .com domain. After plenty of brainstorming (and constant domain availability checks) we came up with ‘Pevara’ - taking the ‘pe’ from the private equity whilst ‘vara’ is an old Spanish term for measurement – which aligned perfectly with the purpose of the site.

We were also asked to help create the overall look and feel of the software system itself to this end, we worked closely with the eFront team aswell as UI specialists in the States and the development team in Paris. As the purpose of Pevara is to improve operational efficiency for its users, ease of use of the programme and the website was paramount. The structural design needed to support this and provide simple, intuitive navigation.

Once this was underway, we then worked closely with the client, our recommended copywriter and an SEO specialist company 4Ps Marketing to plan and create the main website and make sure it did well in both natural and paid search. This involved planning the site structure and creating multiple wireframes of the site before moving on to create the main template designs. The site is essentially a marketing and promotional tool and so must grab its users’ attention, quickly imparting the key information (as well as event news) whilst establishing the overall Pevara brand. Once our template designs had been approved, we worked with our developer to create the CMS and website content.

Ben Jackson who created the site design, adds: "The project was a great one to be involved with and adds to our growing digital media portfolio. The name and overall brand is both modern and eye-catching and works really well across a variety of media - from the software itself to the website, stationary and even PowerPoint templates. We focused on making sure that right from the homepage, users are aware of the main benefits the system without bombarding them with too much detailed information. The Pevara team will be promoting their service world-wide with the first event kicking off tomorrow in New York. They've had a lot of people registering via the website, so it's obviously doing something right!"

You can view the website here: www.pevara.com

Montagu – bringing personality to private equity

Montagu considers its website as an essential communication channel to the European Private Equity industry and as such, wanted to develop a new website to distinguish itself from its competitors using the latest technology and design principles. A key part of the brief was to develop the website based on a Content Management System that was easy to use for people with limited experience in web publishing.

Following a competitive pitch against several consultancies, we were awarded the contract and got to work. We undertook a complete site review and redesign, creating the site from scratch, with new content and photography. Once designs were approved we worked in partnership with developer Skyron, choosing to go with a customised version of the open source Umbraco system for its features and ease of use.

An essential part of the brief was that the new site should be flexible and allow for future extension of its functionality as and when required, without the need for a major overhaul. So, along with being mindful of this, we also had to ensure the design facilitated easy navigation, was compatible with Montague’s internal systems and was accessible on tablets and smart phones.

Working closely with both the client and the developers, Ben Jackson, our head of digital, ensured our design team produced designs that were both engaging and functional. The final design features a clean and simple layout, utilising the primary and secondary colours available within Montague’s existing brand identity to make the site visually appealing whilst ensuring it was in line with existing marketing collateral and branding.

Whilst the client and their target audience sit firmly in the corporate arena, we brought a much needed sense of personality to the site, using clear layout and liberal use of their main brand colour. We commissioned a photoshoot of Montague’s staff, allowing us to feature them throughout the site, whilst the animated banner of the homepage showcases both Montague’s key messages and its individuality. The updated news, investment portfolio and video case study sections all further reinforce this professional, yet approachable personality.

Ben adds: "The challenge was to balance the more corporate, conservative look that many of their clients expected with a sense of life and personality that didn't feel fake in any way. Ultimately, more than the current news and latest deals, it was their people who really set them apart and we tried to get this across in the featured photography. We concentrated on keeping the site simple and free of 'clutter', we tried to avoid a homepage that was full of irrelevant content and just focused on what their audience was looking for. Where pages became very content heavy, we used simple drop-down filters to help avoid information overload. Their main brand colour was perfect at really highlighting key areas of the page - whether headlines, stats or important information, we used it to help guide the user around the site."

The site recently went live and is already being updated to include French, German and Polish translations.

You can view the website here: www.montagu.com

Bloodhound – Blood, sweat and speed

Located within the state-of-the-art S&B Automotive Academy in Bedminster, Bristol, the Bloodhound Education Centre is an innovative learning environment, designed to engage, educate and inspire young people into a career in science, technology, engineering and maths. The Bloodhound SSC project team, preparing for its 1,000mph world land record attempt in South Africa in 2013, is based at the adjacent site, so it made perfect sense to transform the existing ‘big shed’ into a hands-on learning experience to showcase the technology behind the car.

The official opening of the Education Centre last week was the culmination of more than a year’s work, involving lots of collaboration, site visits to gain an understanding of the space, steering group team meetings and of course, lots of design creativity. We first became involved through EPSRC, who are funding the research behind the fluid dynamics for the Bloodhound SSC and with whom we had worked previously. They recommended us to the Bloodhound team, who asked us to come up with some ideas for using the area as well as the branding, graphic, signage and overall theme.

The challenge was to create a contemporary, engaging space that communicates the fun aspects of science, technology and engineering to children of 7-13 years and to provide a deeper learning aspect for 14-17 year olds to encourage them to study the subjects further. We brainstormed a number of exhibition concepts and content for the space and information required, and created a floorplan, demonstrating different ways to represent the most exciting aspects of the project and submitted them to the Bloodhound team.

Once a concept had been agreed, Bloodhound got to work implementing our ideas. These included light boxes and information display panels featuring the car graphics as well as interactive computer games featuring subjects that children can easily relate to such as horses and tanks, to show the basic premise of engineering. We also suggested a laptop storage unit designed to look like an engine, timeline wall graphics for the corridor, a fluid dynamics wall, and worktables where children can build models of cars as well as a 15m track to race them.

Halfway through the project Bloodhound also asked us to design the theme and graphics for a classroom within the education centre specifically for older children who have a greater understanding of engineering. We used the natural light from the windows to create several lighboxes to show the car’s structure from different angles. We also designed the wall graphics and text explaining the project mission, and a chart comparing the speeds of the world’s fastest machines and animals with the speed of the SSC, all of which featured the Bloodhound colours of orange and navy.

Glenn Wood, our senior account manager on the project, was at the official opening of the education centre and said: "Seeing the fruition of a year’s hard work was very satisfying. The children were clearly enjoying the interactive activities, so Bloodhound is well on its way in its quest to challenge and inspire young people whilst pushing the boundaries of science. It really is great to have been involved in such a fantastic project and we wish Bloodhound the best of luck wit hits world landspeed record attempt in 2013."