Paper and the digital designer
I was recently asked by a colleague to contribute to a promotional book for a paper company. The contribution comprised of answering a few questions about my relationship with paper as a designer. I had been asked to participate because I work in the specific fields of digital and information, both of which don't use very much paper as part of the final solution.
As I began to answer the questions I realised that my feelings about paper have changed rather a lot since I was an enthusiastic G.C.S.E art student, painting water colours and being quite picky about the brand of cartridge paper I used. I haven't bought specialist paper in years and the last job which involved specifying paper essentially boiled down to gloss, silk or matte. I chose matte.
This has got me to thinking about the digital designer's relationship with paper, what do you use paper for? Do you work on jobs which require a choice about paper? Is paper just a format you use for developing digital work? Do you recycle? Where does paper fit in your process? Has the computer changed you relationship with paper?
When was the last time you got excited about paper?
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posted by Francesca Granato
on 12 December 2007
Yawn Paper Yawn
When it come to paper, I generally ask my experienced, old-school Printer's Rep to recommend a paper stock. I rationalize: Like most of my generation of designers; I don't understand, have experience with, or really appreciate print techniques or paper stocks. So – I leave it to someone who does. He knows the stocks, weights, costs, bla bla boring bla. Besides, unfortunately, I'm much too impatient/busy/efficient/lazy/uninterested to spend much of my time researching paper quality. Am I in a minority of designers who feel like this?
posted by Tim Milne
on 17 December 2007
How it feels is everything
I'm shocked but not surprised by these two comments.
There's an intreguing dynamic at play in printed material which I believe has often been undervalued, but if these attitudes are at all representative, it's in danger of being completely overlooked.
When (normal) people hold any printed object in their hand, they read the texture, size, shape, weight, feel of that object first. These qualities speak volumes about the origins and emotional meaning of the item BEFORE people read the content–the pictures, words, layout, typography etc. This feeling then informs how they feel about the words, pictures etc.
This human-object communication is a fundamental and universal language. To overlook it is a pointless waste of resources. Simply put, a designer might spend thousands of pounds in photography and design time just for the item to be ignored because it doesn't feel right.
You're right to ask the print rep. He'll want to put it on a better (more expensive) paper and at the very least it might make the item feel valuable, but it will be a missed opportunity to talk to your audience in a rich and meaningful way.
Shame.
posted by Francesca Granato
on 18 December 2007
I suppose if one is using a reputable Print Company then asking his/her advice isn't a bad way to handle choosing paper-stocks ... but that is no substitute for paying attention to details. So of course you're absolutely right Tim. Design should be an careful ensemble of paper , print, photography, typography etc.
posted by Matt Cooper
on 20 December 2007
Don't get me wrong
As a 'normal' person I full agree that whether we like it or not we all judge books by their covers. And that the physical nature of any printed item is a vital part of the interaction.
It is an interesting point in itself to be discussing interactivity in tradtional print mediums, especially on a site like this. I wonder if understanding we gain from digital mediums will be put back into more tradtional materials.
Although, to return to the point of discussion, i'm not saying that I don't see the value in an appropriate choice of paper, I just wonder what interest other digital designers have in paper. Especially as the majority of our interaction with information takes place on screen rahter than in print.
posted by Malcolm Garrett
on 20 December 2007
Artomatic, and all that's best in print
Tim, I remember from my many conversations with you in Artomatic days that (ironically perhaps) you were precisely the kind of 'rep' that Francesca would benefit from conversing with. Your extensive knowledge and intimate understanding of the medium, combined with a creativity and design-driven perspective, often ensured you were very closely involved in the development and design of some classic pieces of work. I think this kind of overlap between 'designer', 'printer' and the delivery medium itself is essential for moving integrated ersign thinking forward again.
I've often espoused the notion that a rethinking of the dependencies we have had on print as a medium, brought about by the complementary development of new digital media, could and would liberate it in new exciting ways. I think that's where you come in, and like you I hope that the digital design community is alive such opportunities.