CTS Essay

1 Baljeet Kaur Samra – Contextual and Theoretical Studies OUCS205

How has the Print Industry been affected by the need for digital media and

the growth of new technologies?

It would be naive to assume that ‘Print is Dead’, but considering the shift from

traditional print to digital media it is safe to say that print is having to battle

against the growth of new technologies. It was inevitable that one day there

would be such a demand for digital media but where exactly does this leave

print? A vast increase in the number of smaller printing businesses having to

close over the past few years highlights the vulnerable position of print, but does

this mean to say that one day print will no longer be valued?

The printing revolution started in the 1450’s when Gutenberg created the notion

of moveable type, which lead to the printing of the first bible in 1454. A

significant development within print, which meant that for the first time print,

could be used as a form of mass communication to thousands of people at what

was considered to be reasonably inexpensive. By ‘1470’s every city in Europe

had established printing companies’, and by the ‘1500’s around four million

books had been printed’.

‘The history of printing is an integral part of the general history of civilization. The principal vehicle for the conveyance of ideas during the past five hundred years, printing touches upon, and often penetrated, almost every sphere of human activity..’

(Steinberg, SH, 1975, p. 11).

It is print that revolutionised the form of mass communication and continues to

do so with print technology continuing to develop further. Print played a

fundamental part in how society revolutionised communication; print was at the

forefront of communication and it was only towards the end of the twentieth and

early twenty-‐first centuries when the digital age began to impact on value of

print;

‘…As the digital revolution took hold, newspapers lost half of their advertising income, one quarter of their subscribers and 30 percent of their editorial capacity… triggering hundreds of newspaper bankruptcies and tens of thousands of layoffs.’


(Kovarik, B, 2011, p. 101).

No one could have predicted just how much the digital revolution would have

impacted on the print industry – but this did not mean that print was going to

stop it came to the point where printed mediums and digital technologies would

have to merge and work along side each other and not against each other, but

this was easier said than done.

The beginning of 1995 saw the publication ‘The End of Print’ showcasing the

iconic works by Graphic Designer David Carson, who’s work was valued for the

sole purpose of having broken the traditional rules and aesthetic of graphic

design. Carson’s work didn’t follow the rules of ‘form follows function’ – he opted

for a completely different style, which continued to impact on and influence

many other designers. Carson had designed the book himself with the text

written by Lewis Blackwell. The revised edition of the book from 2000

highlights the shift between print and digital media and the reasoning behind the

title of the book;

‘The Internet was firmly established, but few believed it would move so rapidly to become the overheated commercial reality and hype that it is today… The front-‐page news story told of an Internet business that had swallowed up many of the most venerable brands and content in the print, film and TV media… If such a business activity seems to involve a certain amount of hype, it also involves a certain amount of hard evidence: the U.S magazine industry has seen a 50 percent decline in overall ad pages in the 1990’s compared with the 1980’s while American newspaper have continued their thirty-‐year losing streak on circulation. We were not that provocative with out title… there are still those who cannot accept that the costs and limitations of print will condemn it to exist as a specialist medium rather than as a means of true mass communication… Websites and emails are rapidly eroding the need for printed-‐paper. Now we are a little clearer on how ‘The end of Print’ links to general culture. There is noting challenging in the idea that print is most definitely a ‘Sunset Industry’… ‘The End of Print’ was a title that simply captured the notion that we were seeing the end of our certainty in print as The Communicator – an illusion that was long overdue for destruction.’

(Blackwell, L, 2000, p. 7).


The text is in reply to a letter that was written by a young design student who

was focusing on developing a better understanding on contemporary graphic

design legibility. Blackwell makes an interesting statement about the limitations

and cost of print implying that it is a specialist medium that cannot cater for the

mass audience, but it could be said the internet and other digital mediums too

have specific limitations. What cannot be achieved by print may be better suited

by a digital medium but this still comes at an expense. Digital technologies are

continuing to develop at a rapid rate but this comes at a cost. Before digital

mediums print was considered as a means of mass communication and as times

goes on will continue to serve it’s purpose as a sufficient means of

communication. The decline in advertising in newspapers and other print forms

wasn’t an indication that print was on the decline – it simply meant that there

were other means of advertising through digital mediums which could be seen as

more effective. Advertising within printed mediums still stands strong to this

day; new and innovative forms of print have ensured it is kept alive. An article in

Ray Gun magazine, which has been featured in ‘The End of Print’ (Blackwell, L,

2000, p. 14), discusses the change from print based to digital design and how this

affected Carson as well as other designers. At the time which ‘The End of Print’

was published, it was considered a ‘defining period for the profession as it

moved abruptly and rather bewilderingly into the digital world’ Like most other

designers Carson understood that ‘his work needs to embrace motion and the

web.’ Whereas many designers were keen to leave the world of print behind

Carson was aware that there needed to be a balance between both. By no means

did Carson stop working with print as soon as the digital age emerged, he

continued to use print as a medium for communication but at the same

understood how digital mediums and the web were the way forward.

It was argued that print would be on the decline because the web seemed more

exciting; it was an innovation that changed people’s lives on a daily basis. During

the time of the digital revolution many designers recognised the need for print

based design that was creative and which explored new possibilities and


changed the way print was seen, it needed to be refreshed and create the same

sense of excitement that digital media was creating.

Marshall McLuhan argues the point that regardless of the medium used it is an

extension of man. When discussing print and typography McLuhan writes;

‘An extension appears to be an amplification of an organ, sense or a function, that inspires the central nervous system to a self protective gesture of numbing of the extended area, at least so far as direct inspection and awareness are concerned.’

(McLuhan, M, 1964, p. 187).

McLuhan raises the idea the medium used is what controls and affects society

not the content of the medium but the characteristics of the medium. The point

being that different mediums will always engage the user is different ways. This

clarifies the idea that regardless of whether the same message was shown across

two different mediums, because of the medium it would show two entirely

different messages, where essentially would be a better suited medium. There

has to be a defining point when one understands that either print or digital

mediums are better suited.

Jessica Helfand writer on essays about Graphic Design, New Media, and Visual

Culture, states how the need for digital media and new technologies has been

driven by the change in how society has developed and changed, to the point

were print was no longer able to communicate to the masses as effectively as the

internet could. However it didn’t imply that print would no longer be a viable

means of communication, it just meant that the internet would be better suited

for certain means of communicating. An essay titled ‘Sticks and Stones Can

Break My Bones but Print Can Never Hurt Me: A Letter to Fiona on First Reading

The End of Print’ (Helfand, J, 2001. P. 165 – 167), discusses the importance of

typography and ones ability to read words and form sentences, the point being

that whether something is printed or seen on screen it will still say the same

thing, ‘A lot of people say print is dead… Print isn’t dead, sweetheart. It’s just

sleeping.’ As digital technologies are developed, new ideas are transforming the


way in which we communicate, but as the digital world develops so does the

print industry. There has never been a time were print as been so innovative and

exciting. The development of digital technologies only furthers the demand for

print that pushes the boundaries.

‘Publishing is Dead, Long Live Publishing’ Quite a powerful statement from a well

established graphic design magazine titled ‘Grafik’ that has been around since

the 1980’s but also rather ironic considering it has had to stop being published,

for what is the second time. The underlying reason as to why the magazine

stopped publishing was due to the fact that the publisher no longer wished to

support the magazine financially. Grafik had originally been struggling through

the recession hence why they sold their title to publishers in the first place.

During their initial launch after having seized publishing the team had decided to

redirect much of their content online ‘We will always be in love with print but

we’re also excited by how we can interact with people online. It’s a brilliant

medium for creating a sense of community’ So much content and information is

now available online allowing users to interact with the magazine. It seems like a

reasonable point, why not generate interest through other means of

communication, but is this impacting on the need for printed magazines? An

article by Angharad Lewis states that there is no reason for printed magazines to

suffer as long as they;

‘…think in a completely different way about content, design and readership when considering the new digital platforms and find a strategy to diversify’ also raising a point that ‘Some others are refusing too enter the digital world while others are leaving print behind altogether’.

(Lewis, A, 2011, p. 57-‐65). It could be said that many magazines today have decided to stop working with

printed publications and redirected all their content online with some even

creating ‘ezines’. The online magazine requires less start up cost but can still

offer the same amount of advertising space as a printed magazine. An online

magazine requires less financial input as it doesn’t need to be printed and


distributed – which are the main expenses of a printed magazine and yet it can

continue to bring stable revenue. This could be considered a more viable option,

which has less financial risk. At the same time e-‐book readers, iPads and tablets

have proven to be quite successful, with the intention that you no longer need to

buy a physical copy of a book, as certain devices enable you to download and

enjoy thousands of books in one place. Many have already taken to the idea of

not having to buy books but this isn’t the case for everyone, there are still those

who haven’t lost sight of the value of a printed book.

Issue 189 of Grafik magazine featured an article focusing on the introduction of

the iPad and how it was changing the face of publishing. American magazine

Wired US set of their first iPad issue of the magazine, which lead to over 100,000

purchasers, quite a significant amount but within five months this had dropped

to 23,000. With sales of iPad’s on the increase it would seem that the only

problem is that;

‘…consumers are using the iPad to read digital versions of print publications; they jump from title to title rather than loyally following a single one. This seems natural for such a new medium – readers want to see what can be done with the format.’

(Lewis, A, 2011, p. 57-‐65). Even with the introduction of the iPad it can’t be confirmed there will be a

decline in the number of people purchasing printed magazines, designers and

publishers are having to work together to create a balance between print and

digital mediums and considering how they work together. By assuming that they

can work without print by redirecting their content online would simply alienate

what is a well-‐established vast audience.

It was 1980 when Terry Jones first established i-‐D magazine, and since then it

had has gone on to be one of the leading magazines in the graphic design

community. Jones points out that the survival of their printed magazine relies on

their online presence, as society and culture changes a long with the digital

revolution – so does the format of the magazine.


‘… The question now is whether these magazines can move forward. This whole print and non – print argument is an on going one. What we produce has to become more valuable. And the Value of the physical object has to go hand – in – hand with what we do online, which is why online is growing. I see the importance of long – term value, versus the ephemeral, increasing… The survival of print is more a question of the survival of the methods by which it’s being distributed’

(Moshakis, A, 2011, p. 67-‐71).

Terry Jones confirms the value of print but also recognises the changes and

development of digital mediums; a stark contrast against the ideas of Lewis

Blackwell in ‘The End of Print’ who states that print cannot survive against

digital media. Having directed a lot of content online i-‐D magazine is able to cater

to a wider audience but at the same time are able to direct their web audience

back to the magazine. Jones discusses the point that the survival of print is

reliant on the way in which it is being distributed; it can be assumed that not

only does print need to be distributed to a wider audience but it also needs to

allow people to be able to interact with it – something which has pushed digital

communication much further.

The debate regarding print v digital has been going on for a while now, and will

continue to go on. There are those who have taken to the digital revolution,

found it’s potential and exploited it, and are still finding new ways to develop the

technology further. On the other hand there are those who have stayed loyal to

print, found ways of pushing the boundaries and continued to source innovative

ways of printing without feeling threatened by the rapid expansion of the digital

revolution. Finally there are those like Terry Jones who have developed a

balance, a considered understanding that print and digital mediums must

interact and work together to strive; in essence it would be naive to assume that

one could possibly work without the other. Both provide a sufficient means of

communication and will continue to do so for some time. It cannot be denied that

digital media and new technologies have affected the print industry but it can


only be considered a positive effect. It is digital revolution that has allowed print

to develop, a catalyst that has driven print to become stronger.

Word count -‐ 2072


Bibliography 1/ Blackwell, L. (1995), The End of Print : The Graphic Design of David Carson, London, Laurence King Publishing 2/ Blackwell, L. (2000), The End of Print : The Graphic Design of David Carson, 2nd Edition, London, Laurence King Publishing 3/ Breede, M. (2009), The Brave New World of Publishing: the Symbiotic Relationship Between printing and Book Publishing, Oxford, Chandos Printing 4/ Bolter, J. (2001), Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext and the Remediation of Print, London, Routledge 5/ Gere, C. (2002), Digital Culture, London, Reaktion Books Ltd 6/ Gomez, J. (2008), Print is Dead : Books in our Digital Age, New York, Macmillian 7/ Helfand, J. (2001), Screen, Essays on Graphic Design, New Media, and Visual Culture, New York, Princeton Architectural Press 8/ Jedlicka, W. (2009), Sustainable Graphic Design: Tools, Systems and Strategies for Innovative Print Design, Oxford, John Wiley & Sons 9/ Kovarik, B. (2011), Revolutions in Communication, New York, The Continuum International Publishing Group 10/ Lewis, A. (2011), Publishing is Dead, Long Live Publishing, Grafik Magazine, Vol 1, (No. 189), pp. 57-‐65 11/ McLhuan, M. (1962), The Gutenberg Galaxy, London, Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd 12/ McLuhan, M. (1964), Understanding Media : The Extension of Man, London, Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd 13/ Moshakis, A. (2011) The Non -‐ Formulas Behind a Magazine, It's Nice That, Vol 1, (No. 7), pp. 59-‐66 14/ Moshakis, A. (2011) The Bright Future of Independent Publishing, It's Nice That, Vol 1, (No. 7), pp. 67-‐71 15/ Steinberg, SH. (1974), Five Hundred Years of Printing, Suffolk, The Chaucer Press

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CTS Essay