The long debated question… Is print losing the battle against the new digital age?
I’ve been hearing murmurs and mumblings for oh, I’d say close to ten years now! People within the industry said that print will die a slow death to digital and web. Sure, perhaps print has “evolved”. I don’t believe it could ever possibly be gone. So long as people want to hold something tangible, smell fresh ink on paper and grasp something solid in their hands without the glare of back light and the distraction of social media pop up alerts, print, my friends, will stay alive and well.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love my Kindle! It’s great for travelling, but some things need to be read in paper. Take catalogues for instance…
Retail business still need print for a complete, robust campaign to work and bring in the numbers. Check out the figures from the Australian Catalogue Association.
‘Roy Morgan Single Source surveys conducted during 2012 reveal that catalogues are ranked as the media most useful when making purchasing decisions across 11 categories including grocery, toys, fashion, and home entertainment. Catalogues ranked in the top three media most useful in 17 of the 28 categories.’
And seriously, when did you ever not want to hand out a business card? They make you feel good about what you do for a crust (especially when you hold a great position in an enviable company).
How about that new little business venture you are uber excited about? The prospect of telling the world what you’re up to? Isn’t it exciting when you hand that new business prospect your shiny new business card? Admit it. You love it.
No, print is not dead. It just has to be a part of the bigger picture and used along with all the other great digital mediums that are relevant to today’s society. So don’t shy away from calling your local designer for your next batch of business cards.
Go on, do it. You know you want to!
PS. Thank you to ACA for the little quote about catalogues above!