We’re well used to a little soothsaying here at PMG. Print management is all about looking to the future: how will our clients’ print needs change over time, how might costs escalate down the line and how could the nature of print itself evolve in future? We’re going to be looking at the latter in today’s blog post, exploring the future of print to see how your brand’s relationship with ink and paper might adapt over the next few years…
Sustainability
Sustainability is a major topic for the print industry. In many quarters print is still seen as destructive influence on the environment, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Here at PMG Print Management we’re dedicated to improving print sustainability wherever possible – we source 94% of our paper from European forests where forest cover is increasing by an area four times the size of London every year. We fully expect print sustainability to improve further as time goes on. Consumers won’t accept paper, ink or hardware that isn’t sourced or produced in sustainable fashion, so suppliers will have to adapt their processes to match.
Integration
People have been predicting that the digital revolution will put paid to print for years now, but evidently that hasn’t been the case. Print is as strong as ever, but it has become increasingly important to integrate print and digital to create a single, effective marketing strategy. Marketing departments the world over are beginning to see how print and digital can work together to communicate their ideas more persuasively. We anticipate that integration will become even more crucial as the years go by, with companies exploring new ways for print and digital to work together both away from the office and closer to home.
Interactivity
Print is an ancient technology, but new developments have meant that the process has evolved significantly. Print interactivity provides the multimedia appeal of digital marketing alongside the tangible, physical properties of print, making for a more effective marketing package. Creative marketing and design agencies have experimented with interactive print in a number of ways – take a look at these examples from Motorola, Glacial Beer and Kontor Records. Interactive print is a big deal in the marketing world, and it’s only going to get bigger over time. Expect even more inventive concepts to emerge in future.
Design trends
Design trends change practically year-on-year, and of course these have a profound effect on print. Minimalism is a popular current print design trend, but it won’t last indefinitely. Attempting to predict future trends is an inexact science at best, but if we were to hazard a guess then we’d suggest that designers might choose to move away from minimalism and embrace more detailed, intricate designs in the near future. Retro influences move in and out of fashion, so we could see some design trends of the past re-emerge before long. Perhaps art nouveau is due a resurgence?
Print is an exciting sector to be involved in, and while it’s difficult to predict where things are headed we can be sure that changes are inevitable over the next few years. If you’d like your brand to be ready for any challenges the changing face of print may bring, PMG can help. Our print management services are dedicated to improving our clients’ relationships with print – from reducing wastage and expense to improving direct mail marketing response rates. Contact us today to learn more.
