Think Bigger Blog

Anyone from the print industry who attended the 100% Design exhibition at London’s Earl’s Court last year would have been left in no doubt as to an interior designer’s appetite for new ideas, techniques and inspiration. Stand after stand paraded a vast array of different products, designs and technologies. Large format digital printing had every right to be among them since it has an increasingly big part to play in the interior design world but only a handful of suppliers from the printing industry attended.

While there has been much talk about the integration of print and new media and technologies such as augmented reality (AR), it has been harder to find glowing examples of it in reality. Peter Karn, design director at the award-winning experiential designer MET Studio, sees it as very much part of print’s future though. In this month’s Think Bigger video interview, he explains how the organisation used it to great effect in a pavilion for EDF at the 2012 Olympics to provide far more content than a traditional exhibition ever could. In the future, he believes a single large-format print could form the trigger for an entire exhibition.

Without doubt the collision of media and the world of possibilities this throws up means it’s an exciting time to be a designer but what does it mean for the printer as less print can never be a good thing? Karn has no doubt print’s future is assured though, stressing that it too is evolving: ‘You now have 3D printing and print is overlapping and complementing these new technologies so it is no longer a two-dimensional media.’ He adds that as designers, they must also be mindful that people can become sick of looking at screens and it is how integration is achieved that is key. ‘You could have a 3D form with graphics printed on to it and then audio-visual added and it is how they are all brought together that gives it the wow factor,’ he says. ‘It will always need to be bespoke.’

For the printer, the word ‘bespoke’ is as important as integration and Karn says that the more bespoke the job, the more need there is to bring the printer in for some consultancy during the creative process. Ultimately, the integration of media isn’t about providing more information but about providing a more immersive and engaging experience. Print has as vital a part to play in achieving this so in some cases less really can mean more.

You can watch the interview over on the Think Bigger site by clicking here.

Ryan Newey, executive creative director of the advertising agency Fold7 and the subject of this month’s Think Bigger interview, says that printers tend to be brought in towards the end of the creative process and he believes that is how it should remain. Those who feel this lacks any sense or desire to collaborate would be quite wrong though. He goes on to say that the exception to this is if it means the concept lives or dies by the production process. The agency has been involved in some spectacular special-builds and large-format print plays a vital role in creating these real-world experiences.

Designers are often accused of failing to understand what printers can bring to the creative discussion. Environmental graphics designer Pat O’Leary couldn’t be more different from this stereotype. In the ‘Think Bigger’ video interview this month she explains that she sees printers as part of the bigger collaborative team on a commission and tries to bring them into the creative process as early as possible. “Talking to them early on also means that I know whether something is possible and importantly if it is possible within the budget,” she says, adding that suppliers have grown used to her coming in with ideas to print on all sorts of surfaces. “They’ll give it a go and if it doesn’t work, we do something else.”

Integrated print regularly makes it on to the conference agenda as a topic for discussion in the print community. Compiling last year’s ‘Think Bigger’ report taught us that in reality there are less examples of its application than one might expect. Pressure on budgets during recent years has meant less room for experimentation, which could be a factor, but those selling integrated solutions also believe messages about new technologies aren’t necessarily getting through to the creative or the end client.

Time is at a premium for everyone. Those working in the creative industry have to balance the pressure of their deadlines with coming up with bright new ideas for their clients. For their suppliers, this presents an opportunity that perhaps hasn’t always been best exploited. Creatives want to know about new technologies, techniques and processes that will help them bring their ideas to life but physically don’t have the capacity to stay abreast of every new development. Rich Ward, co-founder of the design firm RAW Unlimited, with specialises in brand communications and environments, told Image Reports’ sister website Think Bigger that what is important to them is hearing about a new technique or tool in the “quickest possible way”. While that may be by getting a sample delivered ASAP, he says increasingly it’s also about suppliers making more use of “little videos, blogs or anything that communicates directly to us in a short-blast”, he says. “We’ll scan the internet for new ideas and follow organisations that look like they are dong interesting things.”