Why print is cool

One day after the conference, I'm sitting in front of my computer still feeling electrified and not sure where to start. So many thoughts and impressions, so many ideas and inspirations. I would like to type everything down at the same time, but it's impossible to type as quickly as my thoughts jump from one flashback to the next. Nevertheless, I would like to try to reflect as much as possible.

First of all: print is cool. So cool. The „Druck und Design Konferenz” reconfirmed that it's not just us in our print bubble that see it that way, but many others too.

Pure passion

Lorenz Boegli, a screen printer and print innovator, is one of the most inspiring people we had the pleasure of listening to at the „Druck und Design“. Boegli really understands his field and talks about his practice with so much passion and enthusiasm that it's hard to imagine anyone would not find it totally fascinating and cool what he does. He sees the printed product as something that can make the crucial difference, a high class distinguishing feature. The silk-screen printer, who is actually better described as an artist, uses revolutionary approaches to revolutionize physical principles. He creates products that make print connoisseurs wonder "How does he do that? How is that possible?". The effect that his products, for which the term " artwork" is actually more appropriate, have on the viewer is fascinating. It was just as exciting seeing people leaving the room energized after Boegli's presentation. Their faces showed just how much the artist had captivated the audience. In addition to the wonderful projects, Lorenz Boegli's lived passion was a real inspiration.

Print and Digital – better together

The first speech was given by Dominik Wichmann on "the relevance of print in digital times". The Chief Creative Officer of the Looping Group starts speaking. His narrative way of talking immediately draws you in. In order to gather impressions, I wanted to write down bullet points. At the end of the presentation, I checked my notes and realized that they are more of a journal rather than keywords. Almost everything Dominik Wichmann says hits home: print is a product that has everything: an identity, authenticity, content and a story - all things every brand wants to have. Print is a cultural matter and printed paper usually does more than merely contain information. Print media are networking tools. I wish I could reproduce all of the author's words exactly as I heard them. The entrepreneur sees print as something you no longer really need, but something you really want - print has become a luxury product. Print products are becoming more and more demanding in terms of quality. He believes that it is essential to understand and embrace the digital world in order to comprehend the future of print. The role of print in the future can be seen starting from digital.

The relationship of analog and digital is something we meet frequently at the conference. It's not about "what's better", but about "what's suitable for what". Print and digital are not competing with each other, but rather complement each other. The digital world enables an infinite number of users to communicate information to recipients, it is fast and entertains us. Everyone can express his or her opinion. The digital world creates opportunities. Print creates others, print creates deceleration, a print product is a treat and a sensorial experience. The haptics of a print product, the fact that it can be perceived, creates an experience.

Design is more than a “nice to have”

Maren Martschenko also speaks about experiences and results, or rather about the process leading to the result. She talks about the challenges designers face when it comes to "making something quickly pretty". The creative entrepreneur talks about design in terms of corporate strategy. While this may seem strange to some entrepreneurs, I invite you to think about it for a moment. What are THE brands that come to our minds when we think of successful brands? Apple? Nike? McDonalds? BMW? Leaving aside our personal sensitivities and preferences, there is no question that all these brands are successful. And what is one element they all have in common? Design. Of course. None of us confuse the apple with the M and none of us confuse the checkmark with the round logo in Bavarian colors. And without me showing the logos, you know which logo belongs to which brand. However, behind these brands there is more than a simple "please create a logo". It's about understanding the company and its purpose and reflecting all its values in a symbol, a font, a color. This is not a "quick fix", but a process. A process that involves various channels and media. In some cases, also print. A high-quality print product can say a lot about a company.

It’s all about PRINT

Sometimes a company emerges from print. The Happy Club is an example here. Risography is what the Happy Club does. A special printing technique that I personally hadn't heard of before, but which is obviously so cool that I immediately had to buy one of their calendars - oops.

Well, that's the way it is. I struggle to say "no" to beautiful print products. In general, I like touching things. As Dominik Wichmann said, we don't need them, but we want them.

When he explains how he goes to the tobacconist on Saturdays to buy newspapers, then sits down in his armchair at home with a cup of coffee and reads them with gusto, it makes me want to run off immediately and treat myself to this luxury too.

This blog article could fill several more Word pages (fortunately, we are sticking to one page on the blog, only the reading time changes). But I'm getting to the end. It is impossible to recap everything. Nevertheless, I hope I was able to give you a little insight into a truly inspiring day and convince you all that print is SO SO cool. I hope you are getting up right now, grap a book or a newspaper and sit back down in a cozy place with a cup of coffee in your hand and enjoy the rest of your day ;)