We might be your digital best friend, but we know that print is high on the agenda for many of our clients and we are proud to offer an in-house print design service. For this blog post, we bribed some of our print designers Aled and Natasha (Tash) with caffeine and chocolate to get the scoop on all the visually stunning print projects they work on.
What types of print jobs do you do?
Aled: Everything! From brochures, magazines and catalogues to trade advertising and annual reports, we’ve catered for the whole shebang of print projects. We also do flyers, posters and event marketing for clients like Bryn Meadows.
We’ve produced company magazines including Thomas Carroll’s The Scene and, of course, Spindogs’ very own BARK. With a readership of 15k, our work on The Scene produced a magazine that stands out from previous editions, and readers are asking about the next issue!
Tash: Stationary is another one of our fortes. We’ve recently put together a whole bunch of stationary and business cards for EST. We also produce annual reports, internal documents and, more recently, pitch decks. Our client parties are also a chance to get creative, and we’ve produced some cool banners, stickers, and party invites.
What’s the best print project you’ve worked on?
Aled: Triumph is awesome to work on because they are a respected and world-renowned brand. The imagery and heritage is amazing to work with as a print designer. As a global brand they can really invest in some stunning print materials; the visuals are absolutely stunning, and let’s be honest, motorcycles are just cool!
Magazine projects are also pretty exciting because they are always so varied. With Thomas Carroll’s The Scene, for example, we had the creative reigns to create something spectacular – and we did!
Tash: Stationary is another fun print type to work on – I’ve recently done some lovely stationary work for Obstacle Law and for EST.
What do you like most about print?
Aled/Tash: How tactile it is! There’s just another layer of creativity to print which comes from being able to touch and feel the end product. There are more elements that come into play compared to web, such as paper stocks and finishes. Think about the emotional response that comes with printed materials, from feeling the texture to turning the pages, of course, that new magazine smell.
Really, there’s so much to like and as a print designer you can get properly nerdy about all the possibilities!
Is print dead?
Aled: Definitely not. People who are given something in print are more likely to act on it because there’s more of an incentive to focus. You are more likely to remember the content of an article you read on paper than online. The online experience can come with so many distractions every step of the way.
With a print product such as a business card, you are also likely to create a unique emotional response whereas every screen feels the same. It’s also a nice touch to leave something tangible with clients or prospects.
Tash: What Aled said! No, but really – print is more memorable, because you can touch it, and have it right in front of you in the moment. Better yet, you can keep it and get back to it later – you don’t get that with web once you close a page.
What’s the most valuable skill a print designer needs in their ammunition?
Aled/Tash: Attention to detail. That is absolutely the number one skill you need if you work in print. Without it, you will waste a lot of money, lose print jobs, get in trouble with your boss… It’s just a downward spiral.
What are the three things the design team doesn’t go a day without?
1. Caffeine in any form – (pints of) coffee, tea, regular cans of Coke/Coke Zero
2. A Dua Lipa playlist
3. An ASOS Package delivery
4. (BONUS) Daily pop culture during which we set the world to rights. We’ll chat about anything from Love Island and True Crime to Westworld
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself
Aled: I saved a man’s life on my way home from my job interview with Spindogs.
Tash: I have webbed toes, and a tattoo on them of a dotted line and scissors.
Make sure to pop into the designer den next time you visit HQ and say ‘Hello!’ to our print gurus!