Sadhvi Konchada

Professor Sharokin Betgevargiz

GRDS 701 Seminar: Methodologies

February 12, 2015

Interactivity in Print - An approach to keep it alive

Thesis Statement

As the world is shifting to being overwhelmingly digital, there is a dire need for the print

to keep up with it. Designers are analyzing the benefits that the digital interface offers in

order to influence print-based communication. User interactivity and participation in a

dynamic environment overpowers static and linear communication. Impactful

experiences are created by shifting the focus from the designer or the client to the user.

The scope of materiality and production techniques is researched and experimented

with to create more opportunities for innovation in print media.

With the advent of the prevalence of digital technology, a much expected prognosis has

been made. The death of print has been predicted. Digital media seems like an

obviously better choice for the dynamic interface it provides as opposed to the static

and linear interface of the print medium. The dominance of print has been indisputably

abraded. The immediate accessibility on the digital front has left print behind. It is

becoming redundant due to the absence of a responsive nature. However, many

graphic designers, researchers and educators fortunately consider it their responsibility

to keep the print-based communication alive. They strongly believe that digital cannot

obliterate print. To prevent the extinction of print and a complete transition to an

electronic world, this issue has been raised by many. After thorough research of the

existing materials on this topic, it has been derived that the major factors that define

digital media need to influence the print media for it to survive.

The digital experience allows the user to access multiple sources of information

simultaneously, as well as, receive real-time responses. The user gets to decide the

sequence of the matter to interpret the message. Technology has made the user the

master who has direct control of the interface. This forms a special relationship with the

user. Comparatively, the process of producing a printed object has the focus on the

client or the designer rather than the user. Marco Neves, who holds a PhD in Design,

has thoroughly investigated this topic. He states that, “the concern of the graphic

designer cannot be restricted to the assignment of form and utility, it should rather cover

the entire process of the relationship with the user” (23) The problem with print media is

that it does not consider the phase after production i.e. the consumption of the material

by the user. Unlike print, the digital media offers control to the user by focussing on the

aspects of user experience and participation. The potential answers to revive print lie in

the benefits that the digital world provides. Neves has diligently identified that it is the

factor of interactivity that the digital creations have as an advantage.

Meredith Davis says, “I am eternally frustrated by books that segment discussions of

print from discussions of interaction design.” (6) The common perception regarding

interaction design is that it is simply about clicking buttons or making things move with

your actions. However, it extends much beyond that. “Reacting to input is not the same
as learning, conversing, collaborating, or designing.” (Dubberly 9) It is not just the visual

representation but the context of creating an experience for the user with the interaction.

On the same ground, printed material needs to offer an experience to the user. It is this

gap between graphic design and interactivity that needs to be assessed for the printed

object to be favored by the user again. (Neves)

The existing model of printed graphic design projects does not allow the user to be a

part in forming the meaning. The purpose of graphic design is to communicate, which

is possible only when the user receives the message. This experience is more

successful when the user has a control on the message as a “co-creator” . In recent

times, the advent of the “Design-it-yourself” (DIY) trend reaffirms the same. The user not

only participates in interpreting the meaning but in a way, helps to create it. Hence, the

role of a graphic designer extends not only to the form and functionality of the object but

to the perception and experience of the user. (Neves)

Tangibility is one factor that print can use to its advantage against digital. The three-

dimensionality and the tactile feature of print has a huge scope of exploration in order to

instill interactivity. The materiality and the various production techniques can offer a

multitude of options to interact with the user. It is the sense of touch which makes the

user feel connected to the environment. This can be incorporated by prior planning and

reevaluation of the conceptual design process. Doing this also creates opportunity to

bring in sustainability in design.

A holistic approach to reconsider the designing of print has been suggested to expand

“the interactive and participatory capacity of the object”. (Neves) When the behavior of

the object is altered, it helps to create a new relationship with the user. With this arises
the possibility of creating a memorable experience for the user. The user can be a

participating agent in defining the object. The study of behavioral sciences and cognitive

psychology holds a role in this as they help the designer to anticipate and evaluate the

user’s response.

It is at the intersection of print and digital that the answer for the survival of print lies.

Interactivity in print is a feature that can still be vastly explored to innovate in the field of

graphic design.

There are many existing examples where the various properties of print have been

successfully utilized to make it interactive. One of the interesting designs where this has

been applied is an invitation designed by a UK design firm called Iris. This was

organized by the client ‘Soak’ for a lecture featuring speakers from ‘Sea Design’. (Fig.1.)

It was printed using dark blue thermographic ink over light blue permanent ink on a rigid

white PVC board. (Scott 45) The phrase ‘Immerse in hot water’ is inscribed on the

bottom of the card. When the user does the needful, the information on the card is

revealed. The simple interactive feature engages the user with curiosity and makes the

message stand out. This design assumes a level of user participation and places the

control in the user’s hand. It is the user who plays a role in defining the behavior of the

object.

Stefan Sagmeister is a renowned designer who has willfully and successfully explored

the possibilities of interactivity created by using different materials and techniques. He

conducts a multitude of experiments which lead to a design where the technique/

material supports his concept. He strongly believes that style is secondary. It is the idea

or the concept that is of prime importance. For the fifth year celebration of his company,
Sagmeister organized a talk on this very theory. He titled it “Style is Fart”, conveying that

it is just hot air which is not important. (Fig. 2.) The invitations designed for this were

unique as they were printed on whoopee cushions. He used an unconventional material

to communicate. Additionally, the final object was playful and interactive. It has an

element of surprise as well as humor which attracts the users. Another one of his works

which demands interaction with the user is a business card which he designed for a

New-York based production company called ‘Sideshow’. (Fig.3.) He used the

technology of lenticular images and played with the words ‘side’ and ‘show’. When the

card is tilted, the word on it would change for the viewer. This play of sight engages the

user with the object and demands his participation to decode the message. This kind of

an experience is definitely memorable for a user.

From all this, one of the main things that is realized is that graphic design is best used

when it relates to people. This is the mode of communication which is met effectively

when connected to on a personal level. The use of the feeling of touch is therefore one

of the best ways to do this. The application of interactivity on the practice of print design

that primarily focuses on visual composition paves the way to the possibility of

innovations. The examples cited above elucidate the importance of this matter to create

impactful designs. Revival of print is surely possible by exploring the features that are

considered to belong only to the digital arena. Print media can definitely be known for

much more than its visual aspects. It can be used to develop new relationships with the

user as well as a new visual language for graphic design.

FIGURES:

Fig. 1. Iris Design, “Soak Invitation” (Witham, Scott. Touch This: Graphic Design That

Feels Good. Gloucester: Rockport, 2005. Print.)

Fig. 2. Sagmeister, Stefan, “Style is fart” (Lewis, Ferdinand, and Rita Street. “Touch

Graphics : The Power of Tactile Design.” Gloucester, MA: Rockport, 2003.)

Fig. 3. Sagmeister, Stefan, “Sideshow” (Lewis, Ferdinand, and Rita Street. “Touch

Graphics : The Power of Tactile Design.” Gloucester, MA: Rockport, 2003.)

SOURCES:

1. Neves, Marco. “Printed Interactivity towards a new understanding of graphic design”,

Iridescent: Icograda Journal of Design. Research. 11 March 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2015

2. Dubberly, Hugh. "What Is Interaction? Are There Different Types?" Dubberly Design

Office RSS. N.p., 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

3. Neves, Marco. ”Graphic Design 2.0." Book of Proceedings: 1st International Confer-

ence in Design and Graphic Arts, Lisbon. 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

4. Challis, Ben. “Tactile Interaction. In: Soegaard, Mads and Dam, Rikke Friis (eds.)”

The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

5. Neves, Marco. "Graphic Design Analysed." VI International Congress of Design Re-

search, Lisbon, 2011. Press. 30 Jan. 2015.

6. Neves, Marco. "The Printed Object, but Digital." 6th UNIDCOM/IADE International

Conference, Lisbon, 2011. Press. 01 Feb. 2015.

7. Witham, Scott. Touch This: Graphic Design That Feels Good. Gloucester: Rockport,

2005. Print. 25 Jan. 2015

8. Lewis, Ferdinand, and Rita Street. “Touch Graphics : The Power of Tactile Design.”

Gloucester, MA: Rockport, 2003. Print. 24 Jan. 2015

9. Craven, Randy. "Interactivity in Print : The Refuge of the Tactile.” Thesis. Savannah

College of Art and Design, 2006. Print.

10. Bontempo, Michael Carl, Jr. "The Interactivity of Print and Its Tactile Nature." Thesis.

Savannah College of Art and Design, 2009. Print.

11. Davis, Meredith. "Toto, I’ve Got a Feeling We’re Notin Kansas Anymore…." (2008):

n. pag. AIGA, 4 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.