By Danielle Hill

For decades, printed marketing materials have served as both the backbone and the workhorse for marketing communications efforts. From brochures and one-sheets to white papers, client advisories and more, printed materials have led the way in conveying a company's image and marketing messages to prospects and customers.

Then along came the Internet and social media, which turned the whole marketing communications world upside down. These days, online marketing materials represent the easier and more cost-effective way of communicating for most businesses. But if you think printed materials will disappear any time soon, think again.

The preference for printed materials depends in large part on the type of collateral and the generation reading them. In particular, older generations that grew up in a print marketing world still tend to prefer physical items as opposed to digital. As a result, things like printed business cards remain a staple of business, and will likely continue to do so as long as older generations hold an important place in the business world.

What does the future hold for printed materials?

There are many things to consider, not the least of which is cost. As resources become scarcer, it may become mandatory to print everything on recycled paper. This would impact both the cost of the materials and the production process, and could force companies to limit what they print and how much.

Companies also need to consider how to optimize their print pieces for use on websites, portable devices, and other electronic formats - especially when it comes to search engine optimization. In the past, print collateral didn't need to take into account things like SEO, Google algorithms, or linking to other websites. Now, these have become an essential part of the distribution process for print materials that are also used online.

In addition, the emergence of iPads and other types of tablet devices are rapidly changing the way we view "printed" materials. Until recently, brochures, white papers and other collateral were primarily optimized for reading on or downloading from a website. Everyone knows the drill - you fill out the online form and download a.pdf file, which you can then choose to read online or print and carry with you. However, as more and more people turn to tablets for their primary reading tools, companies will need to ensure that all print materials are formatted for this platform as well.

In addition to generational preferences, the biggest factor keeping print materials mainstream is the fact that data sharing has yet to emerge from its early stages of development. However, rest assured that the mobile technology companies are moving ahead at full speed in this area. Once data sharing between mobile devices becomes more sophisticated, businesses will find it a lot easier and more cost-effective to distribute digital materials.

Printed materials may well be on their last legs. But as long as we have people who prefer to hold something, those legs will keep kicking a while longer. The challenge for today's marketers is to know the preferences of their target audience and develop the appropriate mix of print and online/mobile materials.

Danielle Hill, Junior Web Designer at Bop Design
Bop Design is a San Diego Web Design and Marketing Agency
Bop Design is a boutique marketing communications firm. We express your business' values through branding, advertising, print design and custom web design and development. We also help attract your ideal customer through affordable seo services and search engine marketing. Our focus is on small businesses that want an external team of marketing specialists to help give their brand an edge in the marketplace.

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How To Hire The Right Graphic Designer

By Andrea Lachapelle

Tip #1

Always look at their work. Make sure you like their style and what they have done in the past. Even if they haven't done any projects for clients in a similar industry as you, if you like what they have done for other clients, chances are you will like what they can do for your business.

Tip #2

Meet in person. I know with email, Skype and all the other ways of communicating that meeting in person is not always necessary, but it can really give you a feel for the person you will be working with... and giving your money to! If you just can't manage to have a personal meeting, at least talk to them on the phone.

Tip #3

Sign a contract. You may shy away if the designer wants you to sign a contract, thinking that it's only to their benefit, but in reality the contract should outline the work to be done and the price to be paid, and that really protects you and the designer. I know from personal experience that the few times I thought "oh, they are so nice, I don't need the contract", that's when I DEFIANTLY NEEDED that signed piece of paper! It's your only recourse if the designer isn't delivering what they promised you.

Tip #4

Hire someone with experience. If you are working with the neighbor kid down the street it may end up being more trouble than the money you think you are saving. Everyone seems to have that friend, uncle or neighbor that says they can design your logo for just $50 bucks, but I warn you, you will most likely regret it. Chances are they don't know the difference between CMYK and RGB or when to use a jpeg vs. an eps, or the proper pixel width to make your website, or the difference between raster and vector images... I could go on and on, but you get the idea. It will save you time, anguish and probably money in the end.

Bonus

After the hire. When you've made your decision, and you have the perfect designer at your disposal... let them do their job. Designers love input, and need to know as much as possible about your product or service to create something that will convey the message and feeling you are after. But sometimes the client tells the designer exactly what to do, not allowing for the creative process to happen. You have hired this person for their expertise, use it fully.

Andrea is a graphic designer in Minnesota, just south of Minneapolis. She is the owner of LaChapelle Design Works ( http://www.lachapelledesign.com ) and works with small to mid-size businesses. Her work is clean, refreshing and always on budjet.