There are challenges ahead for graphic designers. With the surge of design software, DIY design tools and get-a-design-degree-anywhere programs, true graphic artists are faced with having to prove their worth and talent more than ever. However, The Digital Age brings a lot of opportunities not only to print designers who want to expand their horizons and skills, but to artists-in-training who want to really customize the kind of design they want to work in. There will always be true print designers who rarely cross over to the digital side of design, but many will swing both ways and be eager to jump into the world of digital design.

What happens to the sensual experience? Will people still want the sensory experience that print graphic design provides?

Of course. I think even the youngest generation of media viewers appreciate books and printed matter in a way that digital simply cannot provide. While you can take your iPad, laptop or Kindle anywhere for online reading, there is something about a magazine, a book or even a newspaper that makes the experience more personal. People are drawn to interesting book covers when browsing at the bookstore. For some, that may be the one reason they buy a certain book. Same goes for a magazine. You can pick it up, it’s real, it’s tangible. There’s also the sense of ownership. “Oh, I have that book” or “Yep, I just picked up that issue the other day—do you need to borrow it?”

Does print design create a more intimate experience than digital design?

I believe it does simply because it’s tangible. While digital can provide motion graphics and online accessibility, print can provide real colors and textures. You have the experience of reading “cover to cover” where in digital media, you skip around and don’t get a sense of the whole piece. In fact, you probably don’t think of an online magazine as one cohesive piece.