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Digital Decoded

July, 15th 2011 posted by Chris Nuernberger

 

Digital publishing is breaking on to the scene with an ultimate force that only Chuck Norris should have the authority to command. Bolstered by the incredible sales of tablets (read iPad — and maybe the android… but if we’re really honest, it’s all about the iPad), the evidence is overwhelming that this is the next step for those of us who humbly call ourselves graphic designers. Understanding the in’s and out’s of digital publishing is in our best interest and will inevitably be what separates the men from the mice. 

There are all kinds of technical specs and tips/tricks that I could go on and on about for hours and pages but I’ll spare you from this excitement. Digital has become the “Hot Word” or “Buzz Word” for publishing to mobile devices. Not too long ago however, digital had a whole different meaning. 

Let’s me expand on the evolution of the word “digital.” Once upon a time, fifteen years ago or so in the great and wonderful world of graphic design, the word digital meant the type of press it was going to be run on.  There was one common understanding of what it meant and the confusion could only be found in many of the idiosyncrasies that are part of the whole printing process. The confusion was easily suppressed with a single phone call to you friendly neighborhood printer and that was it. Enter the wonderful World Wide Web with online banner advertisements, email blast campaigns, websites, and let’s not forget (everybody’s favorite) pop-up banners. If you’re unaware of the impact this had on the graphic design community, you’ve been living in a cave, working with your Exacto knives and light tables. The word digital, in reference to graphic design, had to expand to cover this new and exciting realm. Fast forward to 2010, where a tall and slender man wearing his iconic black turtle neck shirt stands in front of hundreds who anxiously sit, waiting with baited breath, for him to unveil his newest vision. You can almost hear an audible change in the world of design the moment the iPad is introduced. Barely a blink of the eye passes and the word digital has changed to include the mobile device market (tablets and smartphones). 

The word “digital” now means publishing and creating layouts, advertisements, and designs for mobile devices.  It still has the responsibilities of meaning everything we covered earlier but now this new segment of design is most commonly referred to as digital. Tablets and mobile devices are shaping the way we communicate, not only to our audiences but within the design community as well.