September 8, 2003 -- Westmont, Illinois — Print continues to overwhelmingly be the medium of choice for art directors and designers, according to a recent survey conducted by Graphic Design USA magazine and sponsored by MAN Roland Inc. The key question asked: What types of media have you designed for in the past year? A total of 92 percent of the respondents chose print. “I take that as more than an indication,” said Yves Rogivue, CEO of MAN Roland Inc. “It’s a strong vote of confidence in the power of print to communicate and persuade.” Other responses to the same question also bode well for printing. Over 71 percent responded “P-O-P and Display,” which is a print-intensive medium. So too is packaging, and 65 percent of the respondents said they had designed for that segment in the past year. “Internet and interactive” came up at 60 percent, while the category “broadcast/video” received a 21 percent rating. “In no way are we saying that electronic media like the Internet and broadcast are the enemies and print is the hero,” Rogivue declared. “But years after the dot-com bubble burst, I still think there is a need to deflate some of the hype about the World Wide Web that’s still out there. It’s working in conjunction with print; not knocking us out of the box.” The survey did report that creatives need more information and knowledge about print as a medium: “To keep print truly relevant, there must be more education and information for the current generation of designers who need to stay abreast of promising new developments.” “That is precisely what our Printing for Creatives Seminar will do,” noted Rogivue. “The road show will be presented at printers throughout North America to put creatives in touch with print’s ever-increasing capabilities.” Rating the popularity of different print media, the survey found that “brochures and collateral” were the number one application for print among those polled. “Corporate identity” finished second, while “posters, signs & displays” placed third. Ranking from fourth to tenth were: - direct mail and catalogs - invitations & announcements - publications - packaging - annual & corporate reports - print advertising - folders & presentations Approximately one in five respondents reported that they were doing more print work this year than last, while roughly one in ten said they are doing less. The remaining two thirds noted that the amount of print they are doing is steady and stable. “A fair interpretation is that print is clearly holding its own relative to other media,” the survey said. “and may be experiencing a modest uptick relative to some of them.”