Revolutionize Print Design

by Kim Rogala
Illustration courtesy of Neenah

Neenah offers Swatch Pro extension for Adobe Illustrator

Designers are among the most imaginative and innovative among us, capable of creating beautiful works of art and essential brand collateral others can only dream of. While graphic design has evolved immensely over the last 2,000 years, from cave drawings to computers, the fundamentals are still the same. In graphic design, the essence is to give order to information, form to feeling, and ideas to artifacts that document the human experience. The most significant difference from our past is that in today’s world, communication must be developed much faster to meet the pace of consumerism. 

As the world continually changes and develops, so does design. The way we go about design today is vastly different—our ancestors couldn’t fathom the technological advances that we have access to. At universities, in particular, new technology not only helps reach new audiences, but also to create printed collateral that increases admissions, alumni participation, and fundraising efforts. 

For a university, winning over diverse audiences takes months of preparation and consideration. Printed materials must capture attention and accurately convey the school’s messaging and values to the receiver. These essential ideas make the paper selection a more critical piece of the design process. Using the right tool to help you move effectively, efficiently, and creatively through the design process is essential to developing materials worth opening and worth keeping. 

Tools for the trade.

Try before you buy is a staple in the retail world but has always been a little more complicated when it comes to print and paper selection. A longtime design advocate, Neenah has always been at the forefront of the intersection between paper and technology. The ultimate goal? Simplification of the process for designers.

Investing in technology to improve design is at the core of Neenah’s history. The first paper company to believe in the power of having a retail website also brought you the Printed Proof^™ online application that allowed designers to upload their designs to see how they would look on various Neenah stocks, downloadable ASE (Adobe Swatch Exchange) files on neenahpaper.com, and Neenah Cabinet, the revolutionary online swatchbook tool that’s always up to date. 

While those tools were useful and ahead of their time, they wanted to offer more. With their new Neenah Swatch Pro^™ extension for Adobe Illustrator, they’ve developed a design tool that does it all right from within Adobe Illustrator. With one click, you can view your artwork on hundreds of accurate colors and textures from Neenah’s paper collections, plus order samples.

Dallas Franklin, creative director for Neenah, says, “In the past, we scanned papers, uploaded iPhone photos, and manually created a paper layer using images from the internet to share our concepts with clients. It was an incredibly time-consuming and laborious process. We realized that so many other designers must have struggled with this process as well. We approached Adobe with the idea to create a tool that allowed designers to integrate paper color AND texture into a design with the click of a button from within Adobe Creative Suite. For Neenah, this involved developing new ways of handling images and allowing users to select from an extensive collection of paper realistically.”

The past meets the present and future. 

Ellie McKenzie, owner and creative director for Farmhouse Design, is a longtime design partner with Neenah and tested the extension from start to launch. “I began working with Neenah over 25 years ago when businesses were beginning to use email as a communication tool. I have watched the design industry change dramatically throughout the years. It’s astounding how technical assets and tools we couldn’t even imagine are now part of our daily design lives. Although a lot has changed and inspiration abounds on websites and social media, the fundamentals remain the same—I believe the heart of design still lies in print.” 

“Having access to a tool like this where you can skip six laborious steps with just one click is amazing. It creates efficiency and accuracy that was once not possible. I take it for granted because this tool has become integral to my design when working with Neenah. I also think this extension will be so useful for guiding young designers through the print design and production process,” McKenzie concludes. 

Because it allows the designer to layout designs on colored and textured paper right in Adobe Illustrator, you can simulate what the printed result will actually look like. You can play with paper options, be bold with ink choices, and make informed decisions before going to press, reducing the margin of error and time to market. 

Universities are at the forefront of print design.

Studies show that 27 million pieces of content and 3.2 billion images are shared every day online. In higher education, rising above the crowded competition means executing a strategy that resonates with and stands out in a daunting demographic. How do you entice prospective students, impress parents, delight alumni, and sway donors? Universities know that using the timeless art of print design is a sure way to stand out in a sea of social media messaging. 

“Universities are producing a tremendous amount of printed materials intended to influence many different important decisions. The savvy designer knows that in an industry inundated with noise, the right paper can speak volumes about a university’s character and values. A design tool, like the Neenah Swatch Pro extension for Adobe Illustrator, allows designers to test and ultimately find the right combination for attention-grabbing results. This extension helps takes the risk out of paper selection, increases efficiency in design, and makes for better results on press,” concludes Franklin.

 

UCDA Designer magazine: Vol. 45, No. 1 (Spring 2020)