A print shop owner in Tucson told me to stop chasing trends and it clicked

I was picking up some wedding invites from this small shop, and the owner, a guy named Frank, saw me looking at his wall of old print samples. He said, 'You know, I printed those bright neon flyers back in the 80s. Everyone wanted them. Now they look silly. The stuff that still works is clean and clear.' He pointed to a simple, bold poster from 1972 that still looked sharp. It made me think about how I was always trying to use the newest fonts and effects for my clients. That talk was about six months ago, and now I focus more on making designs that will last, not just look cool for a minute. How do you balance making something feel fresh but also timeless?

2 comments

2 Comments

josephs269h ago

Man that's some solid advice right there. Frank sounds like he's seen it all come and go. It's tough finding that balance, wanting stuff to look new but not dated in a year. Maybe the trick is using a simple, strong base and then just adding a tiny bit of the trendy stuff as an accent. That way the core design stays solid.

fiona_murray5h ago

Spot on, josephs26. That's the same logic as putting glitter in the driveway sealer. The base is still solid gray concrete, but you get a little flash when the sun hits it right.