The designer and the print buyer

One of the most interesting trends of the last decade has been the convergence of design and print buying; that is, designers who buy print rather than print buyers who design.

Just about three-quarters of all printing jobs include the direct involvement of a "creative", most often a graphic designer. The graphic designer creates the visual look and assembles text and imagery. The designer selects the colours and the paper. The designer prepares the file and submits it to the printer. The designer approves the proof. The designer makes changes. The designer approves the final job.

For the other 25 per cent of all print jobs design is indirect. It could be as simple as selecting a slide design in PowerPoint, or clicking a pre-designed business card layout and filling in some blanks on a screen and seeing a proof, or using a page template in a word processing or page layout. Secretaries and even lesser skilled managers can thus specify and buy (pre-)designed print products.

Thus, every print job involves a creative originator. What department do creatives work in?

• Design/Creative 39%
• Purchasing 19%
• Marketing 29%
• Communications 12%
• Other 1%

In other words, they are all over the organisation. But those are the internal creatives - there are also outside creatives who work on company projects. What do creatives design?