Words: Dan Sawney / Image: Ben Nankivell

The future, we are constantly told, is digital. Print media appears increasingly vulnerable and archaic in light of the rapid advances being made in the way information can be published and consumed online. But is the opposition as stark as it seems? Is there anyway the two mediums can (whisper it…) co-exist?

This issue was chewed over by a Futurising panel chaired by the editor of Blueprint magazine Peter Kelly. Joining him were Adrian Shaughnessy, founder of new publishing venture Union Editions, Colin Davies, head of design at Liverpool School of Art and Design, and Liam Young, from the website Tomorrow’s Thoughts Today.

Adrian stated his belief that the future is hybrid. His vision is of a dialogue between print and website, where the latter can be used to update and complement the former. He also said that the Internet has radically altered the old publishing model, taking the distributor and retailer out of the equation and transforming the author into a publisher with a direct link to their audience.

Liam Young’s interests lie in exploring the physical properties of the Internet. It may seem ethereal, but the digital realm has real-world consequences. It consumes 5% of the world’s power and has a carbon footprint the size of Argentina. He said that the Internet is gradually moving beyond the screen and into the real world, citing QR barcodes as an example. At a recent conference he attended, those present had these printed onto their badges. Other attendees could then scan these with their phones and get instant access to that person’s schedule and online presence.

Colin Davies sees the roots of the blogging phenomenon in the DIY zine culture that accompanied punk. He laid down some rules for anyone thinking about dipping their toes into self-publishing. These include appreciating the value of slowness; take time to establish a strong concept to prevent your content fading into the ether. Content itself needs careful attention, and you should resist neglecting it in favour of aesthetics. One of his most intriguing ideas was that of establishing ‘opening hours’ for a website by limiting your audience’s access to it to a particular time of the week. This creates anticipation for your content, and re-establishes a link with temporality that the 24/7 culture of the Internet has gradually eroded.