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Print Ad Spread Reimagined

Aesthetics That Can Both Inspire Audiences and the Promising Pathways for Print Ads

6 min readJan 16, 2024

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Brands wanting to modernize print ads face a tricky balancing act.

I see the appeal—lean toward artistic lifestyle shots that do not show much of the product.

Way subtler.

Classier.

More real.

It definitely grabs us better nowadays than words or logos overtly signaling “buy me” like desperate billboards.

No doubt we’re already visually wired to scroll through different cinematographic pictures on Instagram rather than scanning text walls.

Companies should spend more money on ads that use subtle, artistic lifestyle imagery rather than traditional ads that magnify the product and surround it with their logos and text as they rethink how to advertise in print for today's consumers.

It makes clever sense for brands to drift in that direction, capturing moments of imagination where even subtle shoe placements shape feelings about their identity.

But fully transitioning long-standing print channels needs to be looked at again through a responsible lens to make sure that it has positive effects on consumers, the publishing industry, and…

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James Christopher
James Christopher

Written by James Christopher⁠

Pen-smithing ✍️ about brand experiences, culture and commerce, consumer psychology, big advocate of the retro-revival movement and human-in-the-loop models.