Our world is filled with remarkable machines. We can make things happen at an astonishing volume and rate, but that gain can also mean the loss of the human qualities that only craftsmanship can bring. According to several recent commentators, the longing for that touch of quality is causing a resurgence of respect for experience borne of countless hours honing specific skills.
In his article, Why Craftsmanship Still Matters, Marc Barros decries the fact that 'craftsmanship seems to have skipped a whole generation'. He explores the notion of embracing a product's artisan history as a way of disconnecting from the rapid-fire branding approach and reconnecting to the craftsmen who first created its concept.
in their article, The Future of Craftsmanship, drawn from a panel talk of industry professionals, Killik and Co in the UK state that 'If consumers—particularly younger consumers—are going to make a purchase, they want it to come with a compelling origin story and a unique heritage. Craft products, in lieu of “the engineered, the mass-produced, and the originless” also say something about their consumers: they become a proxy of personality, a physical token of an individual’s moral awareness'. They talk about personalisation as a way to transcend the mass-produced look and the trend towards products that have a unique quality to them.
Understanding the balance between using machines that will deliver quickly and pausing in the process to allow years of dedicated experience to influence your product is the key to embracing both remarkable worlds. It's what we do at Glide Print.