Tangible Design: Why We’re Still Obsessed with Print

Obviously, in 2025, print design should be coupled with a digital-first strategy, but there’s nothing quite like the tactile feeling of a magazine or a printed piece in your mail. 

Email used to be seen as a way to cut through the noise, but now we have so many emails in our inboxes, it’s hard to know what would resonate in that format. When a physical piece of mail arrives in your mailbox, you give it at least enough attention to decide to throw it away. In your digital inbox, you can clear hundreds of emails with the click of a button. 

There’s no sorting the mail into piles, looking at each piece to determine if you need it or not. You can find the one email you actually want or need and immediately delete the rest. 

Nowadays, people only receive a few mail pieces per day, whereas they likely receive hundreds, if not thousands, of emails every day. In addition to having a smaller crowd to stand out from, direct mail campaigns are perceived as more trustworthy and credible than their online counterparts. 

With more fake news and internet scams coming to light all the time in the online world, print is seen as more legitimate, especially for older audiences. Particularly if the mail pieces are high quality, physical ads also convey a level of professionalism and investment that digital ads lack. 

Recipients feel that the sender values them enough to send them something physical and tangible – something substantial. This physical interaction can also be more memorable for recipients, creating a stronger connection between the sender and the recipient. People remember what they can touch better than what they can simply see. 

Direct mail campaigns have also continued to show high levels of success, often outperforming digital and email campaigns with one of the highest response rates across all mediums. Especially as a part of a larger strategy, direct mail campaigns are one of the most effective methods. 

Direct mail has a smaller reach than digital marketing, but it allows you to excel in audience targeting and personalization. You can use data to create mail pieces that are highly targeted, using names, personalized offers, or even variable images to improve response rate.
Adding a QR code or personalized URL on your direct mail pieces helps to drive customers to digital spaces, complementing your digital strategies and creating a seamless, integrated campaign that reinforces your branding across multiple channels. We’re definitely not suggesting you pivot completely to direct mail, but it could be a good thing to add to your overall, existing marketing efforts. We’d certainly love to receive something from you!