Fable’s The State of Print questions the relationship of digital and print in both content and design

Singapore-based multi-disciplinary design consultancy Fable have produced a new digital/physical experience titled The State of Print, with Singaporean neighbour Basheer Graphic, that aims to spark conversation on the place of printed matter in the digital age. Coming with every purchase made from the book store, The State of Print is a book that encourages the reader to interact with it digitally; marrying AR, QR codes, Instagram filters, spatial experiences, the project’s own interactive site and more. In conversation with Fable’s Founder Jiahui Tan, he explains that “print and bookselling are slowly becoming a tough business in Singapore, with everyone going online (Pinterest, Behance) for inspiration,” adding that younger creatives are beginning to spend less and less time with books, and instead spend “more time scrolling.” After speaking to Basheer Graphic’s owner about the issue at hand, Fable set out to create something playful and participatory, involving the integration of digital to print and introduction of print to digital. “The website also involves topics and interviews with industry professionals from both design and the peripheral industries (paper merchant, author),” Tan explains, giving the audience an insight into the shifting industry of print and its related fields. “We were involved in curating, writing, and also interviewing all the topics,” Tan notes, covering issues from e-waste vs print waste and sustainable tech to history of print and the evolution of publishing. “We feel we need to send a strong message to educate both the history part of things,” Tan explains, “as well as misconceptions;” also wanting to emphasise the typically unappreciated mass of e-waste across the globe.