In what's becoming as common a story in the local paper as "NAVTEQ/Tele Atlas driver our city's streets" comes another "paper map company to shut down." This time the story that includes the terms "typewriter" and "buggy whip" is from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The 62-year-old company expects to close its doors by the end of February, as it sells out the last of its street guides and wall maps. Too many customers are turning to GPS devices and Internet maps, instead of what Metro Graphic offers.
- MLive.com
The title is meant to be an irony of the reality that tangible paper products have, and how they tend to have more of a capacity to influence and drive good digital design and execution.
Thus, I can only suggest that I don't think we'll see 'The End of Print' occurring in the mapping markets anytime soon, my friend -- just as digital media did not kill hardcopy collateral in design.
The primary issue is adjustment. The reality is saturation in the market and how that affects the business, and what that business did to adjust to that saturation. Market saturation can also occur due to various things, which is a broad topic to cover.