About 35% of people have experienced trouble choosing "color schemes" for printed materials, with about 46% only understanding differences in saturation and brightness "vaguely."

Survey on "Commitment to Printed Materials and Design"

Flyers, business cards, posters, tabletop POPs.

Various printed materials surround us.

However, when you are the one creating them, have you ever struggled with color selection, paper texture, or font choices? What aspects do people feel strongly about, and where do they tend to have difficulties?

Therefore, in collaboration with "WAVE," an online mail-order service for comprehensive printing, we conducted a survey targeting 500 men and women nationwide regarding "Commitment to Printed Materials and Design."

*When quoting the content of this press release, please take the following actions:*

* Indicate that the source is "A survey by NEXER Inc. and WAVE." * Include a link to WAVE (https://www.wave-inc.co.jp/) * Include a link to the relevant article (https://www.wave-inc.co.jp/weblog/?p=33364)

Survey Outline: "Survey on Commitment to Printed Materials and Design"

Survey Method: Internet-based questionnaire

Survey Period: April 10, 2026 - April 23, 2026

Target Respondents: Men and women nationwide

Valid Responses: 500 samples

Questions:

Question 1: Have you ever been involved in the design or ordering of printed materials such as flyers, business cards, or posters?

Question 2: For printed materials like flyers and posters, have you ever paid attention to the difference in "color vividness (saturation)" or "color brightness (brightness)"?

Question 3: If you have experienced trouble or concerns regarding the color of printed materials, please specify. (Multiple selections allowed)

Question 4: For "tabletop POPs (small, self-standing advertisements)" placed at stores or near cash registers, please select all that apply. (Multiple selections allowed)

Question 5: Please select all that apply for the characteristics of a "business card that feels stylish when received." (Multiple selections allowed)

Question 6: If you were to create your own business card (or commission its design), which point would you want to focus on the most?

Question 7: Please explain the reason.

*In principle, values are rounded to the second decimal place, so the total may not be 100%.

82.2% responded "Have no experience and no interest."

First, we asked about experience in designing or ordering printed materials such as flyers, business cards, and posters.

The largest response was "Have no experience and no interest" at 82.2%.

On the other hand, "Have no experience but am interested" was 5.2%, "Have experience in private life (hobbies, events, etc.)" was 3.2%, "Occasionally involved in work" was 7.0%, and "Frequently involved in work" was 2.4%.

Overall, the majority of people have no experience with printed materials.

However, when combining those with experience and those who are interested, it amounts to about 20%, indicating a certain level of interest in creating printed materials.

46.0% responded that they only understand the difference between saturation and brightness "vaguely."

Next, we asked those who have experience in designing or ordering printed materials about their understanding of specialized color elements.

Saturation refers to the degree of color vividness, and brightness refers to the degree of color lightness.

The largest response was "I vaguely understand the difference, but not enough to use it precisely" at 46.0%.

Following that, "Understand the difference between saturation and brightness and consciously use them in design" was 30.2%, "Have heard the terms but don't understand the difference well" was 22.2%, and "Heard the terms saturation and brightness for the first time" was 1.6%.

Even among those who know the terms saturation and brightness, only about 30% can reflect them in actual designs. Even among people involved in printed materials, a certain number seem to struggle with basic color knowledge.

35.4% have experienced "trouble with color schemes" for printed materials.

Next, we asked those who have experience in designing or ordering printed materials about their concerns regarding color.

The most common response was "Trouble with color combinations (color schemes)" at 35.4%.

Following that, "No particular trouble experienced" was 29.2%, and "The color on the screen was different from the printed color, which was surprising" and "It looked dull when I wanted it to be vivid" were each 20.8%.

This suggests that color schemes and color discrepancies are common concerns in creating printed materials.

51.6% responded that they "don't know what a tabletop POP is."

Next, we asked all respondents about their awareness of "tabletop POPs (small, self-standing advertisements)" placed at stores or near cash registers.

The largest response was "Don't know what a tabletop POP is" at 51.6%.

Following that, "I notice them, but rarely read the content carefully" was 28.6%, "POPs with elaborate designs catch my eye" was 16.8%, "Have purchased a product based on information from a tabletop POP" was 6.6%, and "Have created (or ordered) a tabletop POP myself" was 3.6%.

While over half of people are unfamiliar with the term tabletop POP, it appears that for those who are aware of them, design has the power to attract attention. Despite being small advertising tools, they seem to have a certain influence on purchasing behavior.

The top characteristic of a "stylish business card" is "fashionable color scheme" at 29.8%.

Next, we asked about the characteristics of "business cards that feel stylish when received."

The most common response was "Fashionable color scheme (not too flashy, not too plain)" at 29.8%.

Following closely were "Sophisticated logo or illustration design" at 25.6% and "Unusual shape or size (rounded corners, square, etc.)" at 25.2%.

Other responses included "Adequate white space, making information easy to read" at 21.6%, "Unique font choice" at 19.6%, "Commitment to paper texture and thickness" at 18.8%, and "Special finishes such as foil stamping or embossing" at 9.2%.

Color schemes, logos/illustrations, shape/size, white space, fonts, and paper quality are dispersed across different aspects. This shows that what constitutes "style" varies greatly from person to person.

The top point of focus when creating one's own business card is "low price" at 42.8%.

Finally, we asked about the most important point when creating one's own business card or commissioning its design.

The most common response was "Low price" at 42.8%.

Following that were "Color and design concept" at 30.8% and "Font selection" at 12.0%.

We asked for the reasons behind each answer and present some of them below.

Respondents who chose "Low price":

* "I don't have much money, and people might not look at it that closely, so cheaper is better." (20s, Female) * "I want to keep costs as low as possible." (20s, Male) * "For common items, I don't think there's a big difference in quality." (40s, Male)

Respondents who chose "Color and design concept":

* "It's the most visual information." (20s, Female) * "I think it's a tool to express myself." (30s, Female) * "It's the first impression, so I want to make an impact." (40s, Female)

Respondents who chose "Font selection":

* "I like something impactful." (20s, Female) * "I think fonts have the biggest impact on the impression given to others." (30s, Female) * "I don't want it to look cheap or untrustworthy due to the font." (40s, Female)

Those who chose "Low price" tended to emphasize budget and cost-effectiveness for business cards. Those who chose "Color and design concept" showed a tendency to value first impressions and individuality. Those who chose "Font selection" shared the view that fonts influence the impression given to others and contribute to trust. This indicates that individual values are strongly reflected in the small tool of a business card.

Summary

This survey revealed that not many people have experience in designing or ordering printed materials.

On the other hand, among those with experience, about 46% responded that they "only vaguely understand the difference between saturation and brightness," and about 35% "struggled with color schemes." It appears that many people experience difficulties related to color when creating printed materials.

Furthermore, when it comes to the most important point for business cards, "low price" exceeded 40%. However, about 30% also prioritize "color and design concept."

When creating your own business cards or printed materials, it is important to balance budget and design. Utilizing services that allow you to check the final output can help you get closer to a satisfactory result.

<Regarding use in articles, etc.>

* Indicate that the source is "A survey by NEXER Inc. and WAVE." * Include a link to WAVE (https://www.wave-inc.co.jp/) * Include a link to the relevant article (https://www.wave-inc.co.jp/weblog/?p=33364)

<About WAVE>

Company Name: WAVE Inc.

Representative Director: Masahiro Matsuura

Location: 6-2-1 Katsube, Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture, 524-0041 (Head Office/Shiga Business Office, Robot & Mechatronics Development Department)

Phone Number: 077-518-7788

Business Activities: Printing, paper processing, design production, development, design, manufacturing, and sales of FA (Factory Automation) equipment using robots and mechatronics.

<About NEXER Inc.>

Head Office: Rise Arena Building 11F, 4-5-2 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 170-0013

Representative Director: Yuya Miyata

URL: https://www.nexer.co.jp

Business Activities: Internet research, SEO, web branding, review content, real shop support, website production