Tuesday 15 June 2010

L'iPad & Digital Magazines

Apple, you got me. I seriously want an iPad. For a long time I considered the iPad to be a large iPod Touch, which I own and am actually very happy with. So why do I want one now? Well obviously not because I want to spend long hours typing up emails and documents in iWorks on it. It's not a computer and I don't intend to use it like one. From what I've heard and have experienced so far, movies and photographs look pretty amazing on it but most of all it makes me read magazines the way I wanted to read magazines 10 years ago. These are simply things you can't really do well on an iPod Touch. I've found quite a few iPad apps for magazines that interest me so far, and they're really not as expensive as I though they would be, major plus. I can't wait to see what Conde Nast will come up with and what other, more niche and underground focussed magazines will do. Will I buy one now? I'm super tempted but I think I'm going to wait for the 2nd generation iPad. I don't really care about the highly anticipated camera everyone's banging on about, but I do want to be able to multitask and run flash on it. Also spending £429 on a mere 16 GB and NO 3G just isn't worth it.... or is it? Hmmm... Anyway, as for digital publications, digital magazine design is a whole different ballgame as opposed to printed magazine design. Typography, meta-data, photography, interactive elements; pretty much the whole lay-out needs to be reconsidered, it's simply a completely different way of story telling and I've recently come to the conclusion that digital magazine design&publication are fields I wouldn't mind working in either. In fact every time I find a new magazine/newsfeed related app my enthusiasm grows and makes me want to read more and more and more and etc. Am I turning my back on the good old running-to-the-bookshop-to-pick-up-THE-new-issue? Hell no, digital & print aren't comparing, in my opinion. But I'm a n00b and I only just jumped on the iPad fangirl bandwagon. I don't have the (technical) knowledge on it's possibilities, bugs and where this device fails to deliver (yet) and if there possibly is a product on the market that does a much better job but I'm learning and it's all very exciting. I've fallen in love. If you're interested in digital magazines (on/and) the iPad but can't be bothered to spend hours geeking out online doing research, then these clips might be of use to you: x    

Pentagram: 5 Ways the iPad Will Change Magazine Design

"This conceptual video is a corporate collaborative research project initiated by Bonnier R&D into the experience of reading magazines on handheld digital devices. It illustrates one possible vision for digital magazines in the near future, presented by our design partners at BERG (London)."


iPad magazine artdirection.


Digital magazine creation with Woodwing software.


The Guardian's Eyewitnessapp does a lovely job showing daily news photography. (And it's free.)


The Guardian's Eyewitnessapp explained.


Wired Magazine for iPad. I kinda fell in love with the iPad when I read this magazine on it.


Wired Magazine for iPad. Official trailer. Yumyum


iPad App Review - Zinio - Magazine reader


Time magazine for iPad.


Interview Magazine for iPad. Yay! Big fan of the printed version.


Letter to Jane Magazine for iPad. Hadn't heard of this magazine before, but it's looking sexy.

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