When asked about digitally publishing comic books, Stan Lee replied, “Comic books are like boobs; they look great on a computer, but I’d rather hold one in my hand.”
It’s not only the comic book industry that’s going digital,
but also the whole direction of the publishing industry: Writers now have the
ability to self publish through Amazon instead of finding a publisher. Marketing
plans to hit the masses revolve around e-books while print is now being
targeted toward “niche” groups. Bookstores are going out of business and book
club members have their nooks and kindles in their hands, and not print versions. So what does this mean for designers who want to go into
publishing/editorial design?
Also the WWF Together App is another example of
an interesting interactive user experience.
Because of the rising demand for e-books, there is also a
push to treat print publications as more of a collectible. This is where
packaging design can also come into play. An example of this would be JJ Abram’s S that comes with a compass, postcards, notes written on table
napkins, etc. The tangible experience is something that interactive publishing
can’t imitate.
1. Interactive Editorial Design
Interactive design firms have started to cater to designing e-books and magazine apps (check out this list of e-books). Digital publication allows the reader to interact with type and illustration in ways print can’t do. Small things like touching a word to pull up a dictionary of its meaning or animated illustrations are possible through digital publishing. Magazines like GQ, Martha Stewart, and The New Yorker have digital versions available through the Apple App Store.
Here’s a little video on the WIRED Magazine App and how the user interacts with it
CONS
Glitches with magazine apps and confusion with navigation have
caused frustration among users. Because of this many prefer the print version
instead of dealing with the hassle of a digital medium.
2. Print Design (It's not dead!)
Because of the rising demand for e-books, there is also a
push to treat print publications as more of a collectible. This is where
packaging design can also come into play. An example of this would be JJ Abram’s S that comes with a compass, postcards, notes written on table
napkins, etc. The tangible experience is something that interactive publishing
can’t imitate.
With the rise of new technology, the publishing design field
has evolved to include the medium of digital interactive design. Many may see
this as the death of print design but rather designers have more of an
opportunity to add interesting elements to their publishing projects. The
publishing field is not dying; it is simply evolving.
Maria-
ReplyDeleteThis is a cool topic! Good work. It is interesting how you are dividing the field of publishing design into two categories (one digital, and one “new wave” of print design). You included a couple neat videos about digital publishing – it would be nice to see more examples of cool trends in print design. Basically, you want to show how print design now has to function in ways that can’t exist digitally. For example, there are a lot of cool interactive books and exhibition designs you could show your readers.
In terms of grammar, be sure to break up your sentences with commas when necessary. For example:
“Many may see this as the death of print design(,) but rather(,) designers have more of an opportunity to add interesting elements to their publishing projects.”
Thanks for including more links for your readers, too. Overall, I’d just re-read to make sure your sentences flow well, and provide some more cool print design examples.