Hasta La Ideas

Mag+ is an investigation of the future of periodicals in digital media. A collaboration between design consultancy Berg and the R+D department of magazine publisher Bonnier, this study is particularly relevant after the sad announcement earlier this week that I.D. magazine would be ceasing publication. It might also be considered another unofficial response to “The Future of Digital Reading, our 1 Hour Design Challenge produced with Portigal Consulting.

In this e-reader proposal, Berg and Bonnier consider the magazine’s particular way of parceling out content. Unlike the endless RSS feeds we are now all accustomed to, magazines give people a “sense that they’ve consumed an editorial package,” something finite and episodic. At the same time, the flexible format of the e-reader allows periodicals to continue to art direct, with pull quotes, flexible layouts and pagination.

Also refreshing is the insight that a mock page flip as a means of navigation doesn’t actually work, and that the most successful e-reading experiences (emails, blogs, online newspapers) rely simply on scrolling.

Get all the background information and see the compelling visualization in the video above.

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