Is this the future of magazines?

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

Design firm Berg has been working with Bonnier, a multimedia company that owns more than 50 magazines, including Popular Science, Parenting, Saveur, Transworld Skateboarding and Snowboarding and Field & Stream, to develop a next-generation magazine. In the video above, Berg demonstrates its vision, Mag+.

Far more attention is paid to how readers engage with magazines and what they want from them than to the device itself. It's an energizing way to think about how reading is evolving hand in hand with digital media. Rather than get hung up on the hardware, the designers focused on what people enjoy about reading magazines. On its blog, Berg writes:

Magazines have articles you can curl up with and lose yourself in, and luscious photography that draws the eye. And they’re so easy and enjoyable to read. Can we marry what’s best about magazines with the always connected, portable tablet e-readers sure to arrive in 2010?

As it appears, the design allows readers to see images and text together in classic magazine style, while easily shifting attention to one or the other, easily moving deep into articles and even selecting a piece of content (by pressing on the screen) for options like sharing via e-mail or learning more.

The techsperts at Gizmodo see a lot to like: "If this is the future for the magazine industry," Kat Hannaford writes, "suddenly I feel a lot more hopeful."

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Comments

[Jenny P]

I would LOVE to read my magazines with a device like this. It would save me from the clutter of my current subscriptions, which is what's preventing me from renewing this year.

[Drutas]

Yes, it's well-thought-out as a vessel, and yet I despair at the indifference to content. Soooooo many websites and online pages make the mistake of simply transferring their paper print copy online -- and it looks as if the magazine industry might do the same.

There is a specific adjustment necessary to writing for onscreen/online consumption. It's about style, tone, speed...a kind of shorthand that reflects the essence of hyperlinks. I don't necessarily mean shorter copy, though I certainly mean faster. Those who know how to do it will understand, and as for the rest, well, it's too much to explain here. Just hope Bonnier et al come to those realizations before simply posting their mags in tablet form.

[bassinet]

Magazines aren't accessible in most situations anymore and I think people will get more use out of them if they can check in on their favorites via their phone or hand-held device. People will definitely miss the page turning, pictures, and large print of the traditional magazine reading experience. I think this is where we are headed but I personally will miss traditional reading.