The Magazine of the Future

December 24 2009 — JA

Much has already been written about what ebooks and enewspapers might look like in the coming years, but what about magazines? Though similar, the digital presentation of this content opens up a whole new kettle of fish, particularly given their reliance on high-quality images, playful layout and large, glossy ads.

Swedish media giant Bonnier (who own a goodly stake in the American mag market) have come together with design firm BERG to envision what the magazine or journal of the future might look like, and the results are truly amazing. While still at the concept stage, BERG have come up with a product that is sleek, savvy and visually arresting – marrying the reading experience of print to the latest advances of modern technology. I’ll let the video speak for itself, save to say that what initially appears to be a classic magazine layout in tablet form easily morphs into a sophisticated network where readers can ‘heat up’ passages and photos to share and comment on, or ‘dig’ into additional material available on the web.

Apparently, something like this could be on the market within two years. This was the verdict from the Guardian’s Bobbie Johnson:

I'm not entirely sure whether the finished product (if it ever appears) will be as slick as the one in the video - or whether it would prove as readable and comforting as a printed magazine might. And it's all predicated on a class of devices that is still largely theoretical. But as a way to envisage what might be possible for publishers to achieve? It's the most impressive attempt I've seen so far.

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.