So far digital magazine formats have by and large sought to replicate the experience of the printed format, reproducing printed versions complete with ‘flippy’ pages.
A few notable examples have gone further in making impressive use of video, audio and better layouts to maximise the potential of the digital magazine – but even these efforts will likely be seen as stepping stones towards more natively digital and mobile offerings to come.
Indeed, publications like Sports Illustrated [video] and Wired [video] have recently unveiled their respective conceptualisations with a clear focus on new hardware like e-readers, smart mobiles and tablets.
In a similar vein (see video above), design consultancy BERG and media company Bonnier have released what they call ‘a corporate collaborative research project … into the experience of reading magazines on handheld digital devices. It illustrates one possible vision for digital magazines in the near future …’.
Apart from looking very cool indeed BERG/Bonnier’s future retains the concept of magazine issues (as opposed to constantly updated RSS-style feeds) and (thankfully) does away with the flippy pages.
If you’re feeling impatient, skip to minute 3 for an idea of their concepts in action.