I received my first issue of Climbing magazine yesterday after I had purchased a subscription through their iPad App. I naively expected the online subscription to be a PDF version of the magazine! I couldn’t have been more wrong!!
As I tapped the Climbing mag in my ‘Newsstand’, I was pleasantly surprised when the cover was dynamically populated with pictures and article headings. It became immediately apparent that the digital magazine did not deliver it’s content through only the written medium! With my technical background, this aroused my curiosity and I spent the next ten minutes just flicking through pages and exploring all the features the magazine had to offer!
By integrating hyperlinks, audio and video medium with the fundamental written medium (that of a traditional magazine); the Climbing magazine app creates an interactive and intuitive viewing experience. With the inclusion of audio snippets, video demonstrations and two dimensional (horizontally and vertically positioned) pages; they’ve created a channel of communication that delivers content in the most appropriate format [for the information being presented] and enhances the experience for their audience.
A quick example to illustrate the above point. One of the pages in the August 2013 issue contains a photograph of Pamela Pack on Soul Assassin (5.12+); and on the top right there is a little ‘a’ icon with the caption “Tap to hear anecdotes from the photographer”. When you tap on the Icon, sure enough, Fredrik Marmsater’s (Photographer) voice begins to recount the mission that was involved to get the shot “Just right..”. The photograph on its own tells a story but to have the photographer share with you, the story behind the story; somehow makes the photograph more raw and authentic. Needless to say it adds a whole new dimension to the experience!
Absolutely recommend the Climbing Magazine iPad App and with a one year subscription for the respectable price of $15.99 AUD; you can’t really go wrong! Happy reading everyone 🙂
Project 5.12a 