As with many of my favorite things, I became a fan of Outside Magazine on the juggernaut of social media, Facebook. This niche publication celebrates the adventure seeker who lives for their next far flung outdoor excursion and the people for whom a day at the office might consist of leading a trek on some backcountry path of the Rockies. I was drawn to a Facebook update that featured the elite triathlete, Chris Lieto, and his intentions to win the next Ironman and finally put an American in the top spot. As I read the article, I found a link to what they were calling a “living portrait.”
This living portrait of Chris Lieto focused on a new form of dynamic magazine content captured by photographer Alexx Henry. As subscriber bases of print editions of newspapers and magazines increasingly dwindle, publishers are looking to new forms of innovation to continue to publish content that can inspire the imagination of their readers without sending all content online. Behold the Living Magazine!
Imagine a world where the magazine you hold can tell a story not just with words, but with a movie-like feel – a veritable slate of miniature TV programs captured within the pages of the magazine. And imagine not having to pay much more for that magazine than you might pay for a printed edition today. It is possible with technologies such as OLED (Organic LED) and E Ink (currently used on the Amazon Kindle). This OLED technology is already being developed into a flexible prototype that is light, portable and energy efficient. According to the article, in August, scientists from the RIKEN Center in Japan announced advances that would allow OLED devices to be manufactured as inexpensively as printing newspapers!
This is only the next generation of what is already being utilized by advertisers in places such as the tunnels of the London subway. Where movie posters may have once been displayed, those images are now coming to life with motion, which can be entertaining for passers-by. The negatives? Some have thought this technology to be intrusive. As digital marketers refine the way they use this technology, the focus is on attraction rather than distraction. I am looking forward to seeing this type of technology come into the mainstream, as the winning formula will be creating content and images in motion which are compelling to consumers, offering valuable information and entertainment. In this way, print can go on living, just perhaps, in a different way.