Studio Brief 02 - Digital and Print content

The Gourmand's website serves as a visual preview into the printed content of the magazine. With on screen, readers are given a selection of articles that feature in the latest issue. 

In order to persuade readers to buy the physical copy, very limited information of the articles are shown. However the website's clean and minimal design does create a monotonous user experience that simply lets the content do the talking. This is a valid function but it does build anticipation in the reader to find out more about the articles. 

Olive Oil

In the On Paper section, users are presented with just static images of selective spreads. There is so much potential in this page to create a more immersive and engaging way to present their editorial content. Having just static images deflates the excitement in being able to read the full article. Just in the Olive Oil picture alone, Gourmand have an opportunity to show the artists process in forming those images, to have a gif where they flow on the page or a moving colour gradient that changes periodically. These possible techniques may not be the best way to create the needed engagement however it does represent what can be done and how magazines can definitely change the way they promote their content. 

It's Nice That's Printed Pages are also another example of editorial and digital content being distinct enough to have a following on both platforms, at least for some time. It's Nice That is a very popular website, picking the visually appealing projects from the creative world to comment on. Due to this follower base, Printed Pages already has good exposure to provide sales for their editorial content, which for some time was different to the website. Having this difference prevents repeating the same content on the website onto the magazine. It makes people want to buy the magazine as it is content that hasn't been seen before. 

The New York Times Magazine is also another magazine that has both an online and physical presence. The website is a subsection of the New York Times newspaper and has selected articles that presumably feature in the latest issue. 

Surprisingly the actual magazines cover is not the main focus of the website. After scrolling down a page, the magazine's cover is resided to the right hand side of the website, away from the focus of the articles. This does not create a user experience that promotes the appeal of owning the physical copy.  

Clicking on the cover, the user is redirected to another page that brings the artwork to full display. But again, it is yet another static preview of the magazine that does not give the reader any idea of the magazine's art direction. 

On mobile, the user has to scroll all the way down to view the magazine. If this is a section of the New York Times dedicated to the magazine's content, why isn't the magazine itself the first thing the user sees?