[wombatmobile]

Sorry in advance for the negativity. I'd love to rediscover the joy of reading quality periodicals so I'll read other comments here and try anything that looks good.

As for my experiences lately...

I subscribed to The Atlantic after reading it online.

The print edition is disappointing for the quality of its typography and illustrations. The layout subediting should contribute a lot more to the experience. Instead, I feel like I'm wading aimlessly through a swamp without landmarks.

I like the online typography and layout of NYT and WSJ, and I subscribed to both for the quality of their newsrooms and the depth of their resources.

I lament the polarisation of journalistic publications into left and right. This is particularly jarring in the comments sections of NYT and WSJ. The partisan tropes are unedifying, repetitious and dull. I'm happier not reading them.

For hardcopy, I'm reading books.

[ibn_khaldun]

I for one find your criticism to be enlightening and valuable. If I may ask you to continue, what qualities do you think are signs of good experiences in print and digital literature?

[wombatmobile]

Good question. I’m wondering if my online experiences have changed my expectations and readiness for print.

30 years ago, I’d luxuriate in a copy of Foreign Affairs, The Economist, New Yorker, Interview, NME. Each of those publications gave me subject depth I couldn’t get anywhere else, and the long form articles would provide background and context. They were another world. All I had to do was pay the cover price and find somewhere comfortable to sit without interruption.

What’s different now is I can get all the background and context I need for subjects about which I am naive online through search and Wikipedia. I don’t have to wait for next months periodical to satisfy a curiosity in a subject. So what I want from periodicals has changed. I’m just understanding this more clearly as I respond to your question.

With a magazine, I can’t search, so I want a different experience. I want what I can’t get online for free - inside information, deep subject specialty, skilful curation. The Atlantic often has that, but the curation isn’t assisted by bland typography and illustrations. New Yorker is better that way. I can tell which articles to read without trawling through 500 words.

[ibn_khaldun]

It's interesting that you use the word "curation" to describe designing for literature. Lately I have been looking into how museums put together exhibits and how to integrate some of their approaches into web or print publishing.

It feels like so much of what you described is lost today ie., skill and decorum in displaying words meaningfully. If I may ask, what are some personal design principles that you look for when critiquing a publication (be it print or on the Web)?

For the record I am not employed by any company or agency, I am only an individual who is trying to get a better understanding of what I should be looking for as a consumer and creator myself. To boot, I appreciate your insight and the thought processes behind it. Thank you!

[DenverCode]

> Lately I have been looking into how museums put together exhibits and how to integrate some of their approaches into web or print publishing.

That is a fascinating approach. Do you have any examples?

[ibn_khaldun]

Pardon the late response.

As of right now I have no examples of my own to show you. Everything is theoretical. I'm not sure if this is something that has been thought of before and I haven't really looked around to see if there are explicit examples or thoughts similar to mine.

But what I've covered so far mainly focuses on the similarities between the non-linear experience of an exhibit (be it at a museum, library, gallery, etc.) and the non-linear experience of a Hypertext narrative on the Web. Of course, this is less feasible in print.

But for the most part, the appeal at least to me, is breaking up a single theme/Web article across multiple pages and allowing online visitors to have their own unique experiences determined by the order in which they click a link as decided by the different contexts that a link can be placed in.

The goal is to implement something contrary to the linear structure of the Web page, especially something unlike the impersonal experience that are online publications.

[TooSmugToFail]

Thank you for your insight, very interesting.

I would particularly underline 'skilful curation' as a very strong selling point. The ability to see through all the noise, and select for relevance/interest.

Also, inside information is a big one. In a comment above, I said I appreciate Financial Times for their professionality of journalism: their journalists will often times investigate complex topics, calling up subjects, knocking on doors (the amazing coverage of the recent Wirecard scandal comes to mind) its exactly the type of original, often inside information that is worth paying for.