ANALOGUE / DIGITAL: PUBLICATION Its Means, Its Message, Its Distribution

Jack Booth

BA (Hons) Fine Art for Design

Word Count: 4915

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ABSTRACT

This Dissertation Documents and discusses the effects of digital publication on analogue publication;

comparing the two and the constant need for new technologies. Discussing their means, message

and distribution. Technological advancement is a rapid process in which we can see them constantly

evolving. We have the introduction of the iPad, the Kindle and now even 3D printing is becoming an

established medium. This dissertation will look at analogue and digital publication from the early

90s to today.

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INTRODUCTION

We have seen a rapid increase in new technologies over the past 10 years alone. We have gone from

a nation buying printed magazines and books, to a digital crazed and obsessed country. We have to

have the latest gadget, the latest software, the latest updates. It almost feels like a competition.

Who can get the most up to date and current gadget? We certainly see this with the introduction of

digital tablets and smart phones. We sit reading a book on an iPad or a Kindle (Fig. 1), rather than

carry around a heavy, awkward publication. Is this for convenience or is it purely to feel like we are

at the top of our game?

The internet is by no means going to stop growing. We see more and more publications creating a

presence online every day. Digital publications are easy to use and above that, convenient. It is down

to personal preference. The tactility and aesthetic of a printed publication is important to many

people, however, the convenience of a digital publication appeals much more to others. Brendan

Dawes is an artist who primarily uses digital technology to create his artwork; however, he discusses

the importance of analogue materials in this day and age.

Yes I love all the cool things digital media gives us; Im just saying that these tea stains, bent

corners and smudges from the physical world are really important to us-they help mark who we are

as human beings, and they tell a story. We cant dismiss the role they play simply because the

Fig.1: iPad and Kindle

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/ipad-or-kindle-will-our-wallets-decide/

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medium at present has not found a way to represent it. (Dawes, B. (2007) Analogue In, Digital Out,

Loc 1254 of 1429).

Analogue materials such as books, magazines and photographs all hold memories. Whether it be the

moment you saw the publication on a shelf and picked it up for the first time, being seduced by the

usually glossy and pristine cover, or you get out the shoebox full of family photographs that has been

stored in the bottom of a cupboard gathering dust for years. These days, we use a digital camera to

take photographs. We very rarely print them. They are kept digitally in virtual files, just waiting for a

purpose. We see the introduction of digital photography via smartphones such as Instagram (Fig.2),

where the app will overlay an effect such as sepia and black and white to create an aesthetic of a

traditional film photograph. Its the fashion of technology of today.

So the question is, is digital media having an impact on analogue media? Especially publication. If so,

is it positive or negative? We can see a seismic shift in terms of technological advances in the past 20

years alone, with the invention and introduction of the iPad, Smartphones, Kindles, broadband

internet and everything in between. Obviously digital media is never going to stop growing, but

when will the line be drawn in terms of ethics? Digital technology is obviously a huge advantage;

however, it will only ever be effective according to the human input.

The past few years has gradually introduced 3D printing into the commercial market, a huge step

forward in terms of print technologies. It marks a moment in time that shows how far technology

Fig. 2: Instagram Filters

http://thenextweb.com

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has actually come. It marks a revolution. Will the introduction of 3D printing eventually turn around

peoples views of online publication? For example, many people read magazines and books digitally,

however, if the digital revolution continues to grow, what will make publications stand out? They

will all be the same. Yes they will be able to stream sound, moving image and more up to date

information, but is this what people are looking for? Or are people coming round to the idea that the

aesthetic and tactility of print will never fade? Especially now with the introduction of 3D printing.

People like the idea of one offseditions, something that isnt monotonous. So why would they

purchase something which lives only in the ether, when they could have a beautifully printed book

or magazine (Fig. 3), one that they could hold, feel, smell the paper, wash their hands when the ink

has rubbed off onto their fingers? Making full use of all our senses is somewhat seductive.

Dont Panic recently released a short video featuring Riverhead Books, who teamed up with

MakerBot to present The Worlds First 3D Printed Book Cover, stating that they are looking for

new ways to present books. We want to give people something to hold onto, that is not available in

digital form. (http://www.dontpaniconline.com. Last accessed 25th February 2014).

The idea of everything becoming digitised was seemingly an idea of the past. Now what people are

looking for is for everything to become personal again. That idea of tactility, making something

available for people to hold on to that isnt available in digital form. This seems to be the future.

Trying to get back to our roots of appreciating the analogue before we turn entirely into a virtual

world. Making things unique, something that one can treasure.

Fig. 3: Pigeons and Peacocks Magazine

http://www.chapterpress.co.uk

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ANALOGUE PUBLICATION

The term magazine was not used until the 1730s when Edward Cave published his Gentlemans

Magazine in Britain. This new type of leisure journal was designed to entertain its readers with

eyewitness accounts of crime and punishment and romantic stories. It proved popular and soon a

female counterpart was published called the Ladys Magazine, which could be bound into volumes

for bookshelves. (Walden, K. Magazines, 1988, pg. 4).

Analogue publication has always been popular, magazines, books, we all have them. What is

interesting though is how these printed publications now live, alongside digital issues. I think being

able to trigger all our senses is something that keeps us coming back to printed publication. We can

see the images, the writing, we can hear the paper rustling, we can smell the paper when we turn a

page, we can touch it, and okay we cant taste it, unless you lick your fingers to flick the page. But

who knows, maybe soon we will be able to taste, maybe this is what is missing about these

publication, it one day maybe incorporated somehow into a magazine or a book to contribute the

narrative.

Often the decision to buy a magazine or a book is not something we spend too much time thinking

about. However, now with the popularity of digital publication, it creates a choice, which comes

down to user experience, aesthetics and ergonomics. How is this introduction of digitalised

publication having an impact on magazines, established and otherwise, and books? Many magazines

such as Vogue, GQ, and Vice all offer a digital subscription for a certain fee (Fig. 4). Many people will

benefit from this, however, a majority of people will find it quite a daunting idea to pay for

something that isnt physical.

Fig. 4: Esquire Digital Issue

http://blog.infotrends.com

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Now just take a look at one of my bookshelves. You have to ask yourself, why do so many of us

keep books that weve read and will probably never read again? In my opinion, its because they are

more than books to us. My books are little devices that send out signals about what I like and what

interests me. And even if nobody else ever sees them, it doesnt matter to me. These bookshelves

are my very own personality wall, crammed with stuff. (Dawes, B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007,

Loc 1031 of 1429)

When we buy or pick up a publication, we often dont think twice about it, however, as Brendan

Dawes suggests, they act as a way of conveying our personality subconsciously. How will we do this

if from now on, people only purchase digital publication, which will be displayed on an iPad, Kindle

or a laptop, all of which we take care to ensure we keep its contents private? We will no longer be

able to determine what someone is looking at for inspiration; we wont get the chance to construct a

mental image of their personality based on their interests, without first talking to them.

Objects, not only magazines and books but photographs, music and so on are all becoming more

digitised. We used to be able to establish an initial mental image of someones personality based on

what vinyls or CDs they had on show.

Photographs are about capturing a still moment in time, yet does it not leave you a little cold when

you look at your digital images on screen? Theres absolutely no sense of time or narrative infused

into the photo itself unless, of course, you print it out-and then it becomes an analogue artefact

rather than a digital one. (Dawes, B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc 1376 of 1429)

I think its quite sad, the idea that we all obsess over new technology, that we all have to constantly

have the latest gadgets, the latest software, that we are constantly looking to upgrade. I hope that

we cannot simply forget the analogue.

Jef Raskin was an expert in human computer interaction and the initiator for the Macintosh Project

for Apple. Raskin advocated forcefully for the company to develop a computer that was easy to use,

and he headed the Macintosh project in 1979.

He really spent his life urging a degree of simplicity where computers would not only easy to use

but delightful said Steven Levy, a technology writer and the author of insanely great, a history of

the Macintosh computer. (Elliott, A., http://www.nytimes.com, 2005. Last accessed December

2013).

Johnathan Ive is a designer and senior vice president of design at Apple. He has designed many of

the apple products including the MacBook Pro, iMac, iPhone and iPad. He began working for Apple

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in 1992. I think the idea that the invention and design of all these Apple products has had major

influences on the way we view everyday material. A perfect example of new technology is the

introduction of iCloud. A virtual hard drive that can store photographs, music, files, documents, all

digitally, existing only in the ether. It is quite a scary thought however that this is now considered to

be a convenient way of storing all our personal information and files. Going are the days that we use

filing cabinets, or even buy CDs.

Memory sticks, flash drives whatever you want to call them-are undeniably remarkable. It still

amazes me that I can carry 1GB of storage space in my pocket. Yet often I think that we are losing

something with all this miniaturisation of technology. (Dawes, B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc

354 of 1429).

Vice magazine is an example of a popular printed publication which has a large presence online

throughout the world. Started Montreal Canada in 1994, its focus is mainly based on arts, culture

and news topics. Released monthly with a monthly circulation of 900,000 worldwide, and 80,000 in

the UK, Vice is a popular free publication (Fig. 5) which has ties and relationships with companies

such as American Apparel and often distribute their magazines in their stores.

Fig. 5: Vice, the publication, which is now expanding across different

mediums.

http://www.independent.co.uk

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Later, Vice expanded with Vice Media to allow divisions such as a website, film production company,

a record label. This shows how important other outlets of media are. On the website, it now has a

huge array of pages packed with information that is collected from blogs and the news which

contains up to date stories and information. Today, you can purchase the back issues of vice, with

the ability to subscribe for a fee. This is to cover the costs of production and postage.

I contacted Vice and asked them how they see the printed publication now, with the constant

demand for digital. They said essentially whilst the magazine is still important to us, commercially it

is not. Its a fraction of global revenues now. Where once it was where we made the majority of our

money, now it is less than 3% of global revenues. Now we make all our money from video

production for brands, as well as consultancy and digital media. However, we will keep the magazine

going as we love it and it is a great marketing brochure for our brand. It is free so we dont rely on

copy sales like other magazines. (OMara, M. Email response).

The fact that Vices magazine now only brings in 3% of their global revenues is a really interesting

point. It just shows that we, as a nation, as a planet, that we follow trends, we need to be part of

the new, the now. I find it fascinating that they now make most of their money via video production

and digital media. This just shows how important the digital has become, which comes down to the

ease and accessibility of the internet.

In Brendan Dawes Book, Analogue In, Digital Out, he mentions a book he had from early on in his

career. He mentioned he received a magazine with it, Computer & Video Games. The page had a

story impregnated into it, a narrative that has been permanently stuck to it. Because thats what

paper pages can do-they acquire signs of use and accidents that tell a future reader something about

what they meant to someone. The tea stains suggest that I was looking over this two-page ad for

quite a while or at least that I kept coming back to it. (Dawes, B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc

356 of 1429).

Im not sure how much longer people will go to a shop and purchase a publication. Again, with the

immediacy of the internet, more often than not, what they are looking for is available elsewhere, or

in a digital format.

Personally, I think the idea that we can keep coming back to the analogue, that the analogue can

hold a story, is priceless. The immediacy of writing on a piece of paper with a pen, the turning of a

page, the physically of all these things are something that I think we will always treasure, always

come back to, always rely on and most importantly, always trust.

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DIGITAL PUBLICATION

With its ease of access, the internet is constantly growing and becoming a plethora of information.

What I find interesting is the fact that no matter how developed and how advanced the internet and

digital media becomes, it will only ever be as good as the initial human input.

As previously mentioned, many or most of publications on the shelves now have a digital issue or

some form of digital subsidiarity available either free or at a cost. I think they need to offer this in

this day and age to appeal to a wider audience and to ensure their marketing needs are met.

Within magazines themselves, we see advertisements for magazine iPad apps. In an issue of Creative

Review, There is an advert that says, at last a magazine has produced an iPad app that doesnt

simply regurgitate magazine contenta super intuitive app that delivers great content. Featuring

extended versions of magazine content with extra images and video, plus iPad exclusives.

To my surprise Ive recently been using my iPhone more and more as a reading device. (Fig. 6) At

first, it was only the Guardians impressive (and now quite old in app years) headline app, giving

customisable access to news stories as they occur. But now I regularly read posts from Aeon

Magazine, the British Journal of Photographys app and regular chunks of content saved via

instapaper.

Fig. 6: Magazines on the iPhone

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk

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It was the New Yorker app, published weekly and available free to print subscribers, that really got

me into this habit. Its text orientated content is ideally suited to the small retina-resolution screen,

and subtle typographic touches and intelligent inclusion of the printed magazines cartoon and spot

illustrations maintain its visual character.(Leslie, J., Creative Review, February 2013, Pg. 64).

Today, there are more and more apps dedicated to publications of some sort. Many of them at a

cost and the content is fed directly to the app, either weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Many readers

use this, and use this alone, no longer buying publications because of the ease and convenience of

the app.

Obviously digital media and the internet has its advantages, however, something which I feel is

always going to be a struggle, is the tangibility. We can read a whole publication on something that

is no bigger than the palm of your hand, but turning the page, smelling the paper, the physical act of

interaction with a publication is not the same as that on a tablet or phone.

Brandan Dawes talks about the album cover, and how this no longer determines someones

personality, because we no longer see them. Everything is downloaded and kept digitally. The idea

that we may have to come up with some form of digital representation for a song, to replace the

album cover.

with the advent of digital music downloads, we no longer really have anything as tangible as the

album cover to provide a visual representation of the music within-and besides, people now buy

individual tracks rather than whole albums. A graphic designer cant make a visual interpretation of

every track, if for no other reason than it would be too costly. Perhaps in the future, the album

cover creator will be an interactive designer or a pure programmer: a digital artist who creates

coded interpretations of individual songs, created by some crazy program on the iTunes server that

can dish up cool visual downloads for each track. (Dawes, B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc 1383

of 1429).

Dawes also raises a really interesting question. What are we losing in this super clean, time-

irrelevant medium? Do people want to see evidence of use? (Dawes, B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007,

Loc 1337 of 1429).

We use the internet so much without even realising. Whether it be to check our emails, look up a

question, look at a map, or read a book or magazine. It is so useful and amazing; however, we do

lack any evidence of use. We cant tell if someone has looked in a book, or on the web. For example,

if we look at a printed photograph, we can see fingerprints, smudges, printing errors, creases, folds,

and so on. More often than not, people now use a digital camera, upload their images to a photo

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sharing site, and the photo is still just as perfect as it was when it was uploaded, even a decade later.

There is no mark in time.

Flickr.com introduced a new way of implementing some evidence of use as Brendan Dawes suggests.

Flickr.com goes some way forward to toward letting digital photos take on these narrative

scratches in time. You can see how many times a photo has been viewed, together with comments

that people have left after viewing it. There is also a note system, so you can leave actual notes on

the photo itself-kind of like writing on the back of a printed photograph. People love to know this

stuff. They love to know how many times someone has viewed their photo, or whether it has been

set as a favourite by someone. In a small way, this is evidence of use by friends, family and by people

you dont know. When you come back to your photo a few months down the line, things have been

added, which in turn adds to the story of the photo. (Dawes, B,. Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc

1383 of 1429).

Even though this does give that slight satisfaction that a photograph doesnt just sit in a virtual

digital file unused, I dont think it will replace the slight euphoric feeling of holding a Polaroid or film

print, which has been kept for decades, passed through generations and has all the signs of use,

which only add to the story, as an extension of the photograph.

There is no way of showing visually, that a digital file hasnt been touched. A file that was created

ten years ago will not change in appearance, it wont become worn or torn. Obviously this is what

makes the digital so great, the fact that something is kept, not taking up physical space on your desk

or bookshelf, and will remain perfect as the day it was created. What is scary is that we dont know

how long a life span something digital can have, because in reality, computers and the internet are

still a new concept.

I have had files just disappear for no reason off my Macintosh desktop. It hurts to think that these

files have just vanished, without any consideration of ones feelings. Photographs that I will never get

back, just gone. What if one day, everything we have ever kept digitally, just degrades into a black

hole in the ether? Its actually a chilling and worrying thought.

Look at the rise of the blog. Its huge popularity comes down to the fact that we like to tell other

people about ourselves-our likes, dislikes, rants and such. Its a digital form of objects in our house,

bumper stickers on our cars, or T-shirts with messages. We are telling other people who we are and

what we think. (Dawes, B,. Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc 1031 of 1429).

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What is interesting is the idea that we still try and come up with ways to make the internet more

interactive/analogue. I think its a subconscious feeling of disappointment when we do not achieve

what we envision.

Yes the internet is amazing and has been a giant leap, a revolution for us as humans, but it doesnt

allow us to connect with something physically. We spend most of our time on the internet looking at

objects that exist in the real world. We spend time reading facts that we can easily find in books or

magazines. Yes, its down to the ease of access, but I personally feel like we have lost a connection

with physicality due to the lack of tangibility and tactility.

What is interesting is how artists and designers such as Magnetic North, a digital interaction design

company based in Manchester, and Universal Everything, are producing work using ever-changing

technology. Just imagine for a moment a world without undo. No more rubbing out our mistakes

with a two-key combo, wiping those little errors from the creative playground. What if instead we

had to make those errors work for us? We couldnt just throw them out but had to mold them into

the fabric of our digital objects, as a sculptor does in clay, or a painter does on canvas. What if our

creations somehow bore all the mistakes, the imperfect moments of spontaneity that went into

creating the finished work? (Dawes, B., Analog In Digital Out, 2007, Loc 1083 of 1429). The work of

these design studios are often created using digital means, whether it be via Photoshop to

regurgitate an existing image to create a new one, or using data and information to inform their

work.

People are starting to ask these questions. Starting to consider whats the next step for the internet,

for digital technology, and for the analogue. Virtual reality will make the online experience as real

as real life, or perhaps even better. Everything will be personalised, tuned to your habits, desires and

goals, and people will have a better way to curate their life stories. (Schmidt, E., Sunday Times

Review, The New Digital Age).

I think people are really beginning to consider and actually think about the internet logically and how

we can get that missing something back. as people get to know the technology better, their use of

it becomes more subtle and focused. (Dawes, B., Analog in, Digital Out, 2007, Loc 1289 of 1429).

People have definitely gained a love for the digitisation of publications, and the convenience of their

smartphones and laptops. Mobile devices are even more personal to audiences than their PCs.

(Titus, R., Sunday Times Culture Magazine, 2012).

I think established publications are safe as print, but there could be a risk of losing their USP via

online marketing and digital issues. For example, I personally love publications such as Garage, and

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Dazed and Confused. Yes they have an online presence, but nothing online could ever replace the

smell of the paper, the feel of the paper, the saturation of the colours, and the fact that I can read it,

keep it on my book shelf, use it as a notebook, rip out pages, use it as a coaster, and then keep it

archived for future reference.

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES

With the advance of digital technologies, printed publication isnt necessarily becoming phased out

so to speak. Yes it isnt as popular as maybe it once was, but it still exists, people still buy print,

people are still interested, and I can guarantee, before anyone raises the question, no, print is not

dead. Far from it.

We now have the introduction of digital issues, such as iPad editions, Kindle readers, and even

websites such as issue, an online publication platform. We have the introduction of 3D printing,

which is beginning to roll out into industry.

A friend of mine once remarked, Why cant a computer be as easy to use as a pencil? and he had

a very good point. You pick it up, use it, put it away-no instructions needed. You instantly

understand how it works. Every time I approach design, I think of the flawless simplicity and

stunning visual feedback of the humble pencil. This thing that we use every day, without ever giving

it a second thought, is so brilliant that it makes you look at other objects and other interface design

in a new way. (Dawes, B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc 875 of 1429).

Brendan Dawes raises a very interesting point. We use the pencil almost every day, but we disregard

its simplicity. We dont spare a thought for it, and we take it for granted. However, even though

aesthetically and functionally it appears quite simple, it is an amazing piece of technology. Why do

we disregard all these functionalities in a pencil, however, point out all the flaws and ergonomically,

aesthetical flaws in something such as a printer? A printer often occurs many problems, either it

wont print, displays error messages, and so on. We get frustrated. I think we may forget how

amazing these machines really are, how convenient and easy they make life.

The down side is that we often rely, maybe a bit too much on these machines. We take them for

granted, and because we pay so much money for them, we expect them to work perfectly, forever.

Obviously this is not the case.

We use social media nearly every day too. Twitter is one of the better examples, (Fig. 7) as it allows

us to quickly access updates of important information, very quickly. Its the most fascinating search

engine you could hope for. Rather than feeding a request into the great big Google Algorithmotron,

asking actual human beings is so much more effective. Sometimes you ask a simple question and

moments later youre inundated with generous pearls of wisdom and links and advice from all over

the world, more than you could ever hope for. (Benneworth-Gray, D., Creative Review, June 2013,

Pg. 69).I think we overlook how useful twitter can be. The ability to find out useful, important

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information is something we take for granted. Twitter again, shows how far we have come in terms

of advancement in technology and communication.

Brendan Dawes raises a very interesting point. He talks about how when flash first came about, we

used it all the time, for everything. We overused it. When flash first appeared on the scene, web

users were inundated with text flying all over the place. A word could no longer be just a word-it had

to take wing and soar. A sentence could no longer just be placed on the screen. Oh no. Now that we

had the ability to fly text in, we developers were going to use it on everything-and I mean

everything. (Dawes, B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc 1273 of 1429).

During a lecture given by Brendan Dawes at his private view of his exhibition, Dot Dot Dot in

Sheffield, Dawes talked about data, and how we interpret data visually. Tweets from 2008-2013 are

transformed into an analogue 3D printed object. What I find interesting is the idea of pulling this

data from the atmosphere, and creating something analogue, something real to visualise it. In

Dawes case, a 3D printed object.

As a standard, we often use an inkjet or laser printer for our daily needs, or to print artwork. We

dont really think of using alternate print processes apart from these, and then traditional print

processes such as screen printing. Industries have used other processes such as intaglio printing for

years now.

Fig. 7: Twitter on a Smartphone

http://www.digitaltrends.com

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We have never really given much consideration to the idea of using print to build up a surface, or

create texture. This is always done using embossing. New capabilities available through the latest

generation of digital presses are shaking up the design worlds idea of what can be achieved in

affordable, short-run or personalised print projects. The concept that every copy can be different is

two decades old, but until now, the print has always been, well, flat. Thats literally flat because print

is generally a two dimension medium, but visually flat too, as digital processes have previously been

limited to colour inks, mostly on plain white substrates. This is however, set to change. The past year

or two have seen the introduction of digital special effects for production-scale presses, including

raised and textured images that emulate embossing, variable pattern clear coatings, and metallised

effects. (Author unknown., Creative Review June 2013). I think the idea of introducing a

commercially available printer that allows us to create built up surfaces and use metallic inks, on a

smaller scale is something interesting and innovative.

We could soon have a desktop printer that allows us to print in the traditional formats such as

inkjet and laser, but with the capability of 3D printing (Fig. 8), and metallic inks. Although this seems

like it is impossible to achieve, it may not be long in the making before it is available.

Fig. 8: Brendan Dawes 3D Printing

Own Photograph

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Another fascinating idea is the notion of using 3D print to impact our lifestyles. Brendan Dawes

discussed during his lecture at Sheffield Hallam University, the day he purchased a MakerBot 3D

printer. He mentioned he had to build it, and it took him the day to construct from a flat pack. His

wife meanwhile was concentrating on having the kitchen redecorated, and once it had finished,

celebrated by making boiled eggs. She then realised, that either their egg cups had gone missing, or

the work men stole them. Dawes used the 3D printer to make new egg cups.

Although this seems like something quite meaningless, the idea that you can simply print new

utensils or furniture is remarkable. It could provide an insight into the not so far future.

Again, all this technology is familiar territory. However, we are just not used to seeing them on a

domestic scale. We would never think we could one day use a 3D printer in our home, and print out

objects that are not only aesthetically interesting, but ergonomically and ethically worthwhile.

The notion of being able to transfer data and virtual files from the atmosphere, into a physical

analogue object is exciting. This is already starting to happen in some respect with products such as

digital photo frame devices from companies such as Ziga and Digital Spectrum, to name just a

couple. These products are all about getting your pictures out from the confines of your computer

and into the so-called real world. (Dawes, B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc 1048 of 1429).

I find it quite interesting, the idea that after all the time, effort and money gone into the internet,

digitising everything, that we still feel the need to tether all this virtual data, to something physical.

Gone are the days we used to print out photographs and keep them in a shoebox. Now we have

digital photo frames that have the ability to display all your photographs on a loop. Even the idea of

these photo frames is dated now.

If someone said 20 years ago that we would all walk around glued to our smartphones, phones that

could tell you the weather, direct you, take photographs, film, be a stopwatch, and most

importantly, have the ability to update us on crucial news and information online, they simply

wouldnt believe it.

I think digital print technology is only going to continue to develop. We are beginning to come to

terms with the idea that 3D printing is becoming more and more accessible. We may all soon have

3D printers on our desks next to our Macs. It could become the norm. Why not?

Dont Panic have recently released a short video explaining the collaboration between Riverhead

Books, MakerBot and the author Chang Rae Lee, who have created the worlds first 3D printed book

cover. Chang wrote the book, On Such a Full Sea, and it was the job of MakerBot and Riverhead

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Books to come up with the cover of the book using 3D printing. Riverhead Books said, We have a

number of amazing authors we work with, so what we try to do is provide distinctive packages with

normal editions, and then from time to time, come up with something that goes beyond that,

something that is obviously special, limited, and that way, were not bound by what our limitations

are with a normal cover. They also said with Chang, this is a book that I think is different for him,

from what the previous books were about. It takes place in the future, so there really isnt a lot of

visuals, like photography you could lean on in this case. (http://www.dontpaniconline.com., Last

accessed January 2014).

When Chang saw the finished cover, he said, I thought the original cover was absolutely perfect,

you know, graphically really interesting and it just captured the feeling of the protagonist, and then

when I saw the 3D cover, I thought it was right because it was much sleeker, the design was very

clean, maybe more futuristic, I thought it was a nice companion version for the first one.

(http://www.dontpaniconline.com., last accessed January 2014).

Riverhead Books went on to say that we are looking for new ways to present books, and 3D printing

gives people something to hold onto, that is not available in digital form. It revisits the book as an

object. By Working with MakerBot, we were able to make something that wasnt just distinctive in 2

Dimensions. (http://www.dontpaniconline.com., Last accessed January 2014).

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CONCLUSION

For a long time, we have, as a nation been obsessed with everything digital. Since their introduction,

we have longed for the latest gadget, whether it be the iPhone, iPod, iPad, or a kindle, and we have

always taken these digital devices for granted. We appreciate they cost a lot of money, and so we

expect the very best for what we pay. More often than not, we experience what we expect. Who

would have ever thought we could check in online from the comfort of our own home, we can buy

and read a full issue of a publication, without leaving the house? A perfect example is that I have just

been able to watch the Burberry autumn/winter 14 collection live at London Fashion Week, via a live

stream online.

We just have to bear in mind that we cannot forget where all this digital technology has come from.

We cannot forget the analogue, the print. Most people love to hold a piece of print, whether it be a

photograph, a newspaper, magazine, book or a piece of art. What would we do if the digital took

over and replaced all of these? We would live in a virtual world with no or very little character.

Although we need to continue to develop, upgrade and reach new territory, we need to appreciate,

love and ensure we do not simply disregard what we all know and love. By all means embrace the

new technology, but we need to find a way that allows us to remain anchored. We need to be able

to have something to rely on. Are we all going to rely on the digital? What happens when our Mac or

hard drive breaks? We havent had these products around long enough to be able to establish a

permanent lifespan.

Brendan Dawes has created a Box of Tweets, a device made from clear acrylic, with a small dial on

the front, which is connected to a screen. This device acts as an analogue hard drive to store all his

tweets. Is this what we all need to be doing? Establishing a way to ensure we dont lose what we

have in the ether?

My photographs are all stored digitally now. My music is all stored digitally. And theyre completely

invisible to anyone visiting the house. Even when my Mac is on, theres still no evidence whatsoever

that I even like music, let alone own any. And to me thats incredibly worrying. Why? Because we

surround ourselves with things that define us, and while digital technology lets us store as much

stuff as hard drives allow, it is also erasing our ability as human beings to have the things we love

around us-the things that reveal who we are. They simply become a series of invisible, soulless ones

and zeros. (Dawes. B., Analog In, Digital Out, 2007, Loc 1031 of 1429).

Just as Brendan Dawes suggests, its incredibly worrying that we surround ourselves with digital

technology, which is erasing our ability as human beings, to reveal who we are. We havent yet

21

established a piece of digital technology that allows us to have all the human interactions of the

analogue. Yes, I love all the cool things that digital media gives us; Im just saying that these tea

stains, bent corners, and smudges from the physical world are really important to us-they help mark

who we are as human beings, and they tell a story. We cannot simply dismiss the role they play

simply because the medium at present has not found a way to represent it. (Dawes, B. Analog In,

Digital Out, 2007, Loc 1371 of 1429).

In terms of publication, what is the future for printed publication? Now that many of us use e-

readers, is there any point in paper magazines and books? Although these publications may not be

accountable for much of a companys revenue anymore, they provide so much more. They give us a

physical sense as to what the company believe or think. A magazine such as Vogue, which is printed

on glossy paper, full with advertisements from high-end fashion brands, we can tell who their target

market is. A magazine such as Dazed & Confused is printed on newsprint like paper, and is off A4. It

often has an experimental layout, rather than the traditional grid system.

There is nothing, in terms of digital technology that could ever replace the feeling I get when I open

a publication for the first time. The smell of the paper hits you, then the overall aesthetic, and the

ink rubbing off onto your fingers. It provides us with a sense of realness, a sense of purpose.

How will digital publication ever provide an interaction on all senses that we get from a print? Yes,

were starting to see more and more experimental and daring digital publications, which often

include film and sound, but lets face it, its just not the same as holding a magazine in our hands.

We have to start shaping digital technology for our needs and future, for our ends as human beings.

We cannot let technology control us. We cant simply adhere to the rules set by the person who

implemented them. Why cant we have a printed publication that releases a different smell for each

story, or plays a certain sound or song, or even provides us with a moving image? If Im honest, I

think this is something that may never arrivecertainly not in our lifetimes. However, if we start

thinking about possibilities such as these now, then whos to say that they arent possible?

As William Owen said, the paper magazine is not dead and will not die in the foreseeable future. Its

magnificent qualities of convenience, readability, colour, the very smell of the ink and the texture of

the paper will see to that. (Owen, W., Magazine Design, pg. 230).

22

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS:

Dawes, B. (2007). Analog In, Digital Out: Brendan Dawes on Interaction Design. New Riders

Publishing.

Owen, W., Magazine Design. :Laurence King Publishing. 1991. pg. 230.

Walden, K. Magazines: The Development of Magazines. 1988, pg. 4.

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MAGAZINES:

Leslie, J., Creative Review: Magazines, February 2013, Pg. 64

Schmidt, E., Sunday Times Review, The New Digital Age.

Titus, R., Sunday Times Culture Magazine, 2012.

Benneworth-Gray, D., Creative Review, June 2013, Pg. 69

Author unknown. Creative Review June 2013, Pg. 20

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VIDEOS:

Dont Panic: The Worlds First Printed 3D Book Cover: Riverhead Books & Chang Rae Lee. Available at:

http://www.dontpaniconline.com/magazine/arts/the-worlds-first-3d-printed-book-cover Last

accessed: February 2014.

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WEBSITES:

Print Research. Available at: http://www.nottinghampost.com/researchers-university-nottingham-

help-create/story-19922485-detail/story.html. Last accessed: January 2014.

MakerBot 3D Printing. Available at: http://www.makerbot.com Last accessed: November 2013.

Jef Raskin and the Macintosh. Elliott, A., Available at: http://www.nytimes.com, 2005. Last accessed

December 2013.

The Worlds First 3D Printed Book Cover. http://www.dontpaniconline.com., Last accessed January

2014.

http://www.vice.co.uk., Last accessed: December 2013.

http://www.itnicethat.com., Last accessed: October 2013.

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IMAGES:

http://www.chapterpress.co.uk

http://thenextweb.com

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/ipad-or-kindle-will-our-wallets-decide/

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/tutorials/adobe-indesign/design-beautiful-mobile-magazine-for-

iphone/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/vice-media-sells-5-stake-to-rupert-murdochs-

21st-century-fox-8772501.html