Has anyone seen the movie Drive? As I was wasting time surfing Tumblr one day I found this awesome submission to the tumblr “Designers Of” where designer Adam Juresko translated his interpretation of the movie. I once had to design a book cover and the one thing that I struggled with was how to show what the book was about without being too literal. This poster hits that point right on the nail (ha-ha-ha). If you have seen the movie then you know what what the poster is about, and if you haven’t then stop reading my wordpress and go watch it, because the movie is awesome.

As obvious as it may sound, we rely on maps to get us to our destination. We also rely on typography to feed us words and information to provide knowledge, clarity and also a sense of direction. What would happen if you combined the two? Axis Maps took on the challenge of taking on real maps and transforming them into pure typographic beauties. Comprised of all type, these (extremely) accurate maps were made mostly by hand (with the exception cutting and pasting duplicate words). Although this amount of type is a little overwhelming, it is not really intended for tourists to carry around with them as they venture out in the streets of Chicago. Regardless, this hybrid creature is both beautiful and amazing to look at.

Typography is beautiful, but sometimes it can feel a little one dimensional. I feel like we are so used to seeing typography and associating it with technology, with digital fonts. I took a typography class my sophomore year at MECA where I had to design a font and it was seriously the hardest thing I have ever had to do. So when I look at the above image of this breath-taking hand embroidered example of typography I really kind of lose it. The craft, the patience, all those hours stabbing yourself with a needle, think about how much went into this piece. I feel like hand crafted design gives us all a special feeling. It feels personal, inviting and warm, and you really just want to touch it. It’s is unique too. It is obvious that this serif typeface is not handwritten. It is based off a font that we can probably find something similar too in our computers. Peter Crawley has kind of crossed the barrier between hand and digital in a graceful and quiet approach. It kind of gives the first impression that it is digital or meant to be until we stop and notice the embroidery threads creating the beautiful letterforms. This ultimately gives us a clean, elegant and readable piece with still evidence of the hand. I can go on and on all day about how inspiring I think this is, but I think you get the point.

Let me just say it, print is beautiful, the internet is not. Reading something online is just not the same as feeling the paper, and having that feeling that your time was well spent as you flip through the last page on that Vogue magazine you just picked up at CVS (guilty). I find it a little troublesome that it has become almost an endangered species. I don’t frequently buy magazines, so it is almost like a novelty. It is kind of like when you were little and your mom would give you .50 for that coin-operated machine so you could get a flimsy plastic ring. It holds a little resonance that the internet just cannot match.

Jeff Jarvis argues that conversation is better on a platform such as a blog compared to printed media. This argument can go both ways. Printed media offers a private informative conversation between the editor, writer, photographer (etc) and the reader. It’s kind of an intimate moment. Maybe a little one sided as Jarvis argues, but isn’t that why you are reading this article? To be informed?

Print is the perfect introduction to an informed debate and to the deep resources of the web. The words and pictures in print or on a magazine’s web site become the basis for searching, linking, talking and ranting for those with the time or inclination to do so. The web is the friend of print, not its killer. – John Griffin

Given the fact that printed media gives a one-way conversation, I think it can be agreed upon that it leaves the perfect opportunity for wanting more and inspiring further research. The two can definitely work together.

But then comes that tricky topic of trust and branding. We trust in sources that we know. New York Times, National Geographic, The Portland Press Herald; we trust that these sources give us information that is valid, pertinent and true. It’s hard to trust media outlets that are uncensored (such as this one). How do you know I’m telling the truth right now? You don’t! I could sit here and make up a bunch of hoop-lah trying to make you believe something that is completely untrue. You think you are reading the facts but could easily be consuming fiction. As readers we have the comfort of knowing that the information we are reading has been researched and there is an editor hanging around somewhere. You know that topic you just read has been heavily researched and studied, or else that well known magazine would be letting their name and their brand to shame.

Conversation is the kingdom, and trust is the king. – Jeff Jarvis

Conversation is crucial, but trust is even more, and unfortunately blogs and sites such as wikipedia do not offer that sense of trust. Anyone can blog, but not everyone can write for the New York Times.

Now, I do think that these big publications need to look at where the world is getting their information from and like Kristina Loring states, they need to adapt.  They need to hire bloggers and allow a conversation to be formed while still providing trustworthy information to hungry readers. Combining the brand of the publication, the trust of knowing an editor is present and the art of conversation will allow an easy transition onto the web.

The print form is still a valuable piece to the content puzzle, serving as unique offering, an artifact that holds meaningful value. – Kristina Loring

Buying a physical magazine is always going to hold significance, people crave that physicality, that relationship between them and the paper between their fingers. But just like animals, publications need evolve into a form that is going to survive, and that starts by establishing their presence and reclaiming their respected reputation online.

Articles Referenced:

Print is Dead? Nah, It’s Just a Start-Up

Is Print Doomed?