The United Nations of Communications

One of the elements I liked about printed magazines was the creative use of folds, inks and other techniques used to enhance the pages. My guess is that the tablet’s equivalent is the interaction offered. Yet, I miss the double-gate folds and center-spread images that—not only in composition but in scale—provided more eye candy. The panel did hint at a future of innovations. The rethinking of media and its use sounds exciting.

From the panel’s members and discussion tracks, I would say that publications are looking forward to a future of innovation on both the digital and print fronts, even perhaps a hybrid of these proven technologies.

A second panel discussed the role of an ad agency beyond tablets. Agencies need to change. Why? For one, content. The same creative ad on a printed page may not display as vividly or intensely in tablet format.

Consider screen formats and how they impact the data and information presented. Look to 4:3 and 10:9 formats, and keep in mind that more are coming. What roles will CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) play in the future? There will be a need to provide an ad that is not just resized or repurposed, but newly developed for the media and audience selected.

IDEAlliance set a new benchmark for publishing as well. NextPub, introduced by Dianne Kennedy, vice president of emerging technologies for IDEAlliance (aka The United Nations of Communications) is leading the movement. New media needs new standards. If anyone doubts that statement, look to SWOP, GRACoL, and other print-centric standards and examine what is replacing or supplementing these aging, but valid standards.

It was not enough to leave the world of publishing ablaze via this technology and trends event. David added more fuel to the media convergence fire during the second half of the show.