Book Spines

The more interesting spines hold my attention firmly while the others usually get nothing more than a quick glance. Visually, I note the colours on the spine, how clean the design is and how clearly I can read the typography. But not until the other day did I ever note the publisher’s logos. I don’t know why they seemed so visible on this particular afternoon, but they were suddenly obvious and unavoidable. I stopped looking and reading the spines and started scanning them for the incredibly variety of logos instead. Most had artwork except for the academic presses, which generally consist of only the name of the press. I noticed that many of the publishers had designed special logos for alternate audience segments and other publishers had refreshed or modernized versions of their logos represented on their more resent print runs. Generally all the logos were one colour line work, using only positive and negative space to make themselves recognizable.

Now for a sobering thought. I can’t help but think that this lovely collage of book spines is going to go the way of the dodo when eBooks become the standard. There will simply be no more jacket art nor spines to peruse, no more colour, line and type to hold my attention. There really is something I enjoy about the tactile quality of the printed book and I am certainly going to miss it if or when it is gone.

A book spines analogy

When the paper book disappears, and some form of eBooks replaces them it is going to be a dark day. I believe it will be a sore reminder of the day when ‘vinyl’ was no longer available on mass. I enjoyed flipping through all that vinyl, there was an art to quickly flipping through hundreds of albums at my favourite record store. Every so often one of the covers would hit a chord with me, I would stop and stare at that album and maybe even pick it out of the bin. If I did, I would lift it up gently and slowly slide the vinyl and lyric page out of its jacket and read the poetry. [Sound of record needle scratching across vinyl goes here] Now we have music downloads so the love of the format is gone, it is mostly about money and distribution now, and not the listener’s experience. Sigh… what follows is a sample from a friend’s bookshelf.

The other week the following question was asked of the group: “What does (a) design(er) offer to a process of transformational change?” As a group of individuals we spent some time writing down our independent thoughts about this question on post-it notes and then pooled our ideas on a wall. We each talked briefly about our ideas and then afterwards our group attempted to coalesce our results into a minimal number of unnamed but broadly defined categories.

Results

These results are uneditied and in their raw form taken from the post-it notes.

Group A
Open Mind
Deep Listening
Overcoming the fear
Space to challenge assumptions

Group B
Cross Discipline
Fresh Perspective
Consensus

Group C
Inclusive
Collaborative
Different Perspectives
Collaboration

Group D
Make Decisions
Curration
Intuitive
Efficient Organization of Ideas
Analysis
Understanding of when to keep going and when to leave it alone

Group E
Work optimally within constraints
Functional Solutions
Constraints can be operational or creative

Group F
Appropriation/Adaptation
Ideas can be borrowed and adapted

Group G
No Starting Point
Sense of Randomness
Divergence then Convergence
Adapt to the Unexpected
Welcome emergence
Explode it open then narrow it back

Group H
Contextualize
Synthesize

Group I
Iteration
Refine, review, refine, review

Group J
Elegant
Esthetics
Harmony

Group K
“Simplexity”
Make it clear, coherent and comprehendible
Feels effortless
Clarity

Group L
Multiple formats of presentation
Give Ideas Context
Communicate for mutual understanding and progress
Tell ideas as stories
Illustrative explanations

After inspecting this list I can say we failed at keeping the groups down to a minimum, but I think the content of the list speaks volumes about how design can help create solutions to issues. Too often we think of design as an end result but it should be part of the conversation that helps us evolve better solutions. Just as it is a designer’s job to create something worth taking notice of, when applied properly, the process of design can help concepts or ideas be more readily understood.

Thank you again on behalf of the 150+ excited clients of da Costa Talent Management.

da Costa Talent hired Thirst to help realize their potential online.

As a request, Dr. Scolari was asked to give several lectures while in Toronto with interface being the topic of his last presentation. The topic of interface for Carlos is not just about computer interfaces but about the complete ecosystem of what an interface is. From his research he has developed seven laws that govern their existence:

1. The interface is a metaphor.
2. Interfaces are not transparent.
3. Interfaces form an ecosystem.
4. Interfaces don’t disappear, they transform.
5. If an interface can’t do something, it will simulate it.
6. Interfaces co-evolve with their users.
7. Interfaces are subject to the laws of auto-organization. Interfaces are subject to the laws of auto-organization. Interfaces are subject to the laws of auto-organization.

It is interesting to note that dictionaries primarily define an interface as “a surface regarded as the common boundary of two bodies, spaces, or phases”. Of course in the 1960’s computer scientists claimed the word and redefined it as a device which allows the exchange of data between two different systems. Today this is regarded as a hardware definition but more recently with the explosion of computer software applications and their devices, designers have developed interface to mean the graphic control panel with which people use to interact with a hardware device. This evolution of meaning is interesting because it certainly substantiates Carlos’s sixth law of Interfaces.

The Laws

First Law: The interface is a metaphor.

We have already seen how the dictionary definitions of interface are evolving to include more diverse meaning. Perhaps time is shaping this definition but a specific definition does not yet exist. If anything it is actually expanding. One can use the term to make it applicable to almost anything they need.

Some say that the best interface is an intuitive one that does not need instructions; others believe more to the point that it is the place where the interaction occurs. Carlos believes that an interface functions as a membrane, an instrument, a conversation, and a place. He asserts that they are dynamic in the hands of the users and very much conversational interchanges. This is why he believes that they are not so much a membrane (as most designers and technologists would have you believe) but more comprehensive as a space “in which semiotic and cognitive processes take place.”

Second Law: Interfaces are not transparent.

This is probably my favourite law because it adds so much controversy for designers. Designers and researchers have insisted that the best interface is the one that disappears. Unfortunately I think this is a rather vague statement because there is a physical and intellectual side of this equation. A better definition would be that the physical interface is so intuitive that when the user is communicating within the interface, they can easily manipulate the device without being distracted by the learning curve of that interface. The end result is to focus on the task at hand and not think about the details of communicating.

But as Carlos points out “Even the simplest example of interaction – such as clicking on a button or transferring a document to the trash – hides an intricate network of semiotic negotiations and cognitive processes.” I think we generally forget this idea. Just ask yourself how many times you have used a gadget only to have to relearn its communication syntax.

Designers and usability experts know that users invariably find new ways of using the interfaces. The ‘usability expert’ (I use this term loosely) tends to try and govern the user’s experience but the user will end up interpreting it their way and coming up with new ways of frustrating the intended purpose. Carlos notes that these relationships between designer and user are ‘political’ and that interfaces are an ‘ideological extension of the vision of the designer’s world’ which allow users to perform certain tasks but not others that may be the wish of the user.

Third Law: Interfaces form an ecosystem.

Simply stated, when multiple technologies make contact with each other an interface is produced. This can happen between technology devices and between technology and human interaction. If there is no communication between two or more devices then the interface would be considered ‘latent’ until that time when an interaction restarts them.

This ecosystem is more of an evolutionary process. The method of communication within interfaces can easily be borrowed from one system to another without boundaries. In fact we tend to use older type interfaces with newer technologies before they develop their own interactive language. Carlos notes that many times interfaces do not find good ‘interlocutors for dialoguing’ and that sometimes there must be a confluence of technologies to birth one single interface. One of his examples was coming together of the original WYSIWYG Macintosh computer in 1984, the HP Laserjet and Adobe’s Postscript language. It was the union of these three technologies that revolutionized computing.

Fourth Law: Interfaces don’t disappear, they transform.

Touched on in the third law, Carlos states that “interfaces can rise from their ashes and reincarnate into new devices.” Interfaces are constantly adapting to different material formats in different technology devices. This law is historical in nature and I believe it is explained well in the following quote by Carlos Scolari: “In order to understand how an interface works and develops, first we must be archaeologists. A webpage interface can only be understood as a device that synthesizes six thousand years of writing technologies: it is read vertically like a papyrus, it organizes the text in columns and it employs the typography variations to communicate just like a Middle Age codex or a newspaper. From this perspective the World Wide Web could be considered a metamedium that concentrates and integrates many other interfaces and communication experiences.”

Obviously people create and employ new interactive strategies on a daily basis. But all these environments are created from our past history and knowledge. This adaptation is necessary to bridge the gap between old and new so that we as users may more easily understand what is required of us to use a new technology. That being said there are old interfaces that are latent for decades but under the right circumstances get readopted and adapted onto new devices. Of course this creates a generation of new users learning an old interface.

Fifth Law: If an interface can’t do something, it will simulate it.

Interfaces are restricted to their technological medium and they cannot always simulate the best ‘real world’ interaction, and when this happens, designers and engineers copy established protocols and processes to make the interaction seem more natural and relevant. For example we live in a physical three dimensional world but many times technology is presented to us in a two dimensional technology plane. So because we use paper, folders and buttons in our real world, designers tend to mimic them by creating three dimensional effects in our computer-restricted, two dimensional interface world. In this way users do not have to relearn a completely new visual vocabulary.

Carlos gives the following example: “A good example of interface simulation may be found in newspaper pages. In the last decade many printed publications have modified their graphic style to resemble that of web pages in order to adapt to a new generation of readers. In these publications the articles are shorter, small icons identify the different sections, there are more photos and infographics and the page explodes in a myriad of textual fragments that the reader must recompose like a puzzle. ‘Reading’ these publications is like navigating through a webpage. However, it is not an ‘interactive newspaper’: it’s just a traditional newspaper simulating a hypertextual environment.”

Sixth Law: Interfaces co-evolve with their users.

Users will apply their knowledge and understanding to any interface presented to them. Then they can choose to either accept the interface and perform interactions as the interface was designed to do, negate the interface and ‘under use’ its capabilities or lastly to ‘over use’ the interface and try to make the interface conform or take action on things that it was never designed to do.

The users therefore either cooperate, under use or exceed an interface’s abilities. Perhaps it is every designer’s dream that an interface gets used for its intended purpose but Carlos surmises that it is best when users push an interface to do things that it was never intended to do. When the interfaces are ‘pushed’ evolutions occur that allow for new devices, practices and metaphors that may not exist. The resulting evolutions may or may not be an intended consequence that the original creator thought of.

Seventh Law: Interfaces are subject to the laws of auto-organization.

This final law is interesting. Carlos believes that applying linear models to technology evolution is less effective or true than applying a networked model. He believes that applying a simple linear model generates a simplistic (and sometimes mythical) view of the present and future state of a technology. Whereas as the “socio-technical network is composed of technologies, subjects, grammars and interpretation processes” that allow us to look at the interactions between the various relationships. Where a linear viewpoint helps us navigate forward and backward in time (i.e. MS Word 1.0 -> 7.0) the networked viewpoint helps us understand the confluence of the users, technologies and various internal conversations.

New interchanges may produce new usages and allow the interface to grow with unintended reward and future purpose. Carlos terms this phenomenon, the interfaces state of ‘effervescence’. Obviously the viewpoint of interfaces as a network means that their environment can be quite complex and unpredictable but growth oriented.

Final Thoughts

After writing this article I performed an Internet search on interface laws. To be sure I found many references but Dr. Scolari’s seems to be the most comprehensive. I also wish to mention that it is refreshing to hear someone speak about interfaces as it relates to all things not just solely to the computer industry. In fact, Carlos gave his talk to a diverse audience that understood it as it related to their own fields of interest, just as I used his newspaper examples.

Carlos has written several books in Spanish but he is currently preparing his first book in English. I will update this article when his book is released – I for one, look forward to reading it.

A few unique circles

The task given to everyone in the workshop portion was to draw out 30 circles and within five minutes have each one represented as a unique visual entity. I was enamored with the thought processes of each individual in the room, their various talents, knowledge and personal interests that lead them to draw their unique sets. The following is an amalgamation of a limited set of everyone’s work that I pieced together into the grid below.

Of course the set of circles that can be created are infinite and the circles themselves, drawn by human hand are also unique. But I just can’t help but enjoy the sameness of the group juxtaposed with their individual characteristics.

There were approximately 26 lectures that one could attend during the day, each of which lasted for a little less than an hour. Of course, for some, it could be difficult to choose between the different lectures going on at the same time. Fortunately for me, my choices were easy and without scheduling conflicts. I chose the following lectures:

The lectures

Kindle, Shmindle: future directions for ebooks

Speaker: Evan Leibovitch
Topics discussed: Different electronic formats such as ePub and PDF, varying eBook readers that are proprietary and non-proprietary, organizations such as IDPF, Adobe, Amazon, Google and others that are either working with the consumer or for their own interests (I will let you decide who is who). Also technologies such as embedded linux, webkit, PDF and ePub standards used for ebook readers.
Of Interest: There was an outcry from the audience concerning DRM, a topic another speaker was actually covering in a different session. Evan declined to comment on this except from the point of view that there are alternatives to DRM that are used within the programming realm that do not annoy consumers. The audience agreed to disagree in the heated debate that followed, primarily to protect their own interests . If it is any indication of the trouble the industry may be in, I do not remember one person who voiced a concern about their intended audience.

When Every Book is Connected to Everyone

Speaker: Peter Brantley
Topics discussed: Publishers’ and authors’ responsibilities and changing roles in the future, DRM, innovation and perception of what the market believes a book is worth, the simple idea that a book is a place where data aggregates, the misunderstanding that publishers only warehouse and distribute books, the death of the traditional book as we know it, the future printed book will be a gift item but people will engage literature by reading eBooks as the norm and many other threads of discussion.
Of Interest: This talk had one of the more lively discussions that followed. The audience really took sides; trying to explain what they did well but at the same time worrying about their future roles. None more so than the publishers who seemed completely confused by the present audience market and were upset at the larger brands such as Amazon pricing them out of business. My take on all this was that everyone needs to sit down in their respective fields and determine their best opportunity for future viability and come up with sustainable, growth-oriented business plans, instead of being blind followers who split their people and money resources, all the while lowering their quality.

The Evolving Ecology of the Book

Speaker: Carlos A. Scolari, Steph Troeth
Topics discussed: This one started out with a discussion of the book interface, its evolution, past, future, and fusion of combinations of form. The image below sums up the talk.

Ecology blackboard brainstorming

Of Interest: We learned that the original columns used in publishing date back to early clay tablets, a major evolution took place when papyrus scrolls developed into book pages as we understand them today. Also discussed was that in the future we will no longer be using page numbers in eBooks because of a ubiquitous search functionality and the problems with pagination as related in different electronic resolutions and formats. A technologist, Liza Daly, also gave a short demo of her new project ‘Zen Garden’ that aims to help publishers create more varied and flexible eBook formats that are visually appealing.

Toward the sBook: simple, searchable, smart, social, sustainable, scalable

Speaker: Greg Van Alstyne et al (Disclosure: I am also a part of this initiative)
Topics discussed: The lecture was quite simply the future of the book format and the way in which people will interact with it. The extension of the printed book to an electronic form, different initial markets that would benefit from the public format, the relationship created between the reader and writer, and the transition of an eBook into a sBook.

sBook blackboard brainstorming

Of Interest: Interestingly enough the audience seemed confused about the sBook initiative. I think that may have had to do with visuals that were shown to explain the path of information and the connection between the traditional paper copy and electronic copy. However the people who did understand the community involvement angle quickly pointed out that the academic field would be ripe for such a book. Ironically and perhaps tellingly, this is the first target area we had already thought of. This group also was concerned about the persistence of information in the digital age (format death) and deep linking and how both can be taken advantage of.

Open Source Publishing

Speaker: Evan Leibovitvh
Topics discussed: Open Source software, Free Open Source Software (FOSS), FOSS software alternatives for publishing, business models for making money from FOSS and alternatives to DRM.
Of Interest: Evan took some time to explain the different levels of how “free”’ open source software was to distribute, (public domain -> public domain with product name posted -> scenarios that mandate programmers give back all enhancements to code -> GPL: which forces all programmers to make all additions they write to remain free). Watermarking alternatives that are more flexible than DRM, but still have similar protection assurance that one can use the law if their rights are abused.

The wrap up

The aforementioned list was only a small representation of the lectures for the day. And within the lectures, people from the casual participant to the ‘expert’ met and talked about the ideas or problems that most interested them. But the topic of books, especially as related to publishing, is changing or evolving so rapidly, even the experts would have to admit that, at best, their “facts” are merely opinions of what may happen.

Unfortunately big business was not in any of the rooms that I participated in, and although there were many intellectuals and entrepreneurs, I got no sense of a true direction. The publishers were generally in upheaval and confused with the new markets, the writers/authors were worried about their product, the designers were worried about the direction of book readability and visual quality, the technologists as usual said they had all the answers (but were only helpful in their area of expertise) and the readers were most interested in getting the least expensive copy of a piece of literature in the best, most readable format.

I admittedly came away exhausted after a full day of information overload and listening to opposing opinions. And I know many people sounded disparaged but the bottom line is that the industry is changing, and everyone is going to have to play catch up each time the publication direction changes. However, there were many of us in these lectures that thought there is opportunity to be had and lots of it to share. I think the very fact that this event was such a success is proof that excitement is again building in the industry — along with fear — and that, as a whole, this change is good for the industry.

Who knows if your next book will be in electronic format and sell for five dollars, or will be on paper for twenty? Either way, you as the reader will get this choice for the foreseeable future, and you will dictate the direction.

A little background

This neighbourhood originated in the early 1800s and was a home to many Irish emigrants from the County Cork. Across the street from me is the first Catholic parish built in Toronto in 1887 named St. Paul’s Basilica, and around the corner is the oldest church in Toronto, Little Trinity Church which was built in 1843. Since these early years this community has undergone many changes unfortunately not all for the better and with successive ‘Ward 28’ governments the whole lower east side of Toronto has been a dumping ground for the highly medicated or impoverished of Toronto. But things are hopefully changing.

And Now

At the CRBA I am tasked with membership and communication. To this end I am using my passion to help improve and promote the area as a family community and get more neighbours involved with improving our streets and homes. One of my specific responsibilities is the Corktown newsletter which I recently branded ‘The Corktowner’. The newsletter is basically an eight page black and white document with a run of about 1200. Besides from my skill set, my reasoning to tackle this eight page quarterly publication was to bring some professionalism and consistency to the most read voice of Corktown. My thinking is simple; more people will get involved, advertise and promote Corktown if there is a sense of maturity and pride that emanates from its image.

My aspirations are that this newsletter can act as one of the major catalysts to not just a Corktown revival but resurgence. I do enjoy this area and hope that my efforts will contribute a sense of pride and commitment that all my neighbours will act upon.

This particular night the workshop spent three hours on the topic of ‘Shared Leadership and Framing Big Questions’. Basically what this amounts to is asking the big questions that invite user participation. Accordingly, users then feel empowered because they have some personal skin in the game and this generates an open community for shared contribution.

Leadership Choices

I am sure everyone can remember a time in their office environment where change was coming down from the top and this change seemed somewhat disconnected from the realities of the job at hand. With a good facilitator, this doesn’t have to be the case. For those who run their own businesses I am sure you remember every situation in which your clients basically got to the point of “How much?” and “How long?” far too quickly in your conversation. When this happens there is a feeling of loss of control and/or project ambivalence or unimportance. These how questions sometimes derail a project from the get-go because the task at hand hasn’t necessarily been framed in the best way to allow for innovative thought and therefore the project is stifled or even worse purposeless on arrival. The following ‘how’ questions are common enough but when used at the beginning of the conversation, inhibit a project:

• How do you do it?
• How long will it take?
• How much will it cost?
• How do we get people to change?
• How do we measure the success?
• How has this been successful elsewhere?

If the client asks these ‘how’ questions it is important to try and modify the conversation parameters. The main goal is ask open ended questions that make noticeable differences that invite participation to produce the best framework for a project. The following questions have been suggested by Peter Block:

• What is my crossroads in life/work?
• What is my contribution to this problem?
• What is my commitment to the solution?
• What refusal have I been postponing?
• What is the price I am willing to pay?
• What do we want to create together?

These are obviously somewhat obtuse to the previous set of ‘how’ questions but they do in fact invite participation and lead to better dialogue about the framework of a project. Each question is intentionally open and personal and each question leads to reflection with no immediate solution. Instead these questions initiate useful discussions about a project that open barriers and lead to group participation that increases mind share. As a result the company will get a more cohesive vision that ultimately serves them better and is much more than the result of an order being followed.

Of course there are other questions that can be asked which will tend to open the dialogue. Pictured at left is our groups contribution.

I found this exercise to be encouraging. As designed, people were opening up, the participants networked well and the ideas were taken seriously. I can honestly say that if this type of approach had been taken in previous projects that I or others had lead, the time would have been well spent and the project results would have been better.

Then the other day I was asked by a young designer what it takes to be successful and when I was thinking about my reply, I realized how much the requirements for success have grown over the years. So I told him to visit 418QE in a couple of days and this is my reply.

I have performed some due diligence and researched the qualifications for a ‘graphic designer’ on several employment boards and I have come up with the following list of descriptors, tasks and technologies that must be part of one’s abilities to be considered qualified.

• Descriptors: have initiative, be imaginative, be cooperative, be creative, be diplomatic, be a leader, be a good communicator, have good time management skills
• Tasks: be able to create groundbreaking designs; be able to understand and produce in the following formats which include magazine and newspaper layouts, brochures, print ads, banner ads, websites, e-newsletters, interactive and promotional collateral; understand digital and print production preparation; understand usability, information design, and GUI guidelines; have a thorough understanding of typography
• Technology: PC and MAC competent, proficient in QuarkXPress, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Flash, Dreamweaver, PowerPoint, Word, be fluent in HTML, CSS, XML and Javascript

To be assured the abovementioned skill base is important but not the end of it. The designer must also network. In order to network, it is best if they have a mobile number, an email account, and also communicate on LinkedIn and Twitter. There is an advantage to those who join their local provincial/state graphic design guild as these organizations arrange conferences and networking events. And last but not least, the designer may also want to have a regularly updated blog with their latest case studies and articles that best showcase their various ideas about the world of design.

Have I left out anything? Of course, but it suffices to say that the list of abilities that a great designer needs is going to be fairly long if they want to succeed. Thankfully time and experience takes care of most of these issues. Just ask anyone in the field with greying or no hair.

For the love of news on paper

We started the conversation via an old-fashioned session of show and tell. Gary laid out some vintage newspapers for me as well as some other, more contemporary ones from around the world. I then proceeded to take a quick tour through time and technology as I went from very early British newspapers that were imperfect yet perfectly personal to today’s modern computer generated crisp and exacting layouts. Of course what I was missing were the papers from the future but I guess I will have to wait for those.

‘Hot off the press’ will be forever known as ‘hot off the wire’. Newspapers must evolve to meet the demands of a new generation.

During the conversation I found myself defending the newspaper industry on several issues while also chastising it for their lack of vision. The positive issues focused on content and value from journalistic integrity and professionalism, the negative issues focused around their business models and their confusion as to what to do now and next.

The traditional positives

• Newspapers don’t generally hire hacks; they hire people who have a love of and have been trained with a journalistic focus. These people understand their greater role in public information dissemination and actively try to write articles that increase their personal value with in-depth, interesting, and compelling stories.
• There is a community of editors and other talent such as photographers, other writers, information graphicists, librarians, etc., which creates a wealth of support for each article written.
• There is a comprehensive understanding of one’s subject matter that is built up with years of practice. Multiply this by a hundred or so professionals each with a different speciality and the newspaper becomes a wonderful and lively knowledge base. The employees are able to bounce ideas off each other and then contibute their articles to produce a newspaper that delivers news ranging from world politics to local ‘feel good’ stories.
• Newspapers arguably have the best format for displaying mass amounts of complex information or great amounts of content on a particular subject matter that can easily be read.
• There are, of course, more positives about the paper medium itself but I want to talk a little now about the negatives.

The old and new negatives

• Newspapers no longer deliver the most timely news, that is now the realm of the internet. But this is a big problem, by the time your local newspaper is ‘hot off the press’ the information it carries has already been delivered.
• As the internet has grown so have community interest groups which are regularly supported by large numbers of people which allow them to network which in turn leads them to feel personally important. Even if a story is not written well or authoritative, some people relish the idea of being able to speak their mind or shout their opinions even more.
• Similarly people are not necessarily interested in the range of editorial that a large newspaper is able to give them. Many people prefer targeting multiple internet information sites to get the news in a timely manner that they are interested in.
• It may just be a matter of habit or the intrinsic warmth that one gets from a paper product, but unlike the new generation who are much more comfortable with online content, the older generation (I span both of these) sees or rather doesn’t see online content as readable. This ongoing event is not going to get better. Younger people have phones, PDAs and computers to read on and they are already used to it.

The present combination of traditional and online

Some newspapers are cannibalizing their traditional content when they produce their web property. They are not branding them or using the different mediums for advantageous purposes. In the worse case scenarios newspapers are even marginalizing their opportunities for advertising by seeding both their traditional and online properties with the exact same articles.

In a race to be current, they are not keeping ahead of the trends but are playing catch up with ‘me too’ ideas that may or may not be beneficial to them. They are generally confused with the technology and still trying to figure out how best to align their editorial departments in both on and offline offices. Because there are two distinct mediums that newspapers must pay attention to, they now have the problem of a divided focus which pools from basically the same revenue. In addition the talent pool is producing two different but similar products which raises the questions of internal organization and communication structural changes. There are also legalities of compensation and copyrights considering that newspapers are fleeting dailies whereas online information is searchable and has longevity for articles, photos and graphics.

The future of the newspaper

I believe the newspaper is not dying but evolving, not necessarily because it wants to but because it has to. But this evolution is not a bad thing. If newspapers continue to deliver authoritative in-depth content the younger generation will continue to subscribe (I use this term loosely).

Newspapers have almost lost their brand focus and they need to reiterate it for their target audience. It is said that the newspaper one reads says something about that person’s character and education level. One subscribes to a certain newspaper because they feel it is more appropriate to their identity than others would be. That newspaper’s brand becomes part of an individual’s identity. A similar relation will have to be formed with upcoming generations.

So what is the future? Well the distribution model will change from expensive and time consuming print to electronic dissemination over the ether. The subscription model will still be in place just as the ads will be but newspapers will be able to deliver their content to a range of devices in a timely manner. The articles will be searchable, contain interactive content and develop community followings like they do presently in the online world.

So my hypothetical children may one day sit in their chair eating their pancakes on Saturday morning reading their own personalized funnies that were automatically downloaded to their very thin and flexible but durable electronic paper page that I received when I bought my yearly subscription. They will even flip the pages with the same old finger swipe gesture. The only thing I will miss is recycling all the old newsprint or lining the kitty litter box with it.