Regarding the contextual studies essay module, students were presented with eight pre-constructed questions to choose from if the wish to do so. I had wanted to pic a unique topic for myself to sink into. The most important outcome of the module is to make a prediction within design. (The prediction don’t have to come true, I guess. But it should be backed up with facts!)
I had considered looking at ‘toy engineering’. These days, there are a lot of health and safety standards put in place to keep the products’ target safe from accidental injury or even death. The needs of the consumer change, and the product evolves to keep up. But, perhaps the topic is too niche…? My knowledge of toy engineering is more-or-less specific to one brand.
‘Sustainability in toy packaging’ is another topic that I could make predictions of. I had difficulty finding much (any) academic information cataloguing the materials used in toy packaging design – either vintage or contemporary. Sustainability in toy packaging may be itself a strange topic to want to look at, as toys themselves are not generally considered sustainable. The materials used in production aren’t always considered for their longevity. (Much to any toy collector’s dismay…)
The eighth pre-constructed question was the only topic that really connected with me: “Creators and publishers of printed zines and magazines are dealing with the growing possibility of their medium being rendered obsolete by the expansion of online media. Is print media dying out?”
So. I need to stop stalling, and find some sources to work with! I’ll pursue this question until I find some guidance for looking into other options. It’s good practice to dive into a podcast on the topic of print media’s future, and see what reliable information I can pull out.
I listened to the podcast below, Episode 96: Wither the Magazine, by Jessica Helfand and Michael Beirut, who “…discuss the changing of the guard at New York magazine… and the fate of online publications such as Rookie and Design Sponge, which are both winding down.”
My notes on The Observatory podcast, Episode 96: Whither the Magazine
@ 06:29
Beirut “It’s interesting just to think about what’s the future of hand-held magazine, in the age of mobile, tablets, digital, whatever. Because the point of entry is just so different.”
Beirut talks about the reader’s interaction with the online magazine – one may be on social media (eg. twitter) looking at fashion trends and find themselves directed to a magazine though a tweet. The reader may not stay on the magazine article itself for long, or they may look at other articles on the same website.
Beirut is suggesting that tweets direct the reader to cherry-picked content.
On print magazines, Beirut comments that they have a “beautiful tension between expectations and surprise.”
^ Of course, this ‘tension’ subjective to the consumer! It is a truth that the suspense of ‘turning the page’ is a characteristic of print media.
@ 8:25
Helfand “…many magazines have online counterparts.”
^ It’s a statement, but it is unbiased and truthful.
@ 9:26
Helfand shares a story of when she was the art director for the Sunday Magazine at the Philadelphia Enquirer. When Helfand found someone sitting in front of her on an Amtrak train reading her magazine… she watched observantly… “What he did is, was he started at the back, he looked at the crossword puzzle, he pulled it out, he went to the food page, he looked at that and then he threw it on the ground and went to the business section.” Helfand laughs, and recalls that she started to cry. Then shares with us how humbling the experience was, stating, “You just don’t really ever know how people consume the things that you design.”
Beirut then suggests that the information’s delivery could have been inefficient…
@ 10:45
Beirut “…there’s just so much romance associated with putting out a magazine…”
^ A very subjective statement.
Michael Beirut subscribes to a great number of magazines including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and so on, so it’s not surprising to hear such a strong opinion on print magazine from Beirut.
@ 17:03
Beirut “…the death of the magazine has been announced loudly, over, and over, and over again; we’re in a golden age of magazine and publication design.”
Helfand “Right; print isn’t dead.”
Beirut “Yeah, print’s not dead. And new magazines spring up all the time.”
This string of conversation shows that both are very firm believers that the magazine isn’t dead; print isn’t dead.
Taking everything I’ve just heard in consideration, I feel as if there will be a lot of strong opinions on the topic of “print media dying out”… I’d expect to dig up polarising opinions. Printed media is something that I feel strongly about, too, in a positive light. Though I am well aware of the number of benefits to online platforms as alternatives to printed-format books, newspapers, and magazines. There’s always – at the very least – two sides to an argument.
DESIGN WORKS 