Canadian technology Graphic Exchange have just published an electronic edition – an interactive PDF featuring QuickTime video, QuickTime VR.
The 58 page electronic publication is themed around convergence and digital lifestyles and covers content creation, DJ culture and graphic design.
Additionally, to bring the electronic and print versions together, they’re now both branded gX and are published in the same landscape format.
“We have pioneered the use of new graphics technologies ever since we began publishing Graphic Exchange in 1991,” says gX publisher and editor-in-chief Dan Brill. “Our readership consists of creative professionals who are sophisticated technology users, so we felt that the time was right to take a radically different cross-media approach to the creation and delivery of pages for this audience. What we have is truly a twenty-first century publishing model – for both subscribers and advertisers, the new digital version is like a combination of TV and the Internet. Capitalizing on PDF 1.5’s ability to either embed or stream video and animations lets us bring our editorial to life, with rich media that emulates broadcast television – and we can even include commercials. For readers, web links in every article add a whole new editorial dimension to explore, allowing them to instantly use a browser to dig deeper into any highlighted word.”
gX are pleased with the new landscape format – for the physical edition it stands out on the shelf and advertisers get more space, but printed magazines are a pain in the neck to read in that orientation if you’re not crouched over a waiting room coffee table. On screen, however, it’s perfect.
The 92mb electronic edition is just one file making distribution considerably easier, and is available as a free download.
Quick Update: Having had a chance to have a decent read through the magazine after download, Jook Leung’s QT VR image of Times Square is *utterly captivating* and well worth the download alone. It is accompanied by a video of Jook talking about his work, and is a splendid example of electronic publishing.
