ffi - The Pressing Issue on issuu

Congratulations everyone on producing an excellent issue of ffi Magazine. It's one of the best we've ever done! I think you will also join me in thanking Lauren for her really excellent input as tutor this semester. You can see the outcomes for yourself. Thanks Lauren!

Although The Pressing Issue takes it's content, themes and visual references from the traditions of letterpress we can clearly see it is also located at the edge of modern publishing trends. Therefore, it is only fitting that we publish it in a format that ensures we are able to take advantage of social media networks to maximise the exposure it gets. I have alsready taken the liberty of putting the magazine up on the self publishing site issuu. Check it out below. I urge you all to be proud of what you have assembled and to use your own social networks to publish the work to what is essentially a global audience. Once again - well done everyone.

Open publication - Free publishing

New Trends

I can see where the threat to traditional methods comes from. In fact it’s hard to ignore it. The digital world brought on by new technologies is more than a simple trend, it defines the world. The beauty about it is how global it can make things. Networking knows no boundaries and has allowed a great access to broad cultural practices. For example a publication that once upon a time was only distributed in its nation of print can now have distribution worldwide online or through an app. It’s hard to argue against that. However the digitalisation of the world as we know it has reduced the need for print. Personally I don’t think this means the end of print though. While it has been reduced it’s not going to die out. People will always have a desire to hold something printed on paper be it a book, magazine or otherwise. It’s human nature to want a physical link with the world rather than just staring at a screen.

Hey,

Still need work from the music poster/contents team, as well as the front cover.

Thanks :)

New Trends

I’m not sure if I am ready to say that it is the end of print. Yes, I am aware that there are new technologies that are rapidly growing, which are creating a digital format that makes it cheaper and in many cases easier to access than through printed format. However, this may not necessarily be a bad thing. The trend towards the latest technologies that has swept the world, I think, has to some extent triggered the everyday person’s interest into exploring new things and ideas that would not normally come to their attention. The ease and immediacy of the internet makes information and material accessed by so many, and people come across random things they may have never known about otherwise – for example the power that lies behind typographic design. Blogs, for example, are in no way an exclusive medium to share interests and its surprising how knowledge and awareness is spread through something as simple as an online diary. Its free, its visual and the personal nature makes it all easier to relate to and comprehend – even if it is simply just a graphic poster that someone found “cool”.

Additionally, there are people out there that still have that real passion and drive for the printed medium for publication and design. Ie. The Distillery print shop that my group are focusing on for the online publication project. The team there is an absolute perfect example of people who have an unending love for the tangible forms of publishing. They see the gap that lies within Sydney community and its diminishing enthusiasm/interest in print, and so are taking big steps to bring it back. Their way of doing so is driving and working their asses off to produce designs and outcomes that are so outstanding that it actually makes people stop and look. Their use of the old school printing methods to create contemporary beautiful designs is genius. This is something that I hope takes off the way they intend, when you see it you will instantly back it. They ultimately show you not to underestimate the power behind print. So no, its not the end yet.

File Preparation

I think I need to learn more, or perhaps do more testing with colour in terms of file prep for printing. Whenever I get prints done I always find one colour on the page that hasn’t turned out the way I wanted or thought it would. I am very aware that there can and is major differences between on screen colouring and the final print, I suppose it is a lot of my own downfall if I don’t leave myself enough time to experiment and test the print outs so I guess it’s something I will need to work on! Also - much like what Tom has suggested in his post, a Pantone swatch book would be very handy to familiarise myself with the process and outcomes.

Print Publication --[Louis.06]

Having read the other posts whether dismissive or optomistic about the future of print publishing, I'm not surprised to recognise perspectives that are voiced repeatedly out there.

Good Old library VS
Cloud information data base 

Even though some web base publications are putting out hard copies, it nolonger bares the core duties of a conventional magazine. It looks more like a collectible archive that you can have access to during a power outage....

 

Print media will eventually phase out as a major carrier of information.

The trend of its delivery is leaning more and more towards digitalised multimedia which offers a more dynamic mix of

Literature, sound, still visuals, moving-pictures, intractive elements like java script
and hot-links that interlace relevant information.

I think alot of people saw this coming. The library terminal, bookless library
even our own UNSW library offers Sirius e-journals that's much more current whilst maintained the creditbility of a published hard copy.

The Death of Print

A primary target as an example of the "death of Print" comes in the form of newspapers. I feel that so many newspapers and magazines are going bankrupt because they aren’t willing to expand their ideas about what a newspaper or magazine can be. Consumers want more. The business model for a newspaper, for example, hasn’t changed much since the printing press was invented

Some print media sources, however, are changing to keep up with consumer need. They’re working hand-in-hand with electronic publishers to develop an online news presence. That there is constant links and url's in newspapers that redirect the reader back to the internet.

The conception of ebooks and their rising fanbase has also created a bias against printed media. Not only can the reader obtain updates and a constant flow of information, but rather this is a greater environmental option as there is no waste created or resources used.