Editorial Problems

The of my personal aims for this brief is to work on a topic area of my interest and that will relate to my practise. One of these subject areas is Editorial. To identify a range of problems with reading an editorial, the following questions were asked to a group of peers. This process led to the final identification of the problem. 

What problems do you have when reading an editorial of your choice?

- To save pages I have to rip them out of the magazine. This can ruin the experience of reading for other members of my family - sometimes the publication is too nice to do this

- The pages often get creased through transporting the magazine from place to place (shop to home, home to a friends house). This ruins the aesthetic of the design

- Coffee/food staining the magazine or book, this ruins the look and makes me want to put it away rather than display it

- I often lose track of what issue I last purchased and therefore sometimes miss the next issue

- Forget what page i'm on

Each of these comments is valuable to the making of a problem in which a solution through a screen based design could be produced. In particular, it was interesting to hear that many of the comments were focused around not being able to read the desired publication when not at home. Although this could be solved through carrying the publication with you, it can become an inconvenience and then the pages could become damaged.

Where do you typically read an editorial? (at home, on the go, coffee shop, etc)

- At home

- On the train

- Public transport

- Coffee Shop


Although many more comments were received, the above three are the most common that were mentioned.  3 out of 4 of the locations were away from the individuals homes, highlighting that the transport ability of an editorial is important. This may be through the size of the publication and/or the durability of the paper.


Would you consider using a screen based device to overcome the issues you mentioned? Why?

- Yes, would have to be able to use on a range of devices though

- No, like the hand held feel of an editorial

- Depending on the content yes. If it were a editorial that I buy because of the appearance and aesthetic then I would not like to read it through screen. Otherwise, a standard magazine would be great

- Yes, I would be able to manage my issues more efficiently and keep track of those that I have already read