Although it’s much more fun to talk about how magazines are dead, one trend growing in popularity is presenting them alive, well and online in their entirety, thanks to a company called Texterity.
Of course the design mags are at the head of this trend. ReadyMade premiered a free online issue by Texterity this month as part of their green design issue; Metropolis also recently put their best green issue forward. ID has been delivering digital issues free to AIGA members since last year (that’s where I get those nifty screen grabs of my clips). Sustainability implications aside, I don’t think I’d choose a recreated magazine experience—or even a real one—over easily-accessed content adapted for the web. But I have to admit when each ID issue lands in my inbox, I usually click all the way through it, loving the convenience of the hyperlinked content. For those of you who are more interested in the mortality rate of another dying industry, don’t worry. The ads are there, too.
