From Pages to Possibilities: Print Magazines are a Better Future

Innovation has always been, and always will be, the lifeblood of magazine publishing. TIME magazine was started 100 years ago as an “exercise in foresight”, in the words of co-founder Henry Luce.

Today, it reaches the largest audience in its history, with over a million print magazine subscribers in the United States alone. Across a century of global transformation, it has been a symbol of “constancy and change” showing that making history is inextricably linked with building the future.

Magazines are natural hotbeds of innovation. Starting with a blank sheet, they are challenged to create a complete and compelling vision on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. This demands creativity, foresight, and a dedication to excellence. Unlike transient media, which deal in pixels, magazines must present a complete and lasting forward view, preserving it in a paper product that will stand the test of time – as it is passed between hands, re-read or even collected.

Simply, there is a great and growing love for magazines, both enduring iconic titles that are constantly re-inventing themselves - and bold new entrants that understand the print medium presents a huge opportunity to connect with their audience and advertisers.

Take two contrasting examples: When the team at Germany’s iconic Brigitte, read by approximately two million women, planned their hugely successful relaunch – they not only focused on the best content, graphics and design, but were determined to deliver the best tactile experience and feel of the publication. Readers enjoy leafing through the pages and the generosity of the visuals, all of which build up more closeness and privacy than other media.

The relationship between content and object goes even deeper for a speciality magazine like “Tasting Kitchen” (TK), which started life as a newspaper column before growing into Asia’s leading epicurean print and digital publication. Here, the team set out to deliver such sort of high production values that make it a collector’s item, going as far as to seek a sensual experience that matches touch with images, fuelling the imagination of fine food.