NATIONAL ART PUBLICATION GOES DIGITAL
The Encaustic Art Institute, headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has hired Studio 2055 to design and publish an online magazine. Titled Encaustic Arts (EA), its purpose is to serve the encaustic art community by featuring renowned artists, showcasing exhibitions and workshops and providing education on the art of hot wax techniques.
“Going online with a publication should not be just a replica of the printed version,” noted Nanette Newbry, Creative Director of Studio 2055 and an encaustic artist in her own right. “It offers so much more interactivity which should be fully utilized and help you monetize your magazine’s content. Online magazines are a completely different medium. They are meant to be interactive and allow readers to engage the advertiser. By publishing online you are reducing your costs for print and circulation but increasing your costs for great design.”
Prior to initiating the project, we talked with dozens of digital-publication software companies and to other magazines that have made the transition from traditional print. There are several approaches available:
• ISSUU is an open-source, page-turning software. It takes your print version and makes it looks snazzy but provides no interactivity.
• WordPress is being used extensively since it provides robust editing tools and loads of widgets to enhance the user experience.
• To add all the bells and whistles, including video, audio, gaming, polls and e-commerce along with cutting-edge design to your publication, Ceros licenses its software for the slickest game in town. Check out Crush Magazine.
However, there are some pitfalls to entering the digital magazine world. Most online magazines do not function well on smart phones or iPads. It’s important to make informed technology choices based on your readers’ choices for content delivery. Surveying your subscribers is a must when beginning the conversion to digital publishing.
Look for our first edition of EA magazine (The Encaustic Art Institute) coming this summer. See Nanette’s new art online.
