The mediaIDEAS blog is publishing the results of the Spring, 2011 American Magazine Study done by Affinity. Here are the top 10:
Affinity Managing Director Tom Robinson considers
“most innovative” to be an especially telling attribute in terms of
looking at theprospects for digital magazines, because, “magazines are
now competing with all of the content and advertising available in
digital form, not just their traditional set of print competitors. Only
those brands that leverage the latest technologies in creative ways and
offer consumers interactive and meaningful experiences will stand out
among digital users.”Most Innovative Digital Magazines
1. Dwell
2. Popular Science
3. Architectural Digest
4. Wired
5. Mother Earth News
6. Fast Company
7. Organic Gardening
8. Elle Decor
9. Martha Stewart Living
10. Popular Mechanics
I wish the article was more specific about what constitutes “innovative.” As a reader of Popular Science’s digital edition, what I get is a PDF of exactly the same pages I’d get in print. Of course, reading it on the Nook Color means you get the article pulldown, which makes it easy to read the text without zooming in and scrolling back and forth over the pages (and since PS likes to continue articles to the back, this is an especially nice feature). But the zoom does work well, and PS uses high-quality art on its pages (some of them come out gorgeous, much better than in print). Same comment goes for Maxim: Looks great, but no more “innovative” than any other magazines served up by Barnes & Noble. I don’t know if PS does a snazzier Zinio version.