This is the first mag I have received from Adobe (but it’s Volume 4 apparently),
and I was surprised by their choice of technology to distribute and implement a digital magazine.

The Adobe Magazine is:

1. Distributed via email to Adobe’s design marketing list (see the online version)

2. The email links to a downloadable ZIP file (10Mb in size)

3. Then extract the ZIP file and open the PDF file

4. And view from your desktop (I recommend viewing in Full Screen mode)

Adobe also makes Flash, which is a popular way of delivering online magazines with rich interactivity. So why have they decided to go old-skool and use PDF?

From what I can guess, it’s probably to showcase some of the nice new features of PDF that people seldom use (chaptering, hyperlinks, some interactivity, embedded video, image switching, etc). It’s also nice that from one big initial download you have a seamless experience, can view offline and PDF is naturally very printer friendly.

But you lose a lot. By using PDF you compromise interactivity, as compared to a Flash-based online magazine. And by being offline you lose even basic social-networking options such as the ability to make comment (Adobe have a very crude way of doing this: email the editor), social bookmarks, personalisation, tagging etc.

I think the format works for this particular magazine, but I also expect a lot of Adobe users would object to a 10Mb ZIP download on principle, it seems like a dated approach from a company that prides itself on technical innovation.

What do you think?

Tim O'Neill, Managing Director UK

Labels: Design and Usability, Technology