When Wired magazine launched in 1993, co-founder Louis Rossetto famously claimed “the Digital Revolution is whipping through our lives like a Bengali typhoon.”
That typhoon has certainly disrupted the traditional magazine model, yet Wired continues to thrive in both print and digital. Now, newly-named head of creative Billy Sorrentino has embraced the modern publishing paradigm. In an interview in MagCulture, Sorrentino is clear on his mission:
“I think we owe it to our readers to tell the best stories we can, as beautifully as we can, agnostic of medium,” he says. Sorrentino is bullish on the ability of designers to create more enjoyable digital magazine experiences online.
“First, more magazine-like design experiences are already popping up across the web, and that’s incredibly exciting. Like-wise, elements from the web are appearing in print, enriching that experience as well,” Sorrentino explains.
Yet he’s clear that print – specifically “quality, beautiful print publications” – isn’t going anywhere. He’s among the increasing number of publishing industry insiders who are rejecting the notion of print vs. digital, being more concerned with using the platform to tell the story to its best advantage.
This idea is evidenced by Sorrentino’s decision to bring the print and digital creative teams together into the same room.
“When I first started at Wired, our web team and video team worked across the floor from the photo and print design team. We immediately combined the team to be one single art department. We all sit together, and ultimately share responsibility for the visual executions across the entire brand,” he notes.
This kind of collaborative endeavor is, in our opinion, the future of solid publishing, both in print and online.