Response: Mag+ Conferences

The start of this week was so interesting. I was actually really excited to hear the speakers and to learn more about this Mag+ software we so fortunately have access to. It was refreshing to feel so good about my major because I have a lot of friends that aren't as excited about school. I feel like this is such an incredible time to be a designer because they're so essential in this transition to the iPad and the formation of a totally new side to the magazine industry.

The speaker from Wired was probably most impressive to me. I don't know if it was necessarily his presentation that was the most impressive or informative, but I was more impressed with the amount of work Wired has put into the creation of their app and the planning that they put into its design. It was amazing how on top of the project they were from the start. They had it all laid out even before the iPad came out last year!

Photo Credit: The Tech Journal

Photo Credit: Definition Magazine

I think it was comforting to know that even professional designers are in the same place as students or people about to come out of college right now. Everything about the iPad, apps, and all of that technology is so new and our generation will be the one that gets to transform it all. We get to be the first ones to direct how those apps look, feel, their success, and we get to develop the process for other designers and for the audiences we end up reaching.

The presentations were all so fascinating, but I think our greatest asset in this experience is that we have access to Mag+ and we also get the chance to develop the Vox iPad app. I would like to pat the backs of the Webbies in the design class! I ended up dropping the Magazines Across Platforms course because I knew the workload would be too much for me in this capstone, but those who ended up sticking it out are really impressive. Good job you guys! It's really going to be exciting to work with the Webbies to start designing our own apps and possibly using some of those awesome iPad app ideas that some of the presenters pointed out to us during the conference.