Digital Books Should Be Interactive

A Digital World Demands Interactive Media

Designing for devices becomes a puzzle of what to animate and why. I’ve been experimenting with different website layouts (using Adobe Muse, mostly) as well as using Adobe DPS (Digital Publishing System) for redefining printed matter to use on a tablet. It’s been a fun experiment.

I’ve found that less is more when it comes to animations so I’ve tried to pare pages down to their basics. I enjoy the possibilities afforded by interactive pages.

One of my clients is a volleyball club here in the Puget Sound region. I have been putting their yearbooks together for many years, but once I got an iPad in my hands, I knew that the yearbook format was perfect for an interactive device. Here’s an example of how I rethought the pages so that they work better as an interactive format.
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Interactive Books; Not Digital Books

Puget Sound Book Artists Present 4th Annual Members’ Exhibition

Image of Puget Sound Book Artists 4th Annual Members Exhibition Poster — Puget Sound Book Artists 4th Annual Members’ Exhibition

Each Puget Sound Book Artist exhibit seems to overshadow the previous one. This latest exhibition at the Collins Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound is no exception. These handmade, one-of-a-kind works of art are all books that tell a coherent story whether they are popup books, accordion books, embroidered sampler books, or map and felt books. I can never get enough of the intricate workmanship and thoughtful intent that goes into each one.

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Interactive Books Are Not Always Digital Books

Puget Sound Book Artists Show Off Intricate Creations

If you find yourself in Tacoma between June 6 and July 31, 2013, head to the Collins Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound where the Puget Sound Book Artists are holding their Third Annual Members’ Exhibition.

Acrylic Cube with Onomotopotic Text and Ball Bearings — Resound (or Shake Me Up, Judy) by Judy Lynn

In a well-lit passageway just beyond the library desk, you will find a small, but exceptionally well-curated collection of hand-made interactive books.

The Puget Sound Book Artists use found objects, handmade paper, woodblocks, scissors, even bias tape and more to create amazing works of art that tell a story (or amazing stories that are also works of art–you decide).
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