Dissertation – What does the future hold for books?

Before Christmas I completed my dissertation, I looked into the future of books, questioning whether print will be able to rival the popularity and accessibility of ebooks. I though I would be very biased towards print and do still prefer it when reading but there is great potential with digital books and the levels of interaction, making them another platform that offers a different reading experience rather simply a digital replication. Books are having to become more beautiful and innovative in their design to become the choice purchase, but still hold that element of luxury and ownership through their physical form which ebooks struggle to match. 


I decided to present my dissertation both as a book and an ebook/app showing what I concluded; both offer great alternatives to reading but can't truly be compared as they're different reading experiences in their own right. The app works as an extended reference for the figures and footnotes in the dissertation, utilising the iPad's interactive features, linking to images, videos and websites. The video below demonstrates the full use of the app and all the links.





The book was made to the traditional A format as I referenced Penguin frequently through their turning point in paperback design, improving the means of graphics for book covers and providing cheap availability. The book has lighter weight (80gsm), narrower pages matching up the figure references to the body text. The cover uses 300gsm paper compared to 120gsm used for the main pages, the book was printed and bound by hand. Everything was presented in a hand made black box, with insert slots made to the size of the book and iPad, which demonstrates how a sense of luxury can be enhanced through the facility and interacting with the physical form. Pictures can be seen below.