Virgin's "Project" raises the bar for digital publications

After skimming the debut edition of Virgin's iPad lifestyle magazine "Project," I was immediately struck  by two things:

1. Why couldn't a company like Virgin, which exudes passion and energy, come up with a better name for what is a dynamic digital app?
2. The "Project" cover displays dynamically in portrait or landscape mode"Project" captured my attention and imagination like few magazines have done before. In the infant age of tablet publications, it's reset the bar for digital magazines and publications in general. That's saying something when magazines like Wired and Popular Science are doing innovative things. But "Project" is so well-packaged and executed that it's at times breath-taking. 

Unless you own an iPad, it's hard to describe all that "Project" is (although the video above offers a glimpse). I don't say that to be elitist -- there are millions of iPads after all -- but to reinforce the fact that touchscreen tablet computers will dramatically reshape how we view and interact with content. But here are some things about "Project" that knocked me out:

• The cover, which has a Tesla-coil kinda effect that flashes as it loads. Talk about a dramatic first impression. This screams "This ain't your father's magazine!"
• Moving images on pages, such as clouds passing over a cityscape and waves lapping along a beach as Jeff Bridges walks into frame.
• The magazine's developers have taken advantage of touchscreen technology, featuring tricks like this page that requires the reader to use fingers to wipe dirt off the text beneath. The white is the result of several swipes of my fingersTaking advantage of the medium to deliver "surprise and delight" features, such as requiring the reader to use their fingers to wipe "digital dirt" to reveal a feature story about an innovative chef whose dishes include edible dirt.
• Lots of embedded multimedia like videos and audio. 
• Tons of interactive elements throughout, with a strong emphasis on embedding topical information that readers can press to reveal without leaving the page (think Ajax-style code).
• Tidy packaging of extras, like links, related blogs and other content. 
• Each page template has a one-click connection to a blog related to that particular story. "Project" also promises daily blog updates on other topics that wiil supplement the monthly publishing cycle.
• Lots of fresh story topics along the lines of what you'd see in Wired, Fast Company and GOOD. 
• Interactive advertising, although the sticky Lexus ad was the only one I saw. It'll be interesting to see if they bring more big names on board in the future. 
• A piece on North Korea's leadership highlights some of the country's more oddball ventures in a tabbed interface embedded in this page. Selecting No. 3 brings up detail on a fake city the North Koreans built across from South Korea in hopes of luring disgruntled southerners north. Snark and humor in heaping amounts. For example, a feature on the leadership of North Korea allows you to wipe through a series of "stacking dolls" that each profile a North Korean figurehead. 

I had a hard time finding downsides. The stories don't have a ton of depth, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. It might be interesting to include one long read per month to see how that works on an iPad, whose weight isn't ideal for lengthy reads at arm's length (unlike the Kindle). And the first times I fired up the app, I got caught in a loop when I activated one of the interactive features but was unable to return to the previous page. I had to close, then restart the app to fix the problem. Since then, however, I haven't experienced any problems. 

Granted this is the debut issue, so it's not surprising "Project" is chock full of dynamic content. The proof will be in subsequent issues, when a regular publishing cycle kicks in. 

iPad users will have little trouble figuring out the "Project" toolset but the magazine does come with a How-To GuideI have no idea how much it cost to produce "Project," but at $2.99 per issue "Project" is a relative bargain among iPad magazines, which tend to be in the $5 range per month. No annual subscription price has been announced, but I could see myself being a subscriber if the price is right. 

At least one critic, MediaPost's Steve Smith, thinks otherwise, saying "there is no particular editorial vision or organizing principle I can see so far here. As I say, it feels like an in-flight magazine speaking to wealthy aspirations in the middle of a deep recession." Smith continued:

"... The razzle-dazzle of touch and swipe slide shows and embedded video are all here. The features often have video splash pages. And occasionally some of this stuff actually serves an editorial purpose to enhance the information. The Tokyo feature has 3D swoop-down videos that locate the relevant sites. The Bridges feature offer audio clips in which the actor gives background on some of his most famous roles. But overall, Project is as rambling and impressed with itself as its editor's online intro. Chris Bell's scattered launch note takes pot shots at Rupert Murdoch, the "fiddliness" of making an iPad magazine, and the total bemusing befuddlement of advertisers, friends and even Mom with what he is doing."

I hear Smith, but think he's missing a key point: This isn't a print magazine focused on a niche. It's a lifestyle publication for a digital readership that "snacks" on content rather than read long or multiple articles in a single sitting. I think it would be a mistake to replicate a print magazine on a tablet, and that's why I like "Project." It's a short-attention-span product for a short-attention-span platform. I'd say that's a niche with a sizable audience, something Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson has proved successful in exploiting time and time again. After all these years, why should we doubt him now?