Google thinks big with Think Quarterly magazine

Open publication

Think Quarterly highlights hotspots for data visualization and embeds links for convenienceGoogle's surprise launch in England of a digital magazine called Think Quarterly caused servers to grind under heavy traffic Thursday afternoon, and with good reason. 

Think Quarterly is elegantly designed by "The Church of England" and debuts with focus on a single topic: Data.

Google's UK arm positions Think Quarterly as a benefit for its customers -- it printed a small-run Even flowcharts look elegantbook version for British advertisers -- interested in squeezing more out of data.

Maybe, but I think the magazine is as much a test of Google creating content. Think Quarterly's contributors are an eclectic and illuminating bunch, but the magazine focus is as much on analyzing the power of data as handing a dazzling publication to the world. 

QR codes for each story make story sharing a snapThe embedded sample above is good for scanning, but Think Quarterly shines when expanded full screen on a big monitor. I'm viewing it on a 26-inch screen and it rocks.

Google is hosting the magazine on the free Issuu PDF reader platform (alternative versions are available on a companion Think Quarterly website) but I've never seen a publication in Issuu with this much pop and readability.

Perhaps it's because the designers started designing with the digital platform in mind, rather than creating a print version and shoveling a PDF online (guilty as charged). I haven't had time to bore deep into every article, but I'm looking forward to the adventure. 

Follow-up editions are scheduled for May, July and October. And there's a companion Twitter feed to appease a fan base that already has more than 6,000 followers after about a day of exposure. 

Google keeps telling us it's not a content company, but products like Think Quarterly fly in the face of that defense. And when those products are this polished one should sit up and take notice.