Education Technology, Apps, Product Reviews, and Social Media – Edudemic

Topics: adobe, adobe max, Apple, interview, iPad, robin mitchell, robin mitchell-cranfield

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I remember reading ‘Goodnight Moon‘ and touching each piece of furniture and bending my neck a bit to try and find the cute little bunny hidden in the drawings. That was about as interactive as reading got in the 1980s. It’s only been over the past year or so that children’s books (and other books) have started to take huge steps forward thanks, of course, to the iPad and other tablets.

Leading the charge into the next generation of interactive book design is Robin Mitchell-Cranfield, of Vancouver Film School. I had the pleasure of attending Robin’s presentation at Adobe MAX Education Summit as well as speaking with her a bit later at Adobe MAX where she shed some light on what she’s working on, why she thinks books could forever change and why tablets have been the impetus for her to get so excited about the future of digital publishing.

Robin Mitchell-Cranfield

First, a bit about Robin. She’s a print designer and illustrator. She is a graduate of the Communication Design program at Emily Carr University. Her studio ’Hundreds & Thousands’ has been recognized multiple times for excellence in book design by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and the Alcuin Society, and also featured in How magazine’s International Design Awards Annual and in Applied Arts magazine. Her current projects include the ongoing Windy series of children’s books (which she produces with Judith Steedman) and an animated adaptation of these books.

The State of Books

When discussing the current state of books, Robin says there is actually a “renaissance in the printing industry” because she says many publishers are just now seeing the benefit of creating interactive tablet-friendly books. But it’s been a hard battle to get to even this point. Robin says that only now are publishers taking a hard look at (read: figuring out if there’s money in) interactive digital publishing.

She says the biggest reason both she and the publishing houses are starting to jump into digital publishing is the capability, portability and excitement around the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle. In about three years, Robin predicts digital media will really start taking over the publishing industry.

Books vs Apps

But building an interactive book is not like creating a normal app. The book needs to be usable by its intended audience, easy to understand its use and it needs to have that wow factor. According to Robin, she takes pride in designing interactive books that truly resonate with the audience with minimal interference.

Designing For The Audience

To do that, she does not typically include tutorials or guides on how to use the interactive book. This is in large part to the fact that the books are being used by a younger audience who does not want explicit instructions. In other words, a younger reader already knows how to use the iPad and doesn’t need to be re-told how to swipe or touch on the screen.

So why is the digital revolution only now taking effect int he printing industry? Quite simply, it’s because publishers have been cautious about jumping into the interactive publishing industry. Despite some of the dazzling new tools to create digital books, magazines and other publications, it’s still a big gamble. Publishers are only now turning to experts like Robin in search of figuring out what works, what doesn’t and what’s next.

“Mobile publishing is evolving very quickly and … it presents enormous opportunities for publishers to be truly innovative in their approach to book design and storytelling.” -Robin Mitchell-Cranfield

What’s Next?

Robin says the most important thing to focus on is content. Rather than getting wrapped up in the latest device, design or decision, students and authors should continue to focus on what they’re writing. Not how it’s going to be delivered. Leave that to Robin.