The Figaro Group relies on Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite to create ... Like
many publishers today, The Figaro Group wanted to evolve its publishing model.
Adobe Digital Publishing Suite Success Story
The Figaro Group, i-mad
Magazines reinvented
The Figaro Group relies on Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite to create a unique digital publication for touchscreen tablets The Figaro Group, i-mad Paris, France http://madame.lefigaro.fr/ www.lefigaro.fr/
Like many publishers today, The Figaro Group wanted to evolve its publishing model to meet the growing demand for tablet-based publications. The publisher took a unique approach by creating i-mad, an innovative application for touchscreen tablets around its flagship title, Madame Figaro. The publication was completely redesigned to offer readers a unique and immersive experience that combines elegance, visual quality, and interactivity. It was a project that relied on the rich functionality of Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Enterprise Edition. “With i-mad, we did not simply edit Madame Figaro for tablets,” says Pascal Pouquet, new media director at The Figaro Group. “Tablet devices represent a new distribution channel which can deliver rich media content not available in the print edition. Our web designers and Madame Figaro writers worked together to design an entirely new publication inspired by the printed version.” The Figaro Group publishes Le Figaro newspaper to a circulation of more than 330,000 readers daily, as well as many supplements such as Le Figaro Eco, Madame Figaro (circulation 429,000 weekly), Le Figaro Magazine (circulation nearly 479,000 weekly), and TVMag (circulation more than 5.8 million weekly). It also provides its readers with real estate, health insurance, entertainment, employment, or training services.
The Figaro Group chose Adobe Digital Publishing Suite to develop i-mad, an innovative application for touchscreen tablets based on its brand, Madame Figaro. The publication was completely redesigned to offer readers a unique and immersive experience that combines elegance, visual quality, and interactivity.
Challenge • Create a unique digital version of a popular magazine for tablet readers • Reduce development costs • Utilize existing workflows to accelerate production • E xplore creative ideas that include interactivity with greater ease Solution • Use Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Enterprise Edition, to create an innovative, unique version of its print magazine optimized for tablet readers • Leverage Adobe Creative Suite® integration with Digital Publishing Suite to streamline workflows and accelerated digital production Benefits • Created breakthrough digital publication playable on virtually any tablet reader • Enabled seamless inclusion of rich images, video, and other multimedia content • Streamlined production to save time and money • Provided value to advertisers • Diversified the business model with special subscription deals
Leveraging digital media Dedicated entirely to digital development, the publisher’s New Media business unit initially structured its business around the web, using digital media to publish its issues online, including classified ads. Le Figaro gets most of its revenue from online editions, with the New Media business unit generating 20% of sales and reaching 13 million French Internet users each month. The i-mad application represents the next phase of digital media for the publisher. “We took a multi-faceted approach to develop The Figaro Group brand for new audiences in digital media,” says Pouquet. “The i-mad launch is part of this strategy, helping to diversify our business model toward market services, announcements, and special subscription deals. Our readers can subscribe and view the content they want, how they want.” The success of its digital publications is dependent upon The Figaro Group offering readers an experience that is relevant, specific, and compels them to subscribe. “What is exciting about translating an issue from print to a tablet edition is that we can reinvent everything,” says Richard Soundirarassou, creative director of Figaro New Media. “Adobe Digital Publishing Suite makes that process easier and more efficient.”
Reinventing the medium Reinventing a brand and business model is not without constraints. The Figaro Group was challenged with both economic and technical obstacles. The media group wanted to be present on multiple platforms without having to develop a new version of i-mad for each device or operating system. In the past, this would have required significant additional costs in design and development. “We wanted complete design freedom and to have the ability to integrate interactive elements that deliver a unique experience,” says Soundirarassou. The company chose Adobe Digital Publishing Suite for its seamless integration into existing design workflows and more efficient and cost-effective development. “With Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, our entire staff has easy access to rich design and development tools,” says Soundirarassou. “We can tell the stories we want in a way that will add excitement to the reading experience and contribute to the success of our publication.”
With Adobe Digital Publishing Suite The Figaro Group can develop i-mad for multiple platforms without having to create a new version for each device or operating system. At the same time the company can enjoy the seamless integration with existing design workflows and more efficient and cost-effective development.
“With Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, our entire staff has easy access to rich design and development tools. We can tell the stories we want in a way that will add excitement to the reading experience and contribute to the success of our publication.” Richard Soundirarassou, creative director, Figaro New Media Adobe Digital Publishing Suite allows the company to deploy i-mad to multiple tablet devices regardless of platform without having to completely redesign the application, representing substantial time and money savings. “We were attracted to Adobe Digital Publishing Suite because it supports the entire production process, from the layout in Adobe InDesign® to delivery of the application to readers,” Pouquet says. “We chose the Adobe solution because we wanted to work with a reputable company that can accompany us in our technological developments and be a long-term partner for us.”
A seamless workflow With Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, designers at The Figaro Group can take content written by the editor and give it a new format, combining elements such as photos, videos, sound, and interactive qualities not possible in a printed publication. “Adobe Digital Publishing Suite is the only solution that allows us to create content and design page layouts with InDesign—an application already familiar to our designers and integrated into our workflow—to view on desktops and publish them directly to the iPad. It spans every step in the workflow,” Pouquet says. With the Folio Producer tools in Adobe InDesign, designers upload pages of the digital edition i-mad and can easily modify visual elements using Adobe InDesign, Photoshop®, or Illustrator®. “With the first issue of i-mad, we worked to make reading easy and intuitive. We wanted the reader to be able to move from screen to screen, watch a slide show, or watch a full-screen video in the application with ease,” says Soundirarassou. “i-mad is a premium digital women’s magazine focused on fashion and feminine lifestyle,” says Soundirarassou. “Interactivity must contribute to readability and it was important for us to remember that the content should not be overwhelmed by the interactive nature of the new format. We have implemented simple principles, such as using a series of photos to show a 360-degree rotation of a dress to see if from all angles, viewing photos by reducing text, or creating interactive games to discover a photo through a puzzle.”
With Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, designers at The Figaro Group can take written content for i-mad, a premium digital women’s magazine, and give it a new format. Elements such as photos, videos, sound, and other interactive qualities can now be experienced in ways not possible in a printed publication.
“Developing i-mad with Adobe Digital Publishing Suite helped us accomplish two critical objectives. It meets the expectations of readers looking for new experiences, and provides value to our advertisers who expect innovative products from us.” Pascal Pouquet, new media director, the Figaro Group
Toolkit
Innovation to surpass expectations
Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Enterprise Edition
Throughout the design and development of i-mad, The Figaro Group worked in close collaboration with the Adobe team who served as technical advisors. This technology partnership helped position The Figaro Group as a pioneer in mobile publishing. “We were lucky to have a very close and collaborative relationship with Adobe,” says Soundirarassou. “The team is always present when needed and continues to assist us with our developments.”
Adobe Creative Suite. Components used include: • Adobe InDesign • Adobe Photoshop • Adobe Illustrator
For more information
www.adobe.com/solutions/ digital-publishing.html www.adobe.com/products/ creativesuite/design
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i-mad represents the next generation of digital publications for The Figaro Group, extending the publisher’s reach beyond desktops to new media outlets such as touchscreen tablets. The publisher created an entirely new brand with i-mad to produce a more engaging, accessible experience for its readers and to set the company apart from its competition. “Developing i-mad with Adobe Digital Publishing Suite helped us accomplish two critical objectives,” Pouquet says. “It meets the expectations of readers looking for new experiences, and provides value to our advertisers who expect innovative products from us.” Download i-mad at the iTunes store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/i-mad-madame-figaro-sous-toutes/id432482341?mt=8
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