People have been reading newspapers for more than three centuries. And to think, some people miss out on being the first-to-know on important news items, mostly because they can’t bring themselves to give up on next-day print just yet.
But, Swiss German-language newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung and its agency Jung von Matt/Limmat thought it could convince the paper’s core audience (mostly readers age 5o and over) to try digital out for size by transforming a common reading accessory – a physical newspaper holder. The newspaper holder, which is essentially a wooden stick that clips to the spine of the paper for easy grip, is almost as old as the newsprint itself (and now, most often seen in coffee shops). So the duo transformed the wood holder into a digital companion that provides more up-to-date news than what’s in the hard copy they’re reading. The wood is embedded LED lights and transmitted real-time news events as they were happening, and driving readers to find out more online through the publication’s website.
If you’ve been following along, you will have noticed that this isn’t the first of re-imagined long-existing physical items. Printers, keyboards and musical instruments are among the others that are being virtually re-engineered, giving some of the oldest items in the world a chance at reinvention, and hopefully a set of new fans.
Maybe reinventing the wheel isn’t so hard. Want some advice on how to do it? Check out Dom Trudeau’s three easy steps for lessons how.
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