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With every cyclical web trend, there’s an equal and opposite re-trend. The latest: publishers, entertainers, and content creators diving full force into long-form content… and mobile and design have a lot to do with it.
Mobile, the heavyweight champion
We often hear people say, “no one would ever want to do that on mobile!” for a variety of reasons and assumptions.
News flash: a rapidly growing percentage of the population uses mobile for nearly their entire internet experience. At An Event Apart Boston, Karen McGrane shared that approximately 31 percent of Americans who use their mobile phones to go online only or mostly access the internet from their phones.
In other words, internet and mobile go hand-in-hand, and for these users, they expect a full web experience on their version of the internet – a mobile device.
Part of that full web experience moves away from the immediacy of mobile and the necessity for short bursts of information. Many mobile users rely on their device to read books, watch movies, and engage in other time-intensive activities. Long-form content can and will have a place on mobile. “There’s no such thing as ‘how to write for mobile,’” says McGrane. “There’s just good writing.”
Beautiful examples
When content developers and designers work together, beautiful long-form designs emerge. Much like a magazine feature, these long-form pieces of content utilize layout and visuals to enhance the story. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Pitchfork: Its recent in-depth and lengthy interviews rely heavily on the latest web technologies, resulting in beautiful experiences that include photography, video, art, and typography. Check out this interesting piece about Daft Punk.
- ESPN: Using a clean layout and large images, ESPN’s ETicket shines the spotlight on their long-form content. A recent piece highlighted 12 athletes writing to themselves as young athletes.
- Trent Walton: The founder of Paravel, Trent’s blog posts utilize small illustrations and basic art direction to enhance his content. Even simple implementations of design can help with long-form posts.
- The Dissolve: A new film web site from Pitchfork. President Chris Kaskie says “At the end of the day, our goal will be to redefine how people read long-form magazine publications on the Internet.” Keep an eye on this one!
HB and long-form content
In the coming months, we’ll launch a new section on hbagency.com, called “Features.” We’ll use our typical blog topics but give special attention to longer pieces of content that warrant a unique look. We’ll start with custom art and typography with sights set on immersive experiences including video. We’re in this for the long run.
