Hello You Katachi Magazine.

A brand new magazine launches on the iPad. We thought we’d catch up with the creators to talk about the launch.

Q. Why do you focus on the iPad?

A. Because it rocks! Well, firstly, we love print. And we also love the web. We’ve made stuff for the both of them for a very long time. But the iPad is neither one of those. Many of the big publishers know this, however, by thinking that they can just recreate their print content on the iPad is a big mistake.

We’re not hindered by print siblings or web foster parents; the iPad is our baby. By drawing upon the experiences from both worlds and not being held back by either we can explore what iPad publishing is and should be. There’s a lot of crap out there, so we want to show and encourage readers and creatives that unique, interactive design and content for the iPad can and will be done.

Q. Do you still feel there is room for the magazine format or has the web changed the way people read forever?

A. Of course! Magazines are alive! The web’s done a huge disservice to the art and craft of making magazines. Rss-feeders, template design and bullet-pitches ruins a lot of the truly great stuff being made that demands time and attention. With Katachi we wanted to get away from templates and hark back to craftsmanship and communication of the story. Each page is designed to communicate what that specific story is about. We chose to have static content; once you download the magazine the long-form journalism, fashion stories, videos etc doesn’t change. But you also need to interact, that’s why we have stories like Visage and connection to social media like Facebook and twitter.

Q. How do you plan to connect with your audience?

By providing the promise that the iPad offers. It’s simple to make tomato sauce from canned tomatoes, and yeah sure, it tastes likes tomato sauce. But farming your own tomatoes and taking it from seed to sauce will impress your guests a whole lot more. People like to be amazed and to be met level on, not talked down to.

By creating content that is tailor made for the iPad we can offer something you won’t find anywhere else. The next issue will be a whole new thing as we’re just getting started exploring the possibilities the iPad offers. We’re not doing standard columns and stuff like that. Katachi will continue to evolve. We’ve also got some plans for more engaging and interactive stories in the upcoming issues. It’s a lot of hard work, but hopefully our readers will appreciate that.

You can find out more about Katachi at Video: http://katachimag.com/
Or download directly from the App store. AppStore: ktch.co/bw