New Digit

In 2003 the IT scenario was changing from a technology geek wanting to be updated on fast moving changes to technology being a mass phenomena...Knowing IT products was no longer a necessity to survive, the applications are so dumbed down that it no longer is essential to know about the technology per se. There was a huge secondary audience in this segment and the so called Geek audience was not growing as fast it was growing earlier.
That's when Digit had to be a Solution Centric Magazine, away from its 5 years of Product centric approach. It had to talk to 4 set of Audiences - Power Users, SoHo, SMB and Casual Users, thats when Sections was broadly classified as Passion, Tools, Business and Entertainment....

The thought process was nevertheless interesting:

1. Audience needs are changing: They don’t want a mobile phone, they want services.
2. Technology may not have stopped fascinating us, but the degree to which it does has: Fifteen years ago, Jetking’s DIY electronic kits were a rage. Five years ago, mobile phones were fascinating. No longer.
3. Technology has penetrated so deep, it has become invisible: Laptops are just tools for greater productivity and mobility, not so much objects of desire as much as they were two years ago.
4. Technology by itself is not interesting; what it can do for you has become more relevant. Can I book tickets online, can I pay my bills online, can I connect to the Internet using my mobile phone, etc.
5. Competitors are following our lead more than ever before. IC Chip, PC Quest, Living Digital, et al, try to flaunt the “cool, funky look”.
6. How they followed us: Structure of magazine, Editorial, Back of the Book, tests, product-centric content, tables, opening visuals, models, etc.
7. Competitors are following our lead more than ever before. IC Chip, PC Quest, Living Digital, et al, try to flaunt the “cool, funky look”.
8. How they followed us: Structure of magazine, Editorial, Back of the Book, tests, product-centric content, tables, opening visuals, models, etc.
9. We are no longer the aspirants for the title, but we are now the establishment; the magazine everyone wants to emulate.
10. We have to stay ahead in the race, and take the first mover advantage.
11. We need to set new standards all over again.

The task started with building a new identity for Digit and Identify it with how the community uses or views technology and that was:

1. As passion: A person may use technology because he simply loves technology, and is for greater number of avenues to enhance his knowledge on technology.
2. As a tool: A person may want to improve his personal productivity, and would look to technology to make it simpler for him.
3. For business purposes: A businessman uses technology to find out how it can help his organization save time, effort, and hence costs. He is also looking for return on investment.
4. As and for entertainment: A reader would want to know how to access and use technology for personal entertainment.

Hence we need to create a magazine that reflects these needs....

1. For the young and the passionate: Create avenues and sections that satiate his technolust.
2. For the everyday, educated professional: Provide him with content relevant to his work needs. Allow him to exploit technology to get things done faster, with greater clarity, and at lower costs.
3. For the aware businessman: Help him identify his opportunities for technology implementation, guide him through the process using his first-off-the-block peers, and make him aware of the benefits of technology.
4. For everybody’s entertainment: Create entertaining content that will let him put his feet up and relax. And yes, participate.

Hence the magazine....

The magazine was broadly divided into Five parts:

1. Enter: (Front of the Book) Interesting things to read from the world of technology from India and across the world
2. Digital Passion: Fuelling the Pursuit for Technology Knowledge
3. Digital Tools: Technology for Personal Productivity
4. Digital Business: How Technology can help your Organisation
5. Digital Leisure: Technology beyond work

• ESC: (Back of the Book and part of DL) For those relaxed times

The structure remain till date in Feb 2009 .... and rather still popular and

probably the time has now come to re look at the same and map it back to the existing market conditions....

The Structure was put in place by Gourav Jaswal from Synapse and the design by P M Hashim from the Cochin design firm Design Difference...