Periodical, The Manifesto

We offer publishers and editors a way to present thoughtfully crafted reading experiences online, issue by issue.

We are not about adding to a never-ending stream of articles. Or trying to breathe life into a static PDF intended for another medium. We support the publication of coherent issues, documents of time, with collected and connected articles and the overall quality of storytelling we know from print.

Our approach is to leverage the latest digital technology and design potential to deliver a reading experience that can compete with that of print and adds something more.

We understand the meaning of having a personal copy of a document. How it makes you engage with the content in a certain way. We understand the desire of exploring an abundance of content when a new issue of your favorite publication is out. And we understand the need for orientation within the content as a reader. To be able to go back to where you left off. Or to revisit something interesting. It should be easy and straight forward.

The right content at the right time.
We also understand the publishers’ desire to capture and present a slice of time. To deliver the right content at the right time and in the right context. Publishers have been working like this for ages: Plan, create and publish by deadline. Still a solid model for a good story.

Numerous attempts have been made to help print publications go online. All have reaped the obvious benefits of reducing the costs of paper and print and the streamlining of digital distribution. But most have failed when it comes to preserving the identity and meaning of media and publication at a deeper level.

We believe the reason for this is that the web doesn’t really account for the concept of timing.

Most online media and publications are now based on a simple timeline based model. Articles appear one after the other in an endless stream. While it’s obviously a great choice for news stories, it’s hard to tell stories with broader perspective and depth that way. It’s harder to reflect multiple points of view, and present a dynamic collection of content, when everything gets stuck in the same news stream, where the last story is always the most relevant. And where older stories naturally loose prominence as soon as new one appears.

On the web, where information flows like a stream, publications are like boats of knowledge.

Being online and available 24/7/365 sounds great and alluring. But to be able to say the right thing at the right time is sometimes much more valuable and meaningful.

On the web, where information flows like a stream, publications are like boats of knowledge. Carrying their message with pride and dignity across all waters. Standing out and providing an experience of their own.

To meet readers in a meaningful and respectful way is to meet their expectations. Publishing on schedule is a way to do that. It’s a way to be predictable in form, while allowing yourself to be unpredictable with the content. To be able to deliver the unexpected, in an expected way.

We‘ve lost the ending. And the beginning.
Most publications online now appear as endless streams of articles. There is no ending and no beginning. No sense of closure. Just a constant feeling of stress over not being able to finish and move on. It’s basically the opposite of the refined whole of a good traditional print publication. A well-crafted attempt to present something structured and coherent with a clear sense of completeness and thematic quality.

We want to bring this craft of storytelling and editing online with Periodical. We want to build tools that enable editors and publishers to plan and deliver coherent experiences in a time where information flows like an endless stream. We want to enable publications to be boats of knowledge.

We are currently in the R&D phase, researching and prototyping.

We are looking for curious content partners, editors and publishers to help us better understand their work and needs, and to help us get off to a good start. Please get in touch at jesper@prdcl.com if you are a publisher or editor and interested in learning more.

You can also follow our project and sign up for news updates at prdcl.com.