This Flipboard Documentary Magazine Tells an Old Story in an Amazing New Way

When we launched magazines on Flipboard, we knew people would use them to tell stories in ways we never imagined. What we didn’t anticipate is that one of the most mind-expanding uses of Flipboard magazines would come from one of our own colleagues.

Najib Aminy is an esteemed member of Flipboard’s editorial group, and by day he oversees the team that curates our Flipboard news feeds. At night, however, he’s been working on a pet project that uses Flipboard magazines to tell a documentary story in a very new way.

It’s called “Printing in the Past,” and it tells the tale of a 100 year-old letterpress business based in Oakland, California that faces a deeply uncertain future in the Digital Age.

There are no software hacks or special features involved; instead, Najib simply blended Flipboard’s existing magazine capabilities with a brilliant combination of self-produced audio, video, photos, cinemagraphs, animated GIFs and meticulous curation. The result feels like an enchanting cross between a radio documentary and photojournalism — with some Harry Potter-style magic mixed in for good measure.

It’s impressive, but you really must see it to get the full effect.

One technical note: Soundcloud audio is not yet available for Flipboard magazines on the Web, so the full “Printing in the Past” experience is only available using the Flipboard app on a mobile or tablet device. If you are reading this on a  device with Flipboard installed, click this link to open the magazine. Otherwise, just open Flipboard and search for “Printing in the Past.”

Once you’re in the magazine,  tap the audio file at the beginning of the magazine, then tap play to begin the narration. Sit back and let the audio continue in the background while you flip ahead to explore the magazine.

Oh, and be prepared to say “Wow!”