Behind the Scenes with Tuomas Jääskeläinen and Mag+

How is the special edition Best of Olivia app different from other the other Mag+ apps?

I spent a lot of time exploring ways to use the platform in ways that are not so typical of Mag+. For example, the use of layers is limited and the app comes in portrait mode only. Mag+ apps come off differently for different people, so my goal was to keep everything as simple as possible. It is important to show different approaches to what we can achieve with the platform.

What exactly is on the app and what is your favorite part?

First of all, we decided not to rush into a monthly production cycle for the Olivia app just yet, and decided to start with a special issue. That gave me freedom to concentrate on content that I think I could really make fly on the iPad and the Mag+ platform. The content must always be the starting point for all design - no matter what the packaging. A major part of what makes Olivia magazine a success is the combination of lush visuals and emotional storytelling. And that's exactly what we chose to put into our first digital issue. Olivia's stunning photography really shines on the device and I love it how the longer stories so easily engage you in reading when set in a quiet, bookish manner.

What was the biggest challenge in creating the app?

In Helsinki I am a team of one, so putting the app together required a lot of correspondence with R&D teams in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo (Yes, all three cities). I'm grateful for all the help I've got, but dealing with all the technical stuff was the difficult part of the whole process.

What's next for Olivia and Bonnier Publications Oy when it comes to the iPad and apps?

The inconvenient truth is that in Finland in our target demography nobody's got an iPad or any other tablet yet. It is too early to say what is going to work in the new medium or what makes sense businesswise. But we are eager to try and find out. In addition to creating magazine apps we are experimenting with service apps within our magazine brands, like Olivia and Divaani shopping apps that we have published for the iPhone. (Read about them here and here.)

I feel that this is a genuinely exciting time to be working in media. Like a fellow magazine enthusiast Andrew Losowsky wrote in his blog: "Nothing can be taken for granted - except for the simple fact that there will always be a hunger for unique stories, told in a manner in which the text, design, images, and when necessary audio and video, combine to enhance our enjoyment and understanding of the story itself. This ability to make design part of content is the reason why magazines lasted in the first place."

You can see screen shots from the app in the gallery, above right. Or check out the app yourself at Apple's App Store here.