A web edition that adds to the print experience
We work with clients in many different ways. To produce a web edition of the manual for co‑production in African weather and climate services developed by Wiser and Future Climate for Africa, we partnered with SouthSouthNorth and Ink Design’s print-production teams.
Their print edition of the manual formed the basis of the design of the web edition. The resultant Future Climate for Africa microsite we built further incorporates the print edition by making PDF downloads of the full manual and key sections available to readers online.
We believe that print and digital formats should be symbiotic parts of a publishing strategy.
The print book provides authority and credibility. In this case, the web edition provides SEO (making it easier for people to find the content), the interactivity of clickable graphics and definition pop-ups, usage analytics, the ability to link to and from the text and accessibility across the continent of Africa.
To make the most of these features, our websites are light, fast and mobile friendly. They’re also responsive to screen sizes while still corresponding to the pages of the print edition. While printed books may need to be purchased and may prove difficult to distribute, digital products afford opportunities to make content more accessible.
When we build sites like this one with the open-source Electric Book workflow, we keep accessibility top of mind, considering issues like low data access (due to affordability or location), the use of screenreaders by those with disabilities and how sites may display on small, cheap phones.
A co-production approach aims to bring together those who produce weather and climate information (e.g.: national meteorological services, regional climate centres, universities and NGOs) and those who use the information to make decisions which seek to address the climate-related risks facing affected people, sectors and livelihoods (e.g.: infrastructure developers, engineers, farmers and government officials).
Key to this – and what made this project a great candidate for our collaboration on a dual-format manual – is the ability to communicate in diverse and accessible ways, so that users and producers have the opportunity to understand each others’ information.
You can read or download the PDF of A manual for co-production in African climate and weather services online.