Heart Media - New Media Context Of The Advantages Of The Traditional Paper-based Books

Books are the principle instrument to record all kinds of information, also important medium to communication emotions, obtain knowledge and pass on experience for human. With the coming of era of new media in21st century, the development and innovation of information technology propels the widespread of cyber media. The explosive growth of information brought in the revolution of media and gradually changed the mode of information transmission. The increasing diversity of reading media not only brought a profound change in people's reading habit and reading mode, but also had an impact from the perspective of learning, work, life and thinking.The development of new media inevitably impacts tremendously the traditional media including paper books. Computers, iPads, mobile phones and ebook readers have emerged as important instruments for people to read and obtain information. They brought in more rapidly renewed and richer information but also incurred negative impacts including superficial reading, overwhelming of information and fickleness reading attitude. Our eternal goal as book designers is to design according to people's needs. Under the explosive growth of information and quickening pace of life, what people eager for are inner peace and slower rhythm of life. Although the living standard of modern society keeps increasing, people's happiness index is dropping down. Most people not only satisfied by material life, they demand more spiritual pleasure under the pressure of life. Different to the abstract format of new media, traditional paper books exhibits an irreplaceable characteristic: tangible. This characteristic may invokes subjective feelings to readers. Comparing to frigid display and boring-format e-book, paper book is the soul media to waken up people's soul. Because of this enjoyment of reading, many read lovers chose paper book instead of cheap, convenient counterparts.Soul appreciates subtle differences of all things and taste slightly changes of things and people's minds. This paper, from the perspective of soul, analyzes the advantages of paper book and studies the design of soul media which satisfies reader's emotional needs and releases their minds. This is the responsibility of book designer and also the needs of readers.Previous research on the impacts of new media on paper books focused mainly on reading modes and mediums in era of new media and cons and pros of new media and paper book. There lacks explorations on readers'physiological transform and emotional needs in the era of new media. This paper analyzes systemically the essential advantage of paper book in the era of new media and explores the design and future development of paper book considering reader's emotional needs.