City Press celebrates '100 World Class South Africans' - in augmented reality-style

Created by New Media for City Press in association with mining company Xstrata, the special 44-page edition will be bundled with the Sunday newspaper to commemorate Freedom Day. The magazine will come decked with a high-tech Augmented Reality (AR) cover, which channels an extra virtual dimension to smart device users and is the first AR Sunday newspaper magazine cover in South Africa.

The selection process was rigorous for the 100 living South Africans who have achieved world class status in the arts, sciences, business, design, civil society and sport. With the New Media editorial team's luxe production values and two years of planning, research, as well consultations with experts in many of the fields covered, City Press Editor-in-Chief Ferial Haffajee says that the magazine is intended to be an annual supplement to which South Africans can turn for inspiration. A theme-based compilation rather than a ranked list, it's also a conversation starter about who our greatest achievers and innovators are.

According to Haffajee, the genesis of '100 World Class South Africans' was the need for journalism to celebrate South Africa's successes as well as its difficulties, and a reminder for us to stand tall and proud amongst other great nations.

"One of the many adverse legacies of apartheid is an often debilitating inferiority complex - if a system tells you often enough that you are not good enough, you begin to believe it," said Haffajee. "I think that sometimes we in South Africa still suffer the affliction. Here is a collection of men and women who can guide us to a different path, people who have reached beyond themselves. We salute them all and learn from the many wonderful examples of persistence, talent and truth-telling we chronicle here."

Haffajee says that: "Working with New Media on this important archive has ensured that everything about this project is stimulating and fresh." Featured South Africans are divided into 'National Treasures', 'Heroes & Mavericks', 'Pioneers & Originals', 'Groundbreakers & Thought Leaders', 'Changemakers and Crusaders' and 'Newsmakers & Shapeshifters.'

The '100 World Class South Africans' range from the one and only Nelson Mandela to venerable storytellers Athol Fugard and John Kani, scientist Patience Ntunzi and silver screen star Charlize Theron. Each 200-word profile is complemented by a striking photographic image.

"When City Press approached us to support the '100 World Class South Africans' project, it did not take us long to accept the invitation," said Andile Sangqu, Executive Director of Xstrata South Africa. "We seldom see or read about South Africans who are doing excellent work."

The Augmented Reality (AR) cover also sets the publication apart, enhancing the reader's experience with animated smart technology. Working alongside New Media, Cape Town-based Sea Monster developed the proprietary application behind the cover, exclusively for City Press.

"With augmented reality, technology helps tell 'the story' and bridge the gap between the worlds of traditional off-line and the digital space," says Elmari Rautenbach, who is the editor-in-chief of i Magazine, which New Media produces for City Press. "We recognise the huge potential of AR to add 'wow factor' and get the message across with fun; energizing print with complementary appeal and informative content. It is new and uncharted ground for us, and in our ongoing efforts to create publishing benchmarks, we have partnered with the best in the industry to produce AR covers." Instructions for how to make the '100 World Class South Africans' cover magically come to life are printed inside the magazine.

Instructions for how to make the '100 World Class South Africans' cover magically come to life are printed inside the magazine.

For more information on City Press and '100 World Class South Africans', please visit www.citypress.co.za or follow @City_Press hashtag #cpworldclass

For more information about New Media, please visit www.newmediapub.co.za or follow @NewMediaZA on Twitter.