Google’s Think Quarterly: An Online Magazine Done The Google Way

Google has published its first edition of Think Quarterly, a 64-page online magazine/book that comes from the company’s UK & Ireland offices.

The first issue is dedicated to “data” as a topic and features a series of articles written by guest authors and Google employees. Hal Varian, the company’s chief economist, writes about “data obesity” while Googler Tony Fagan writes about data in relation to search advertising.

I couldn’t tell you if the articles are any good yet, but I can say that it might be the most good-looking online magazine I’ve seen. The design is quite Googley: clean lines and attractive minimalism mixed with big, colorful art/images. You might say it’s a shining example of what online publishing can look like without Google AdSense cluttering up every page.

A note from Matt Brittin, Google’s Managing Director in the UK/Ireland, describes Think Quarterly as “breathing space in a busy world. It’s a place to take time out and consider what’s happening and why it matters.”

Think Quarterly can be read in a magazine-style “flip” interface, or via more traditional article links. The next “book”/edition is listed with a May 2011 publication date.

Via newsgrange.com, and there’s more discussion on Techmeme.

Postscript: Google has added more explanation about Think Quarterly on the website, saying it has “no plans to start selling copies” and that the magazine is geared toward Google partners and advertisers:

Like most companies, Google regularly communicates with our business customers via email newsletters, updates on our official blogs, and printed materials. On this occasion, we’ve sent a short book about data, called Think Quarterly, to a small number of our UK partners and advertisers.