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Scalar

Open source, media-rich publishing tool for long-form scholarship.

Year 2013
Format
Web application
Credits by The Alliance For Networking Visual Culture
Creative Direction by Erik Loyer

A variety of layouts give Scalar authors ample options for displaying content and media.

Scalar is a free, open source publishing platform which gives authors (over 10K accounts to date) tools to structure essay- and book-length works in ways that take advantage of the unique capabilities of digital writing, including nested, recursive, and non-linear formats. I designed Scalar’s reader interface and wrote most of the code powering its visualizations, media handling, and Javascript API.

A variety of layouts give Scalar authors ample options for displaying content and media.
A recent interface redesign gives Scalar books greater visual impact while making them easier to read, navigate, and edit.
Scalar’s built-in visualizations enable authors and readers to see structures and patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.
Scalar is flexible enough to support a wide variety of applications, including this choose-your-own-adventure-style game that makes extensive use of video.
Scalar’s API allows completely new interfaces to be powered by content authored using the platform, as in projects like The Knotted Line and Freedom’s Ring.