Newspaper Design 6 The Results of the Sixth European Newspaper Award Norbert KĂźpper
Imprint
Acknowlegements
© Norbert Küpper Office for Newspaper Design Gutenbergstr. 4 D-40670 Meerbusch Tel.: ++49 (0) 21 59 91 16 15 Fax: ++49 (0) 21 59 91 16 16 E-Mail:nkuepper@newsdesign.de Homepage: www.newspaperaward.org
I would like to express my gratitude to all those who showed their engagement and support for the European Newspaper Award and the European Newspaper Congress:
Translation: Gabriele Deylitz, Cologne Typefaces: Foundry Form Serif and Foundry Form Sans Print: Maxxprint, Leipzig ISBN 3-00-017170-3
The City of Aachen, Mrs Renate Faßbender Aachener Nachrichten Zeitungsverlag Aachen Aachen International Newspaper Museum The City of Vienna Department of Municipal Services, Vienna Die Presse, Vienna German Newspaper Museum, Wadgassen Gabriele Deylitz Dipl.-Ing. Florian Boddin Annette Milz, Medium Magazin Johann Oberauer, Der Österreichische Journalist Jury Members of the Sixth Competition
Inspiration!
In 1999 the European Newspaper Award was founded, and now, right before you, is the sixth yearbook of the European Newspaper Design. With ca 2,000 newspapers in Europe the success is enormous. A total of 334 participants at the sixth competition can be regarded as a good omen for the ‘Oscar of the Newspaper Branch’ as it is called in the media. The high number of participants shows that the competition is seen as a serious yardstick to be applied to the concepts and design of newspapers. Get your own inspirations from the ideas brought together by colleagues from all over Europe.This yearbook provides you with a complete survey of the winning pages.
Introduction
7
Summary
9
The Chief Winners
25
Front Pages
37
Sectional Front Pages
47
Inside Pages
57
Photography
63
Visualization
67
Photo Reportage
69
Infographics
73
Illustration
83
Typography
89
Supplements
95
Special Pages
109
Portfolio
115
Tabloid Layout
119
Concepts
123
Die Innovators
129
Athens Olympics
131
The Beslan Hostage Drama 139 List of Winners
Norbert Küpper
143
The Categories
The Criteria
Local papers, regional papers, national papers and weeklies have different target groups, which is reflected in different layouts. Therefore, the competition is divided into four main prizes according to the following four newspaper types: local newspaper regional newspaper national newspaper weekly newspaper. The award winners are entitled to sport the title ”Europe's Best Designed Newspaper“ in their masthead for one year.
Only the design is put to the test, not the quality of the texts. The jury, however, keeps a watchful eye on the compatibility of pictures and articles.
Apart from those four prizes, the jury also offers a special award: Judges‘ Special Recognition. In addition to the prizes mentioned above, Awards for Excellence are given according to different categories: front pages sectional front pages inside pages photography visualization photo-reportage infographics illustration typography supplements special pages portfolio concepts innovation tabloid layout concepts innovation special: Athens Olympics special: Beslan Hostage Drama
The standard of the design of the sent-in papers had to be clearly above the normal. Therefore, it was not enough to make a neatly designed newspaper, which quite a number of papers try to achieve. A high standard in the use of visuals, including photographic cuts, the size of photos and variation of formats, is required. Uniform sizes and formats and lack of care with photographic cuts are sure to make a negative impression on the jury. The layout has to be of professional quality. Block make-up and an unmistakable connection between text and picture have to be guaranteed. The layout of the pages should neither be too uniform nor too variable. If it is too uniform, it will be boring; if it is too variable, it might appear chaotic. The winners have found the golden mean: a systematic use of fixed elements of design for the entire newspaper. Typographic elements have to be strictly used on all pages. The chief prizewinners are unconventional, distinctive and innovative in the widest sense in the use of their creative means.
Local papers, regional papers, national papers and weeklies have different target groups, which is reflected in different layouts. The following guidelines, however, have been agreed upon: The typefaces are chosen with respect to optimal reading. The bodycopy is neither too big nor too small. Appropriate reader guidance leads from the front pages to the sectional front pages and from there to each inside page. The pages show a clear hierarchy of topics, indicating the more and the less important articles. Articles are written to the benefit of the readers. Important addresses, homepages or background information are disincorporated from the articles and clustered in service-boxes. Complex topics are portioned and presented in a clear layout. To provide the readers with a varied and gripping paper the editorial contribution should consist of a mixture of news items, reportages, features, interviews and comments.
The Targets
The Jury
Introduction
The competition has established itself quite well as it fulfils various functions: External effect: Newspapers will report about the awards they have won and, thereby, underline their own high standards. In doing so, they also advertize their own publication. Internal effect: The award certificates will certainly be put up in many publishing houses and, thus, motivate the employees. Forge of ideas: Publications in the yearbooks of the competition and our home page www.newspaperaward.org will encourage creativity and the search for new ideas. The Organizers. The competition is organized by Norbert Küpper. For the sixth competition he co-operated with the journals MediumMagazin (Germany) and Der Österreichische Journalist (Austria). The Congress. A congress in combination with the presentation of the awards took place in Vienna (Austria), at the Vienna Town Hall, in April 2005. The organizers were jointly supported by the City of Vienna and the newspaper Die Presse. The Participants. 334 newspapers have taken part in the sixth competition.
The jury of the sixth competition met in Düsseldorf (Germany). Its members are journalists, scientists and designers from Spain, Norway, Netherlands, Austria and Germany (from left): Dr. Meinrad Rahofer, director of the Austrian board of trustees for the training of journalists, Salzburg; Johann Oberauer, publisher of Der Österreichische Journalist, Salzburg( Austria); Georg Taitl, editor-in-chief of Der Österreichische Journalist; Annette Milz, editor-in-chief of MediumMagazin, Germany; Theo Dersjant, Fontys School of Journalism, Tilburg, Netherlands; Javier Errea, University of Pamplona, director of the Society for Newsdesign, Spain; Joachim Blum, newspaper consultant and foundation member of the SND-Dach, Germany; Walter Jensen, Bergens Tidende, Member of the SND, Norway; Angelika Eggert, graduate designer, Germany.
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Front Pages
Puls Biznesu, PL This front page of the Polish business paper serves as a perfect example of extreme photographic cut and its combination with the headline – a concentration on the essentials.
Äripäev, EE Here is another example of how photographic cuts create good effects. The portraits shown on this Estonian business paper give the front page an aggressive and dynamic appeal.
Rheinischer Merkur, D The upper part of the page looks like a poster and serves as a good visual of the lead story ”Europe in the Sights of Terrorism“.
Diário de Notícias, P During the European Soccer Championship it was the soccer fans who made it onto the front page of this Portuguese newspaper – an idea that can easily be transferred to other events. The trend towards a tabloid format has given the front pages a posterlike image. A large picture and a short text, clearly setting themselves apart from the remaining information, form the lead story. Prejudice: Newspapers tend to become uniform and undistinguishable. The front pages of Europe‘s newspapers show quite the contrary: Each front page is different from the other, all of them care for their individual and unmistakable style.
Summary
Sectional Front Pages
Diario de Mallorca, E The photographic cut used on this sectional front page is especially extreme. It makes you consider to what extent the appeal of a newspaper can be influenced by such a means.
Heilbronner Stimme, D This page from the Heilbronner Stimme (Germany) arouses the reader‘s curiosity because of its contrast of horizontally arranged pictures and vertical text blocks. The cut-out pictures give the page a relaxed appeal.
NZZ am Sonntag, CH The front page of the supplement ”Stil“ (style) of the German language newspaper NZZ am Sonntag offers their readers an unusual visual for their topic ”Clarets“: empty glasses instead of full ones.
Sectional front pages interrupt the otherwise unvarying flow of inside pages and give them rhythm. They should be more colourful than normal inside pages and, by means of visualization, prepare the readers fore the topics to follow. Apart from freely designed elements they should also contain a fixed quota of columns which stand for continuity. White space suggests relaxation, generosity and importance.
The Daily Telegraph, GB The Daily Telegraph is renowned for their versatile ideas of sectional front pages. The eye-catcher in the example above is a cut-out photo of a motorbike with its front wheel protruding into the body copy, which in turn seems to be pushed aside. The design of this page was obviously fostered by the idea of using simple means to create an arresting effect.
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Inside Pages
Gazet van Antwerpen, B A 60-day trial coverage is reduced to ten days, each of which is dealt with in an individual paragraph with an appropriate headline. Idea and layout work hand in hand and allow a clear-structured page. The reader can decide for himself whether to read the coverage in full or just single parts of its.
St. Galler Tagblatt, CH Size and cut are the striking features of the photos on these pages of the Swiss newspaper. For regular inside pages they show an amazing amount of white space. But, on the other hand, a clear and spacey layout has become trendy not only for front and sectional front pages nowadays.
ƒ Inside pages bear the bulk of information. This is why they usually have a less striking design than front or sectional front pages. ƒ In comparison to front pages they contain more text. But it has become a common trend to use large pictures and extreme cuts even here. ƒ More and more colour photos can be seen on regular inside pages. Coloured boxes are rather rare, though.
Stuttgarter Zeitung, D Even on inside pages visuals play a bigger role now. Extreme photographic formats and perspectives make these pages look interesting.
Summary
Photography
Die Furche, A The impact of photographic cut on the page layout has clearly been understood with this newspaper. Extreme vertical and horizontal formats create a more dynamic appeal than motifs in the traditional postcard size.
St. Galler Tagblatt, CH How to avoid an overload of small pictures on a page? The layout above serves as a good example of how to organize pictures on a page. The lead photo on top is a close-up shot of a horse followed by four more detailed sights of horses.
Scientific tests have proved that badly designed newspaper pages attract fewer readers than well designed ones. Newspaper pages are considered bad, when the photographic cut is unprofessional and the choice of motifs boring. Page layout profits from extreme cuts and formats as they create a modern, dynamic and, last but not least, professional appeal.
Stuttgarter Zeitung, D ”The Boy with the Brittle Bone Disease“ is the headline on this page, which shows a classical layout: A large picture on top serves as a lead, two detail shots at the bottom are placed side by side as a contrastive pattern.
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Visualization
Dagblad van het Noorden, NL Topic: Trial against paedophiles. Headline: ”A Dangerous Sub-Culture“. The visual consists mainly of shadows in the dark and a doll.
Saarbrücker Zeitung, D Topic: September 11, 2001, the attack against the World Trade Center, visualized by two columns symbolizing the twin towers.
The editor‘s job is to first check the visual potential of a topic and then to get the appropriate photos or illustrations for it. It is not enough to just concentrate on the text material of an article. Visualization is an essential means to draw the reader‘s attention to a certain topic. Therefore, dealing with a topic should go hand in hand with developing ideas of how to visualize it.
Financial Times Deutschland, D Topic: Password fishing on the Internet, visualized by the shape of the keyword in form of a fish on a hook.
Summary
Photo Reportage
Hufvudstadsbladet, FIN The photo reportage describes the situation at a nursing home. The organization of large and small pictures and extreme cuts results in a very good rhythm. The photos are accompanied by quotations from the staff. The text in itself is relatively short. Part of the message is taken over by the photos in this reportage, which reveal details and views beyond description. Photo reportages are very common in Scandinavia, but rather rare in Switzerland and Spain. Once in a while a story in pictures is a wonderful idea to both grip the reader‘s social interest and break away from the sober matter-of-fact style of daily reporting. Photo reportages as a journalistic means of expression should become a regular feature with European newspapers.
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Infographics
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, D The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung was awarded the ”Judges‘ Special Recognition“ for the design of their science pages. ”What a Single Hair Reveals“ is the headline to this double page. The infographics at the bottom show the growth and loss of hair in such a way that the information can be digested without reading the lengthy article.
Heraldo de Aragon, E A mountaineer‘s frostbites are being explained in these infographics. The red line with the scissors visualize where the amputation was carried out.
The awards in this category were given for complex infographics which aimed at a scientific explanation of common topics. It has become a standard feature to integrate infographics into the page layout instead of separating them from the text material. They are usually soft coloured. Colourful or just black-and-white infographics are rather rare. Only few newspapers make systematic use of infographics.
El Correo, E These double-page infographics show the route of the ’Tour de France‘ indicating the differences in altitude. The small map of France in the bottom right-hand corner contains the individual sections of the complete tour.
Summary
Illustration
Heraldo de Aragon, E Caricature or illustration? The Spanish newspaper Heraldo de Aragon employs drawings to illustrate a series about leading personalities. The example above shows Stephen Hawking, the circular form at the bottom indicating his wheelchair.
Eindhovens Dagblad, NL ”Once Upon a Time...“ Under this heading the Dutch newspaper Eindhovens Dagblad published an illustrated supplement. Its contents: The history of the Dutch royal dynasty. The occasion: The birth of the successor-to-the-throne‘s first-born child. The illustrations underline the fairy-tale image of royal life. The upper half of each page deals with current events, such as: ”Searching for a Princess“. The lower half informs about the history of the royal dynasty.
Illustrations are a perfect means to depict abstract topics. Illustrations have a more emotional and gripping effect than photos. Illustrations are especially apt to emphasize or even exaggerate a topic. The illustrator can highlight details or arrange scenes which cannot be photographed.
Dagens Næringsliv magasinet, N The story about the American presidential election campaign is accompanied by very rough sketches in the Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv. They seem to fully exploit the expressive potential of drawings.
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Typography
Hufvudstadsbladet, FIN This newspaper has been reduced to a tabloid format and introduced a new typography. For headlines a sanserif typeface is used, whereas subheadings and the bodycopy are printed in a serif typeface.
Puls Biznesu, PL The typeface used for the headlines is known under the name ”knockout“. Infoboxes, small infographics and breakers are inserted in such a way as to add to the harmonious overall picture. Here, typographical diversity results in a modern appearance. It is still trendy with newspapers to employ an unmistakable and unconventional typography. For headlines both sanserif and serif typefaces are used. There is no uniform trend. Serif typefaces will still be used for the bodycopy of long articles.
Summary
Supplements
Tubantia, NL A new medical centre for cardiac diseases is being opened. An occasion on which the Dutch daily Tubantia produced this supplement. The front page shows a heart-shaped tart being cut with a
scalpel. Apart from the classical photos with the new building, the team of doctors and the operation theatres, a number of objects and historical prints on the topic heart can be seen on inside pages. Good idea.
Europe‘s creativity can best be appreciated in the category ’supplements‘. Their choice ranges from travel supplements, to those about politics, sports, calendars of events and weekend supplements. There is an almost unlimited design and a trend towards a tabloid format like in newspapers. It seems that the trend to a tabloid format encourages the development of magazines. So, in the forseeable future, there will be more magazinelike supplements.
The Guardian, GB The left-wing liberal daily The Guardian issued three supplements under the title ”Chemical World“. The one depicted here deals with health and beauty. The topic is visualized by the close-up photo of a hair shampoo. On inside pages a great number of close-ups show frequently used cosmetics. The clear and sober design corresponds very well to the contents of this supplement.
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Special Pages
Norra Västerbotten, S This is a classical specimen of a special page whose design and contents stand out from the regular product. In the foreground you can see an old automobile with its proud owner on the right against a background of piled-up wrecked cars which are quite obviously younger models. This somewhat bizzare motif is the key to the successful design of the page. Smaller photos of the old-fashioned car, some of them showing details, are arranged along the bottom and right margin.
Special pages are presently regarded from a more practical point of view. Pages with a purely aesthetic appeal are relatively seldom. They concentrate, instead, on those topics that seem to deserve a profound investigation. Of model value in this respect are the science pages of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. They offer double pages with a great variety of topics which are always well visualized.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, D Each week a double page is devoted to the field of science. The above shown pages deal with railway timetables. Among other things the slug reads: ”Whoever is angry about delays should be amazed, instead, about how many trains arrive on time.“ The visualzation is done by a tangle of lines in the middle of the double page and toy railways, engines and figures on the right and left.
Summary
Portfolio
Frankfurter Rundschau, D Their supplement has been among the award winners in this category for some years now. The pages always show a clear and simple layout. The pictures on the front pages are always given the same position, with the title of the supplement ”Magazin“ integrated into it. Teasers are on the right margin. On inside pages pictures and texts are separated from each other. Articles are usually not broken up by photos or captions.
Diário de Notícias, P The focus of the layout in DNA, the supplement of the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias, is on photography. The example above shows extreme cuts and close-ups, which make very good eye-catchers.
In this category the serial character of the pages becomes most visible. The serial character fulfils the reader‘s expectation of the continously high quality of his newspaper. The designers need only few elements: well-cut photos, a simple page layout, and a typography that reads well.
Diário de Notícias, P This photo of Salvador Dalí dates back to the fifties. But its unusual perspective is anything but outdated and so can still make a front page.
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Tabloid Layout
Verdens Gang, N With two slices of salami and a bent sausage a sad facial expression is created, matching the headline ”Fat Shock“. The article contains a comparison between the fat content of Norwegian and Danish salami: 35% : 54%.
Verdens Gang, N The lead story is cleary distinguishable. The article is divided into various aspects of the topic. The photo shows a lawyer who has sued a number of yellow-press publications because they simply invent news about royal dynasties.
What can tabloids teach us? Focus on visuals – more pictures, less text. Avoidance of lengthy articles by portioning. Setting of priorities on each page. Visualization of topics. Humour and exaggeration – the tabloids‘ profile.
Bild-Zeitung, D When a new federal president was being looked for the Bild-Zeitung suggested well-known comic figures, such as Kermit the frog, Ernie and Bert, Käpt'n Blaubär and Mickey Mouse. The headline reads ”Here are some more candidates!“. A topical issue is given a humorous note, which is what most newspapers lack.
Summary
Concepts
Asker og Bærums Budstikke, N In their weekly supplement Asker og Bærums Budstikke from Norway presents all kinds of sports events for the young. They range from varsity sports to youth sport events of national importance. This is, of course, of special interest to the young who might become the future newspaper readers.
Leine-Zeitung, D The Leine-Zeitung from Hanover, Germany, commenced a series presenting all fire brigades in their distribution area. Group photos, pictures of their buildings and engines and interviews with leading members are elements of this series. Readers are naturally interested in what is going on in their neighbourhood. So it seems worth the trouble of investigating the distribution area for clubs, societies, institutions and so on.
Apart from a new design, newspapers should also consider new topics, especially those that are normally not dealt with in other media, or even new sections which help establish a paper‘s profile and support its readers‘ commitment to it.
Der Tagesspiegel, D The Tagesspiegel, Berlin, converted page 2 which follows the heading ”Topic of the Day“ into ”Question of the Day“. Here, the latest news are presented and their backgrounds examined. The range of topics is unlimited. They come from all sections such as politics, culture, science and sport and clarify the hitherto inexplicable. The page shown here contains three questions placed on a beige field.
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The Innovators
20 Cent, D While in many European countries newspapers are being reduced to a tabloid format, some newly founded German newspapers have chosen a tabloid format right from the start, such as Boulevard Würzburg and 20 Cent,
Boulevard Würzburg, D This newly founded weekly in tabloid format is oriented towards classical tabloids known from Great Britain, as can seen from their choice of colours, red and black, which are typical of the popular press.
which are meant to appeal to young readers mainly, a target group different from those of established newspapers. The colours and contents are tailored to young people‘s tastes and interests.
Everywhere in Europe newspapers are being converted to the handier tabloid format. The same process is being expected for German newspapers. The Saarbrücker Zeitung, e.g., will be published in the Rhenish format in 2006. The Guardian from Great Britain and the Belgium newspaper Le Soir have announced that they will change their size to the Berlin format, which is 2 cm larger than the half Nordic format. It seems probable that in a couple of years a great number of European papers will choose the Berlin format, as it enables the editorial staff to divide the newspapers into individual sections.
Summary
Athens Olympics
El Correo, E The lead photo is a combination of two swimmers – a splendid eye-catcher. At the bottom of the page smaller photos form a nice contrast to the large one on top. The article is broken up by info-boxes and tables. Extensive grey spaces, containing the text, have been avoided.
Diario de Mallorca, E A female athlete is being introduced on this page. The extreme upright format matches well with the coloured info-boxes.
In this category the means of modern newspaper layout are perfectly being employed: - pithy visualization of topics - excellent choice of photos - smaller proportions of texts than usual. Texts are broken up by service boxes, infographics and tables. On the whole: The topic ’sport‘ is being presented by a clear layout and large photos.
Viata Liberá, RO The first time a Romanian newspaper has won a prize at the European Newspaper Award. The lead photo is in the centre of the page, the left and right margins contain smaller elements. The size of the photo and the colours create a modern appeal.
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De Morgen Europe’s Best Designed Newspaper, category ’national newspaper‘. Jury statement De Morgen caught the jury‘s eye in a number of categories: front pages, photo reportages, supplements. Why? They do not follow the mainstream, but capitalize on their creative potential. The result is an individual, unmistakable newspaper which could serve as a model for European newspapers. Information on the newspaper De Morgen, Brussels, Belgium. Circulation: 48,000 copies; 60,000 copies on Saturdays. Its size is about the same as the Rhenish format. They employ 60 editors, 5 photographers and 10 layouters.
Front Page. The title ’De Morgen‘ is printed in a sanserif typeface with a modern appeal. The masthead is framed by teasers consisting of photos and text. Thus, the masthead is integrated into the general page layout. Page Layout. This page like any page in De Morgen shows a classical modular page layout. The lead story is easily recognizable by its position on the page and the size of its headline. Infographics. The infographics on this page consist of a map of Iraq framed by text blocks. The heading reads: ”Iraqi cities on fire“. The accompanying texts describe the individual disaster areas.The infographics serve as a visual support for information and spare the editors and the readers lengthy and boring explanations. Bodycopy. For bodycopy the Swift is employed, which is also used in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Austria. Problems with Details. Some headings are printed in capital letters which are not easily legible. But the jury still decided on this newspaper because their individuality and creativity is so impressive.
The Chief Winners
Visualization.”The foundlings of poor Flanders“ is the headline of this reportage on the occasion of a convention and an exposition on foundlings in Flanders between 1790 and 1920. For visualization pieces of paper and letters are shown which were found with the abandoned children. Another photo presents the spine of a book made of parchment. The pictures are a perfect means to transport the readers to depressing situations in times past.
Daily Supplement I. ”Reporter“ is the name of the news supplement of De Morgen. Teasers on the left refer to articles on inside pages. The lead story deals with the smuggling of people in rubber dinghies from Belgium to Great Britain. One of the newspaper‘s journalists investigated in the smuggling ring‘s sphere.
Daily Supplement II. ”BIS“ is the name of the cultural supplement. Each issue shows a different way of integrating the supplement‘s title into the lead photo.
Daily Supplement III. ”Ego“, finally, is the title of the supplement devoted to privatelife matters. The headline on the above page reads: ”Holidays are bad for you”. The reasons: Arguments with your partner, overweight and danger – not even palm trees are a guarantee for one‘s safety.
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Het Parool Europe’s Best Designed Newspaper, category ’regional newspaper‘.
Handy Format. Het Parool is published in a half Nordic format, which roughly equals a DIN A 3 format. In spring 2004 the paper was reduced to that handier size.
Jury statement Lightness plus seriousness – these two words might suffice to sum up the appearance of Het Parool. Lightness is achieved by the light, summerlike shades of colour and the white space, seriousness – necessary for a regional paper – by the classicist typeface for headings and the clear and simple composition of the pages.
Unconventional Teasers. The curved line above the masthead announces aerial photos that can be obtained from the newspaper's publishing house. The design consists of a plane with a banner in its wake.
Information on the newspaper Het Parool, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Het Parool, meaning ’password‘, was founded during the Second World War as a newspaper of the resistence. In March 2004 its size was reduced to tabloid format. Circulation: 100,000 copies.
Decent Choice of Colours. Dark blue, light blue and beige are the colours of this page. They create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Display. In the field below the masthead two topics from inside pages are advertised by a photo montage. Clear Lead Stories. The headline of the front-page story is emphasized by its size. So is the lead photo with its horizontal format. Table of Contents. The bottom of the page leaves room for an index. Only the sections and the number of their pages are indicated here – a space-saving method.
The Chief Winners
Local Page I. The page above shows a clear structure: The section head is larger, thus announcing the beginning of a new section. On the left, a news column provides the readers with a quick survey.
Local Page II. The title of the series above the lead story reads:” At my place in my street“. A detail from a map shows in which part of the city the street dealt with in the story can be found. Coloured slugs indicate the quarters to which the other articles refer.
Topical Page. This double page is devoted to the topic ’fish‘. The infographics show that the number of fish shops in Amsterdam has been falling in recent years. The photographic sequence at the bottom of the page gives an insight into the processing of fish. The feature that distinguishes Het Parool from free newspapers is the employment of extensive stories with a good visual presentation.
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Diario de Noticias Europe’s Best Designed Newspaper, category ’local newspaper‘. Jury statement Their front page design always offers their readers a pattern of contrasts: war and peace, winners and losers, happiness and sorrow. These contrasts are underlined by their use of photos. The clear structure of inside pages, however, presents the issues of the day in a rather sober manner. It is this toying with contrasts and emotions which makes this newspaper so exciting. Information on the newspaper Diário de Notícias is published in Huarte-Pamplona, Spain. Circulation in 2001: 13,900 copies; circulation in 2004: 17,000 copies. The paper in tabloid format employs 40 editors, 3 photographers and 4 layouters.
Contrasting Photos. This front page shows a photo in an upright format of the Landing in Normandy on the occasion of its sixtieth anniversary and a photo in horizontal format with cheering Spanish soccer players. This mixture of extreme contrasts is typical of most front pages with this newspaper. It reflects the arc of tension within which the events of the day occur. L-Shaped Colour Space. The shape of the coloured space makes the newspaper look unique. It integrates the masthead, a table of contents and a photo in a vertical format. Masthead. ’Diario de Noticias‘ is a common newspaper name on the Iberian peninsula. In order to set their newspaper title apart from others the word ’Noticias‘ is high-lighted, whereas the words ’Diario de‘ appear in rather small italics on a red background. Advertisements. Advertiserments form part of the layout. They appear at the bottom of the page and can be arranged in a block of up to 70 mm.
The Chief Winners
Photo Plus Infographics. The front page of the local section shows a technical drawing of an inclined lift. The infographics are combined with a photo of the surroundings. The text is structured by semibold initial lines and service boxes.
Article Plus Service Boxes. The chief article is supplemented by three service boxes – a reader-friendly page structuring. The highlighted figure, which is explained in the text, is a characteristic element of this paper.
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Sentinel Sunday Europe’s Best Designed Newspaper, category ’weekly‘ newspaper. Jury statement Even a newspaper with a low circulation can be exemplary in their page layout, their use of photos and their choice of topics. Evidence for this is the Sentinel Sunday with a print run of 13,160 copies. The design shows a remarkable self-confidence. The positioning of texts and pictures is done with a generous hand and a superior mind. The result is a perfect product which also offers innovative contents. Information on the newspaper Sentinel Sunday is published in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, Great Britain. Circulation in 2001: 7,708 copies; circulation in 2004: 13,160 copies. The newspaper has a Nordic format.
”Preview – Review“ reads the heading of one page in this newspaper offering unusual contents. ”A skeptic’s look at this week and last“ is the slug of the page. Good Week – Bad Week. The column on the left is flanked by an arrow with two heads: one leading up to articles with good news, one leading down to articles with bad news. ”The Week Ahead“, a two-column announcement on the right, is a calendar of events with a mixture of serious and humorous information as shown in the following examples: Today (August 30): International Day of the Disappeared Today (September 1): Constitution Day (Slovakia) Absolutely useless fact of the day: (September 3): Coca-Cola would be green if no colour was added to it. A must-see (August 31): The International Language and Education Fair in Brighton. Website of the day: an excuse for any occasion: www.excuse.co.uk It is such funny and witty columns that attract the readers to this paper. Exemplary.
The Chief Winners
Front Page. The room for teasers under the masthead has such a striking design that it attracts the customers‘ attention at retail sale. Apart from that, the page shows a clear hierarchy of headlines and a table of contents on the right.
Regional Page. Photographic size, cut and motifs appear to be the important elements on this page informing about a masked ball. What one can learn from this? Professional photographers cannot only be found with high-circulation papers.
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Bergens Tidende Søndag Europe’s Best Designed Newspaper, category ’weekly newspaper‘. Jury statement Bergens Tidende Søndag combines two different styles: One is reserved for news on pages with very little white space, the other presents Sunday topics in a generous layout. The compact sports pages have a dynamic and updated appeal, the weekend pages with their empty spaces appear generous and relaxed. The contents, too, are of an interesting mixture. Information on the newspaper Bergens Tidende Søndag is published in Bergen, Norway. Circulation: 90,000 copies; tabloid format. The chief publication Bergens Tidende is a daily paper in Nordic format.
Front Page. Apart from the front-page story seven more topics appear in the teaser. Such a page does not have a Sunday appeal, but looks like a ’news‘-paper. The inside pages conform to this impression as they contain news.
The Chief Winners
White Space. White or empty spaces are not void of information: They indicate relaxation and they can give weight, meaning and seriousness to a certain topic. White spaces on a page can be compared to a careful presentation of goods in a shop window where only few items are on display. In this way Bergens Tidende Søndag represents two different styles in one and the same paper: There are those ’normal‘ pages packed with news, and ’special‘ pages with lots of empty spaces for Sunday topics.
Contrasts. The three double pages on the right are typical of the generous presentation of topics. On all pages a large photo can be seen with smaller pictures arranged in a horizontal or vertical row for means of contrast. Typography. Typography plays a minor role on these pages as the headlines are rather small. Like the photos the articles are arranged in horizontal or vertical blocks. Asymmetry. All pages have an asymmetrical design. On the upper page the main emphasis is put on the large photo on the right, on the pages below the main emphasis is put on the left.
Sports Pages. The front page of the sports section has a bigger section head and a large photo, which is meant to arrest the readers’ attention. The small tabloid format makes only room for one article and two news items on this page.
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Village The Judges‘ Special Recognition went to the newly founded Irish weekly ”Village“ from Dublin, a mixture between newspaper and magazine. Information on the newspaper ”Village“ ia a newly founded paper in a half Rhenish format published in Dublin. The pages are stapled and cut. The circulation is 20,000. The staff consists of 4 editors, 1 photographer and 4 layouters.
Striking Title. The print is so large that it can hardly be overlooked at a newsagent‘s. Integrated into the word Village is a globe as a symbol of the influence of the world on even small places. It is reminiscent of the ’global village‘, where everybody has access to all kinds of news.
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Big Topics. Most of the articles are rather long and are structured by service boxes. Most headlines go over two pages. Typography. For headlines and bodycopy the Swift is used with its distintive serifs. Reader Guidance. Under the headline indicating the topic of the article a subhead appears which is followed by an initial comprising the height of eight lines. The bodycopy is often interrupted by paragraphs in bold print to keep up the readers‘ interest.
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