SNDSmag 2014|3 by SNDS Magazine

2014|3

SNDSMagazine

The aesthetic value of boredom 3 Early Birds are never late 4 More Fu2i0n14 speakers 6–10 Theme: Illustration 12–31 The weird kid 12–17 Matching words and visuals 18–19 Illustrations make people happy 20–29 Sweden, illustrated 30–31

President, Chairman for the Competition Committee Flemming Hvidtfeldt Berlingske Media, Vesterbrogade 8, DK-8800 Viborg, Denmark +45 20 91 17 52 fhvidtfeldt@yahoo.dk Vice President Anne Laitinen Turun Sanomat Länsikaari 15, FIN-20240 Turku, Finland anne.laitinen@ts.fi Business Manager, Treasurer Frank Stjerne JP/Politikens Hus, Rådhuspladsen 37, DK-1785 Copenhagen V, Denmark +45 33 47 23 99 frank.stjerne@jppol.dk

Lill Mostad Fredriksstad Blad Stortorvet 3, N-1601 Fredrikstad Norway +47 932 09 367 lill.mostad@f-b.no Anders Tapola Smålandsposten, Linnégatan 2, S-351 70 Växjö, Sweden +46 470 770 686 anders.tapola@smp.se

SNDS Secretariat Lone Jürgensen Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, Grøndalsvej 3, DK-8260 Viby J, Denmark +45 87 38 38 38 / 31 08 lone.jurgensen@jp.dk Web-editor, snds.org Kartin Hansen Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, Grøndalsvej 3, DK-8260 Viby J, Denmark +45 87 38 38 38 / 31 07 kartin.hansen@jp.dk

SUBSTITUTES FOR THE BOARD Finn Egil Johanssen, Adresseavisen, Norway Søren Nyeland, Politiken, Denmark Pieta Forssell-Nieminen, Keskisuomalainen, Finland Petra Villani, Sydsvenskan, Sweden

SNDS MAGAZINE

Co-editor, Journalist DJ Lisbeth Tolstrup +45 51 32 89 62 mamamanus@mac.com

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SNDS Magazine editorial office Østerbrogade 158, 3. TH., DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

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The front page: Javer Muñoz’ illustration, created for the Spanish magazine Interviú in May 2014, following the Austrian singer and drag artist Thomas Neuwirth’s, also known as Conchita Wurst, victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Copenhagen Denmark. A pastiche over Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” painting, with the singer holding a sausage (“Wurst” in German). 2014|3

Print: Svendborg Tryk www.svendborgtryk.dk

SNDSMagazine

Editor, Art Director MD Lars Pryds +45 30 53 87 14 pryds@mac.com

Published by: Society for News Design Scandinavia E www.snds.org

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SNDS is on twitter: E @sndstwit

SNDS Magazine 2014|3 Editorial

The aesthetic value of boredom

 When

– Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968)

the French artist Marcel Duchamp exhibited a mass-produced urinal in 1917, he shocked the art world and changed the way we look at art forever. “Readymades” – ordinary manufactured objects selected and modified by the artist – were here to stay: Simply by selecting, repositioning or joining, titling and signing it, the object became art. Sometimes it seems like news media are following the same procedure: The morning radio news stations read aloud from the front pages of the newspapers of the day, making the stories their own. Printed media copy-and-paste from websites and social media, reusing content made by others, with minimal changes, if any at all. Repositioning, titling and (perhaps) signing it – a “readymade” news story is created. Fortunately, there’s a lot of original, self-produced material in most media as well, but when you hear the exact words on the radio that you have just read in the morning paper, it can be considered a waste of time. But, of course – one always has the choice of turning off the news channels or putting the newspaper aside

This issue’s theme: Illustration Modifying prefabricated material or readymade imagery is a technique used to great effect by both artists and illustrators, as this issue’s main theme shows. We have gathered a selection of works by illustrators from the Nordic countries and asked them a few questions about their work and the importance of illustration today. It’s really encouraging to see how collage, drawing, and the carefully created visual storytelling is alive and kicking – in spite of cuts in budgets and in staff within probably all news organisations. The illustrators also have firm opinions about the role visuals can play in the broader picture – as Thomas Thorhauge says on page 23: “We need tools to express content fast and precise, transcending barriers of language, level of education and culture”. And visuals – or illustration – is the answer to that challenge. We gave a little extra space to Javier Muñoz, a freelance illustrator based in Bilbao, Spain, to show some of his great work for clients like The Guardian, Le Monde, and CNN. Though not afraid to use known imagery – such as the seminal Mona Lisa painting on which our wonderful cover illustration is based – he is not seaking the easy solution for

his stories. When asked which of his illustrations he considers to be the best, he is not sure any qualifies – “the best one is yet to come”, as he says. The third part of the illustration theme is an article by Ole Munk, who takes us behind the scenes of two different, yet similar situations in the process of creating the perfect combination of text and illustration. Finally, we look at a new book about Swedish illustration – a heavy (literally and figuratively) publication which is a joy to read and experience if you want to know more about Sweden’s visual history in the 20th century. The Fusion is near The first part of this magazine, however, is filled with updates to the speaker list for the upcoming Fu2i0n14 conference, which will rock the city of Copenhagen on October 9th and 10th. Great speakers are coming, masterclasses will be held, and the winners of Gold and Silver Awards will be announced at the big Gala Dinner & Award Show. There’s even a big surprise for the winners of the Best Designed Awards this year – but you’ll have to show up in Copenhagen to see it yourself when it is shown to the world for the first time. So see you in Copenhagen! You are guaranteed not to experience the aeshetic of boredom there, but your state of mind may rise to a sort of euphoria – if not a constant one as in Duchamp’s breathing, then at least a momentary one to bring home as inspiration.  Lisbeth Tolstrup & Lars Pryds Editors, SNDS Magazine

Feel the power of illustration see pages 12–31 ILLUSTRATION: THOMAS THORHAUGE

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I like living, breathing better than working … my art is that of living. Each second, each breath is a work which is inscribed nowhere, which is neither visual nor cerebral, it’s a sort of constant euphoria.

and succomb to the state of silence – or, as Duchamp put it – the art of living. This may even include periods of doing absolutely nothing, but this is not necessarily a bad thing – if you are able to appreciate the “aesthetic value of boredom”, which Duchamp also recognized, it may give you new inspiration and strength to get back to work.

Early birds are never late Breaking News! Oh, WOW: We decided to make the Early Bird offer permanent – so get in on the action.” — SNDS newsletter, 12.09.2014.

earlyBIrD ILLUSTRATION: SAMI VALTERE

 The SNDS Fu2i0n14 is getting very close, and in an attempt to attract many more people, the organizors behind the conference, with SNDS President Flemming Hvidtfeldt leading the way, decided to lower this year’s price

permantly to match that of the Early Bird offer. So, no matter how late you register, you can attend for only €795 including all meals, coffee, snacks – and even the great Gala Dinner & Award Show on Friday night! You save up to €140! Check the most recently announced speakers on page 6–11 – and see the website for last minute details:  www.fusion14.snds.org –pryds

Prepare for the future: Join the Fu2i0n14 masterclasses The masterclasses will lift and inspire designers and prepare you for the print/digital future.” — fusion14.snds.org, 2014.  Attending a design conference is not just sitting back and listening to masters of the trade – it is also the possibility to be an active part of the action. Fu2i0n14 presents two masterclasses with limited seats, so hurry up and sign up at fusion14.snds.org.

Masterclass: The Newsmagazine 2020 The masterclass ‘Newsmagazine 2020’ will lift and inspire designers and prepare you for the print/digital future. The masterclass is a combined lesson and workshop from 10:00 to 13:00 the 9th of October. Supervisors are Creative Director Rickard Frank, Dagens Nyheter* and

Design Editor Søren Nyeland, Politiken*. Michael Renaud, Pitchfork, will be opening the masterclass. We offer this show-don’t-tell opportunity to a limited number of experienced AD’s, pagedesigners and editors. You’ll be presented to fantastic cases and get exclusive insights. And we will require some minor but exciting preparation from all participants. All participants receive a set of selected Magazines and the indispensable design book “Works that work”. As soon as we have closed this

Masterclass: Mobile UX Excellence This exclusive master class is held by design expert and author Theresa Neil, Theresa Neil Strategy + Design, on UX Excellence on mobile platforms. The workshop is from 10:00 to 13:00 the 9th of October. Find more info on:  www.fusion14.snds.org –pryds

RICKARD FRANK

MICHAEL RENAUD

SØREN NYELAND

Masterclass all participants will receive detailed information on preparation and program. *Both papers are multiple ‘World’s Best Designed Newspaper’ winners.

THERESA NEIL

PHOTO: POLITIKEN

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Don’t sing it – show it

I’m a gonna tell you how it’s gonna be / A you’re gonna give your love to me / I wanna love you night and day / You know my love is not fade away.” — Buddy Holly, 1957.  The famous Buddy Holly song “Not Fade Away”, which has also been recorded by hundreds of artists such as The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, and Stevie Nicks to mention only a few, immediately came to mind when I saw this small story in the Danish news-

paper Politiken. A paragraph about the ‘fadeout’ effect used to end a song or music piece by simply turning the volume slowly down. Very popular in pop music in the 1980ies, but in recent years almost non-existent. Politiken’s page editor Ole Friis Larsen and page designer Peter Sætter nissen chose to make this small news story visually fade out – an excellent example of show-it-don’t-just-tell-it, thus making sure that the message does not fade away. –pryds

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Fu2i0n14 speakers Dealine is closing in – and fast! The SNDS Fu2i0n14 conference will be held on October 9–10, 2014 – and we’re hoping YOU will be there! In the last issue of this magazine we presented some of the great speakers and performers you can meet in Copenhagen – and over the next few pages we give you more! The short presentations should give you enough reason to go to fusion.snds.org and register for the conference – and here you can find all the latest updates to the program and new speaker announcements.

PHOTO: JENS DRESLING/POLITIKEN

Oh, and did we mention that the early bird price for attending is now a permanent price? You can go for only €795 including all meals, coffee, snacks – and the great award-dinner on Friday night! You save up to €140! See you in Copenhagen!

Stig Ørskov

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JP/Politikens Hus

 Stig Ørskov is the CEO of JP/Politikens Hus, one of Denmark’s leading media companies. Stig has both an editorial and a commercial track record in the Danish media industry. He has worked with a wide range of Danish media such as Politiken, Information, Dagen, Mandag Morgen, Press and Infopaq. As editor-in-chief at Politiken and later as COO of JP/Politikens Hus, Stig has been a key figure in the successful digital transformation of JP/Politikens Hus. The company has invested substantially in developing digital and mobile platforms and holds leading market posi-

tions on all printed and digital platforms. JP/Politikens Hus has three leading national media brands; Ekstra Bladet, Jyllands-Posten and Politiken. The group’s activities also include Scandinavia’s largest local newspapers business with nearly 90 titles in Denmark and Sweden, a leading publishing house with international success, a range of digital activities and news services as well as other business areas.   www.jppol.dk  @orskov

Aron Pilhofer The Guardian

Pilhofer is Executive Editor of Digital for the Guardian. In this role, he will develop and execute new and innovative digital journalism initiatives and tools to help grow global audiences and deepen reader engagement. He will also help drive the Guardian’s digital transformation, working in concert with a global team of journalists and developers. Prior to joining the Guardian, Aron was Associate Managing Editor for Digital Strategy and editor of Interactive News at The New York Times. He was responsible for helping develop and execute the newsroom’s approach to technology, new product, analytics, interactives and social media. Outside the newsroom, Aron worked closely with the business side, helping lead development of new paid products and representing the newsroom’s interests in the areas of product and technology. Aron joined The Times in 2005 as a projects editor on the paper’s newly expanded computer-assisted reporting team, where he specialized in stories related to money, politics and influence for the politics desk and Washington bureau. Prior to The Times, Pilhofer was database editor at the Center for Public Integrity in Washington. Before working at the Center, Pilhofer was on the national training staff of Investigative Reporters and Editors and worked for a number of years as a statehouse and projects reporter for Gannett newspapers in New Jersey and Delaware. Aron also co-founded two news-related startups: DocumentCloud.org and Hacks & Hackers. Launched in 2009, DocumentCloud.org improves journalism by making source documents easier find, search, analyze and share online. DocumentCloud.org now contains close to 1 million documents and is used by more than 800 newsrooms worldwide. Hacks & Hackers, also created in 2009, is an informal organization that brings journalists and technologists together. The group now has dozens of chapters and thousands of members worldwide. 

 www.aronpilhofer.com  @pilhofer

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n Aron

7 

William Owen Made by Many

Owen is a founding partner and strategy director of Made by Many, a product innovation consultancy based in London and New York. Made by Many has helped many of the world’s leading media organisations take on the challenge of shifting from print and broadcast to digital news, creating new ways of delivering and consuming the news on web and mobile, but also rethinking the editorial culture, tools and organisation required to make multi-channel news products. William has worked with BBC News, the Daily Telegraph, Belgian public broadcaster VRT and Brazil’s leading financial daily Valor Economico. He led the strategy and design thinking behind ITV News’ ground-breaking digital news service, recognised across the industry as an important step forward from page-based, static news delivery, with an innovative CMS that has enabled ITV News to become the fastest breaking news service in the UK and to achieve 2000% audience growth since relaunch in 2012. 

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 William

 www.madebymany.com  @wdowen

Rickard Frank

Dagens Nyheter Rickard Frank is Concept Developer in Digital Business Development, Head of Design, Corporate Brand and Editorial Development at Dagens Nyheter in Sweden. He began his newspaper career at Svenska Dagbladet’s infographics department and became Head of Design at the same newspaper in 2001. In 2009, Frank became Editor-in-Chief at Trelleborgs Allehanda. In 2011 he left to lead the design process at Sweden’s largest morning paper, Dagens Nyheter. It’s major redesign project was launched in September the same year. In August 2012, Rickard Frank became Head of Design at the three Swedish newspapers Dagens Nyheter, Dagens Industri and Sydsvenskan. Rickard is an excellent teacher and has won numerous awards for his newsdesigns and is a member of the SNDS competition print jury.  

 www.dn.se  @rickardfrank

Jonas Stenbæk Christoffersen Kids' News

Jonas Stenbæk Christoffersen is the editor of Kids’ News and has a master’s degree in Journalism from Roskilde University. Before Kids’ News he worked at the grown up newspaper Berlingske for many years in different positions – latest he was the deputy domestic editor for four years. 

 www.kidsnews.dk

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His hobbies are: Music: Rock and Eurovision Books: Historical novels and fantasy Movies: War movies Sport: Football and American football. A loyal fan of FC Vestsjælland, Liverpool FC and New York Giants. Favourite dish: Meat and root vegetables 

9 

Liv-Jorunn Håker Ottesen Sunnmørsposten

A five step guide on how to GET OVER IT. News designer Liv from Sunnmørsposten, Norway, couldn’t find a “Computer Jesus” to come fix her problems in online news design. So she had to get over it – and fix them herself. Here’s how she did it.  

 www.smp.no  @LivHaker

Anders Bergmann Nielsen

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ekstrabladet.dk

n Anders has headed a small but efficient team towards editorial success on the digital platforms of ekstrabladet.dk. Award winning storytelling by use of graphics, visualization of data and nice programming is some of the tools. Come hear about the latest development which involves clever collaboration with a Swedish newspaper. 

 www. ekstrabladet.dk  @anders_bergmann

TRUTH NO. 1

A boundless front

INCREASES your traffic

DrFront.

DrF ron t.

Used by Extrabladet, Denmark Radio, VG and Norwegian Broadcasting.

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S how ee fo eas r you y it rse is t lf ou se

Styling your front is easier than ever. And makes great difference.

11 aptoma.com

PUTIN’S FRIENDS Vonk (de Volkskrant) Holland, April 2014.

The weird kid “We are in a new golden age for illustration as an expressive vehicle, not just mere aesthetics, at the service of storytelling”, says Javier Muñoz, freelance illustrator based in Bilbao, Spain. His work has been published in newspapers and magazines all over the world, including The Guardian (UK), Le Monde (F), and Variety (USA), as well as on CNN websites. We asked him a few questions about his life as an illustrator.

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Lars Pryds pryds@mac.com

For starters, can you us tell a bit about your background, education etc.? I once read a funny quote in a book titled “El desván” (The Attic, by Gualong Cao). It said something like this: “In Chinese fairy tales, the third child is always weird”. My story is not a fairy tale, and I am not Chinese either, but I am indeed the

third of six children and since my early childhood people said that I was a weird kid. I was born in Pamplona (Spain) in 1978, attended a Jesuit school and I developed a taste for creative writing and drawing, storytelling in other words. And ever since, that’s all I want to do. After high school, I started Broadcasting in the University of Navarra. But I was torn inside between two career options: Fine Arts and Journalism. In my imagination, journalism

was about the romantic idea of the reporters portrayed in movies like Billy Wilder’s “The Front Page” and Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane”. In Broadcasting I had the chance to meet many people, and although I was disappointed with many aspects of the program, I learnt a lot and I have never lost my passion for storytelling and journalism. I dropped out in my third year and moved to Bilbao to study Fine Arts in the University of the Basque Country.

How do you find inspiration for your illustrations? I observe very carefully what others do, trying to appreciate it, and learn from it without letting that influence me too much. There is so much talent out there that sometimes I even get discouraged! My inspiration comes from our daily lives, from routine, from regular people... and also from the daily stories I read in newspapers or watch on tv newscasts. But always with the backdrop of the Art, Film, Music, and Literature History. So my inspiration comes from such diverse sources as The Beatles, Quino, or Woody Allen. ď Ą

GOOD ADVICE FROM BAD PEOPLE The Guardian, UK, May 2014.

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How did you get started in illustration? In 1999, I did my first exhibition of paintings in Pamplona, and shortly afterwards I started as an illustrator working for CNN.com, illustration a section of odd stories during almost two years, until recession hit and I was let go. I will never forget the first illustration I ever published in CNN, on February 14th 2000. Then, I started freelancing for different media outlets, but had the need to improve my skills and technique with a Fine Arts degree. I wanted to learn new things, meet artists, and go back to painting. In a nutshell, I wanted to fulfill my teenage dream of becoming an artist. A new synergy between Journalism and art emerged: during my studies I painted and I even did an exhibition in Atlanta in 2005. I kept on working for different outlets as an illustrator, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the world in which I live today. Working as an illustrator for newspapers, magazines, and publishers of all sorts.

PRIVATE VICES, PUBLIC VIRTUES ABC, Spain, September 2012.

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TRUE DETECTIVE R olling Stone, Spain, April 2014.

DAMIEN HIRST The Theatre of Culture ABC, Spain, April 2014

Because of the tension between the trade and the vital need, the variety of techniques that Javier Muñoz uses is an open field for expression and opens new possibilities to let out what explodes in his soul, staining canvases or tearing collages apart, focusing on minimalist shapes, in a simple calligraphic rethoric of universal meaning.

DESHACIENDO LOS DESHECHOS Quo, Mexico, 2013

– JORGE LATORRE IZQUIERDO, Profesor Titular at the Departamento de Cultura y Comunicación Audiovisual, Facultad de Comunicación de la Universidad de Navarra. The text above is a quote from the exhibition of Javier Moñoz’ work at the V Salón del Cómic de Navarra, from August 30th till September 28th at Sala de Armas, in La Ciudadela, Pamplona, Spain. More info: www.salondelcomicdenavarra.com/javier-munoz/

547 AMIGOS V (Vocento), August 2010.

their paintings. There is a strong link between the strokes, the drawing, and the story. Regarding collages, they only make sense as long as they serve the purpose of telling a story, to augment the expressive value of the stories or to enable a story telling. Being a freelance illustrator, how do you enter into the dialogue with your clients? For the good or the bad, I always work in my studio, with the only company of my turtle Lola. Marta, my wife, is a huge fan and

supporter, and always takes care of the logistics and organizational aspects. But I am in constant contact with my clients, specially art directors. Thanks to the internet, not being in a newsroom is not a problem. You work with both analogue and digital media and techniques – a few words about how they complement or or conflict with each other? Yes! I enjoy combining both. Nostalgia aside, computers make things easier, fill gaps, and allow a better concept development. I 

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Almost all your work has collage elements in it – why is this technique interesting? Do you see your work as part of a tradition going back to Picasso and Braque, or other avantgarde artists in the early 20th century? Of course Picasso is one of my influences. When I was at school, the synthetic cubism, more than the analytic one, mesmerized me, as well as the vanguardism of the XX century. I have always felt affinity to artists such as Van Gogh or Toulouse-Lautrec because of the stories they tell in

ANGELA MERKEL Interviú, Spain, January 2014

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ROBERT SIMONDS Cinema Jilt Studios in Indie Pic End Run, Variety, USA, March 2014.

would love to be able to work “old school”, develop my expressionist style with strokes, textures, and so on. In summary, blending painting and illo. Although this type of illustration is very demanding both for the artist and the reader. What is your own favorite illustration? It’s a tough question that I can’t answer. I am certain that the best one is yet to come. At least I hope so. I have special attachment to certain

MARGARET THATCHER ABC, Spain, April 2013.

pieces of my portfolio, but not necessarily due to their quality or prowess but due to the circumstances in which they were created. Have you made work that you regret to have made? Quite a few! I always do my best effort, to the point that my wife says I am an extremist perfectionist. Sometimes things don’t go as one expects. It can be lack of inspiration, lack of time, exhaustion, or a simple cold!

What do you see as the most important role for illustration – and therefore, for the illustrator – to play in today’s media landscape? Although illustrations have been present in newspapers and magazines for many years, I think we are in a golden age for illustration and it’s becoming more important. In the past, illustrations were used because there was no photography; then, photography became prevalent and displaced illustration. But now, both coexist.

I truly believe there is a new golden age for illustration as an expressive vehicle, not just mere aesthetics, at the service of storytelling. I also think that the artist in illustration is an opinion maker. I don’t see myself as a mere accompaniment to the article or news story. I believe illustrations are as important as the words, and consequently the illustrator is as important as the journalist. At least that is my mindset and what I strive for. 

JAVIER MUÑOZ is a freelance illustrator, working out of Bilbao, Spain, since 2002. He holds a BA in Fine Arts from Universidad del País Vasco (2002-2007) and has studied at Universidad de Navarra, Third Year Broadcasting Communication (1996-1999). Among his clients are Variety, Atlanta Magazine (USA), Courrier International (France), El País Semanal, ON Madrid, Emprendedores, Capital, Nuestro Tiempo (Spain); Etiqueta Negra (Peru); Marvin, La Tempestad (Mexico), The City Magazine(Colombia), Exo2 Magazine (Venezuela), Qué Pasa (Chile), Ninja, Le Monde (France), The Guardian (UK), Folha de S.Paulo (Brazil), Diario las Américas (USA), and the websites of CNN: CNN Money, CNN en Espanol (USA). Ehttp://javimunoz.com

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BERLUSCONI Interviu, Spain, October 2013.

Matching words and visuals As illustrations usually go into the publication without an explanatory caption, creating a logical interrelation between image and headline becomes even more crucial than when the image is a photograph. Nevertheless, editors often forget to pay attention to this important detail. Ole Munk ole@ribmunk.dk  Kristeligt Dagblad is a newspaper with lots of stories about ideas and other abstract topics with few natural photo opportunities. Often instead of photos, we make heavy use of all kinds of illustration, and refining how image and macro typography play along has become one of our focus points when it comes to storytelling. Sometimes, this means that the illustration has to be altered. In other cases, editing the text may be a better solution. Here are two recent examples. In both cases, we figured that some kind of graphical photo treatment might work better than a drawing. Therefore, I decided to take on these two tasks myself, rather than contacting one of the brilliant freelance illustrators who regularly contribute to the paper.

The Don Quijote debater 1) The first story is a re-review of a famous book from 1968 in which Søren Krarup, a Danish priest, debater, and (later in his life) politician representing Dansk Folkeparti, criticizes how the Danish society works from his point of view. The title of book is Democratism

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DON QUIJOTE 1: First version of the illustration.

and in my initial brief, the overall message was that Krarup simply disagrees with the idea of parliamentary democracy, arguing that some things (his own opinions) are right and true, even though the majority may think differently. The editor and I agreed that showing Krarup as kind of a Don Quijote figure, raging against the People instead of windmills, would represent the point of this story well. I trawled the archives, looked up a couple of pictures and combined them, ending up with this first version, in which a group of demonstrators in front of the Danish Parliament would be my way to visualize ”democracy”– (version 1, below left). However, when I read the final text, I realized that the democratic majority was not the only object for Krarup’s verbal attack. He had his crosshairs pointed on four public figures in particular, including the renowned debaters Villy Sørensen and Poul Henningsen (the creator of the PH lamp, but also a well-known social critic). The suggested headline for the review was ”Opgøret med dem der ved bedst”, meaning ”Showdown with Those who Know Better”. Obviously, putting that headline above the illustration would

imply that ”those who know better” had to be the Danish People, represented by the demonstrators and the parliament. Not entirely wrong – but, as the review emphasized the disagreements Krarup was having with the named debaters, not entirely right either. The problem was solved by adding the well-known faces of Villy Sørensen and Poul Henningsen to the illustration – in a half-transparent version that suggested that these two debaters were parts of an unholy alliance with the rulers of the country, rather like Krarup is arguing in his book. Finally, I tried to enhance the illustration and highlight the important parts by adjusting the colours of the different elements, and the final version looked like you can see below (version 2, below right). The happy Luther The second example concerns an interview with a German theologist and expert on Martin Luther. According to Annette Weidhas, Luther was far from the gloomy figure often denounced by his critics. Luther urges Christians to console with the fact that we are all sinners, and ”wants us to be happy,” Weidhas claims in the interview. This sentence inspired me to the

DON QUIJOTE 2: A revised version which matches the headline better.

PHOTOS: OLE MUNK

illustration in which a very simple, almost naivistic, smile has been added to the iconic portrait of Martin Luther, by Lucas Cranach the Elder. The editor and I agreed that this was a fun way to visualize an important point of the article. We also realized, however, that the original headline would no longer work with this illustration. ”Bøjer jeg mig for Gud, behøver jeg ikke bøje mig for andre” means: ”If I bow to god, I won’t have to bow to anyone else”. Nothing wrong with this headline when you read the article. But looking at the illustration, everyone would assume that the ”I” of the headline was Martin Luther – instead of you and me, as Weidhas meant – and the added smile didn’t really make sense. After a few attempts, the editor came up with a new headline which elegantly ties together the article and the image, turning the latter into a potential subject for further exploration. In my eyes, this is what we should really strive for. The best illustrations contain an element of surprise which

encourages the viewer to look at it more than once. Like, both before and after  the text has been read. Ole Munk will be a speaker at the SND Frankfurt workshop in October. He will explain how journalism at Kristeligt Dagblad has always been key to developing the design. He will also explain how changes have been implemented gradually, with great care and in close coordination with editorial strategies and new initiatives. Ehttp://snd2014.de

Ole Munk is a graphic designer, design & communication consultant, and lecturer, based in Espergærde, Denmark. He holds an architectural degree from the Institute of Visual Communication at the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen. Ole Munk is managing director of Ribergaard & Munk communication design, editorial art director at Kristeligt Dagblad (the Christian Daily), and lecturer at the Danish School of Media & Journalism. Ewww.ribmunk.dk

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SMILE: The headline was changed in the process to match this simple, yet powerful illustration.

Illustrations make people happy

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The greatest way to expose hidden phenomena; a means to get the reader to ask questions instead of ‘just’ giving answers – and a way to simply make people happy. The importance of illustration as a communication tool is clear – at least to all the Scandinavian illustrators we asked to tell us a little about their work and thoughts. One of the artists describes this storytelling tool as “the opposite of this snapshot culture we are living in”. See for yourself on the next few pages – and enjoy the great examples of illustration being created in Scandinavia now. –pryds

20 ILLUSTRATION: © THOMAS THORHAUGE

Thomas Thorhauge www.sacre-bleu.dk thorhauge@sacre-bleu.dk

What’s your background (training/education)? Bachelor in Film- and Media Studies, University of Copenhagen. How did you get started doing illustration? Since very early I was an avid comic book reader, and fell in love with the idea that comics allows you to be a one-man filmmaker in full control. Why is illustration important – and what can it do that other storytelling techniques cannot? It’s a cliché, I know, but in a world that gets increasingly complex, we need tools that

are able to express content fast and precise, transcending barriers of language, level of education and culture. In skilled and intelligent hands, illustration – or “visuals” – is the answer to that challenge, I think. What’s the story behind the illustration shown below? I got an opportunity of making a full spread in Politiken about Frank Miller, the creator and co-director of Sin City. Making big pictures that combines cartooning, information graphics and comic book techniques has become a little bit of a speciality of mine, since I like both writing and drawing. This particular assignment was a little complicated, since I’ve always been a fan of Miller, but not a big fan of his Sin City graphic novels, but eventually this one turned out acceptable.

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Your current job title and workplace? Writer, cartoonist and process illustrator. Freelance, but mainly for Politiken, Folketinget and Biggerpicture.dk

ILLUSTRATION: © JENS TÄRNING

Jens Tärning

jens.tarning@nt.se http://jens.tarning.eu Your current job title and workplace? Visual journalist at Norrköpings Tidningar.

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What’s your background (training/education)? Autodidact. I like to draw, and I like to understand things.

How did you get started doing illustration? When I showed my photos to the HRboss he saw the drawings in the bottom of the portfolio. Three days later I did my first (and worst) newspaperillustration.

Why is illustration important – and what can it do that other storytelling techniques cannot? Illustrations have the ability to make the inner or hidden visible and clear. At its best, instead of giving answers, it makes the reader ask questions. What’s the story behind the illustration shown above? In August we wrote about a dishonest Trustee/Personal representative (Godman in Swedish). I did this illustration.

Lasse Rantanen lassenviiva@kolumbus.fi www.linjamiehet.fi

What’s your background (training/education)? The Master of Arts in Helsinki University of Art and Design (currently Aalto University) 2000. I have worked in number of magazines as an art director and I´ve also done thousands of illustrations for newspapers, magazines and advertising agencies in 25 years.

Why is illustration important – and what can it do that other storytelling techniques cannot? Especially editorial illustration is the greatest way to expose things and phenomena that are unseen, to reveal ”under the surface” processes for instant. It is the way to illustrate abstract with symbols and metaphoras and to comment, analyze and criticize things. It is a perfect tool to construct the image of several layers of messages, some of which can be understood right away, some have an effect in reader subconscious mind. It opens countless views to a subject or insights to the topic. When carefully constructed an illustration represent the opposite of this snapshot culture we are living in.

How did you get started doing illustration? As a student I realize how wonderful medium illustration is. An editorial illustration is an effective and powerful way to get your message across in todays visual communication chaos. It is also a great way to build narrative comment on different phenomena around us. ”The Art of first impression”, I would say.

What’s the story behind the illustration shown above? This illustration was made for a newspaper article about how the corporate law really works. Do the shareholders and the CEO really want the best for the corporation? Or do they search for only short term profit for themselves? I tried to find a way to illustrate the lack of long term planning and thoughtlessness of the owners. The blood sucking insect was a perfect symbol for both impatient shareholders and the greedy CEO.

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Your current job title and workplace? An illustrator and visual designer in own company since 2002

Mette Ehlers

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mette@ehlerstration.dk www.ehlerstration.dk

Your current job title and workplace? I work as a freelance illustrator in the studio “Kulkælderen” along with seven other freelance artists in Vesterbro, Copenhagen. My main tasks are editorial illustrations for various magazines. What’s your background (training/education)? I have a BA in Interactive design from The Graphic Arts Institute of Denmark.

How did you get started doing illustration? I never stopped drawing, that’s how it all started. Why is illustration important – and what can it do that other storytelling techniques cannot? Drawing is a media that can be used for many things, it can describe feelings, moods, political events, humor, etc. clearly, because you have the opportunity to exaggerate and emphasize the main message.

What’s the story behind the illustration shown above? I have always been inspired by comic books and graphic novels. This work is a paraphrase of different comics. It was made in connection with the Danish cartoon festival and PING award show.

Lars Fiske lars@fiske.no www.fiske.no

Your current job title and workplace? Comicbook artist, illustrator and designer. What’s your background (training/education)? Self trained as a comicbook artist (since 1983) and educated at Graphic design & illustration at Konstfackskolan, Stockholm 1988-1992 and at OtisParsons, Los Angeles 1991. How did you get started doing illustration? Working as a comicbook artist for a music magazine in Oslo (1984) it was a natural step to do some illustration work for them. Why is illustration important – and what can it do that other storytelling techniques cannot? Personally I like the possibility to add some humor/satire and of course to make a clear comment about the issue being illustrated. One well composed image with a more intricate storyline going on in the details behind it is another thing I find interesting when working with illustrations.

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What’s the story behind the illustration shown here? This is one of my most reproduced illustrations. Made for Adresseavisen in 1998 it illustrated an article on the new coffeedrinking-barista culure that since then has totally exploded in Norway making this illustration even today a pretty up to date comment.

Lotte Lambæk

post@lottelambaek.com www.lottelambaek.com Your current job title and workplace? I am a self-imployed illustrator, artist and designer. What’s your background (training/education)? As a young girl, I was educated at a graphic design company.

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How did you get started doing illustration? I have always been drawing a lot. As I started working for a Danish newspaper as the only graphic designer and illustrator,

then it just happened. I began doing that kind of work. And I was the only one to do this. And I have always enjoyed drawing illustrations in many different techniques. Why is illustration important – and what can it do that other storytelling techniques cannot? Illustrations make people happy! It’s so simple – when people see an illustration within a story, they wake up, they are happy and interested in the story. If the story is complicated,

an illustration very often solves the problem with the understanding of the article. What’s the story behind the illustration shown below? This illustration is done by hand with brushes and aquarellecolors. It describes the details. The Wadden Sea in Germany, Holland and Denmark is inscribed in UNESCOS World Heritage list. The Danish part was added in June 2014, and I made this illustration of the plant and animal species.

Lars Refn

lr@ing.dk www.larsrefn.dk

What’s your background (training/education)? I graduated from The School of Design, and ever since I have worked freelance for a variety of magazines and newspapers. How did you get started doing illustration? I have always drawn – it was my thing – and I just never stopped.

Why is illustration important – and what can it do that other storytelling techniques cannot? It is a simple and direct way of communication, that can bring very complex messages, and it’s often spreads beyond all language boundaries. What’s the story behind the illustration shown above? It is a satire on the hype there always is, when Apple launches new even very small changes to their iPhone. The drawing has been published in Ingeniøren, the engineering weekly publication, and on the internet.

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Your current job title and workplace? I am a freelance editorial cartoonist, and I work at a design studio close to the center of Copenhagen.

Ville Tietäväinen

http://linjamiehet.fi/villetietavainen/ ville@studiotietavainen.fi Your current job title and workplace? I’m the president and coffee maker (the owner and only employee) of the Studio Tietäväinen Oy (Ltd). What’s your background (training/education)? I’m trained as an architect, but have worked only as a graphic designer, illustrator and graphic novelist for 18 years. How did you get started doing illustration? When studying, Finland suffered from severe recession, and even the educated architects were mostly unemployed. Little by little I started tilting towards visual storytelling, and never missed architecture afterwards. Why is illustration important – and what can it do that other storytelling techniques cannot? A good illustration is the first thing that catches the eye on a spread. A really good illustration forces to decode its’ message, and the readers to participate in their minds. This leaves a deep engram towards the message. Illustration is cooperation between illustrator and reader.

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What’s the story behind the illustration shown above? The title of this illustration is “V for Vengeance” (2003): The Helsingin Sanomat article dealt with USA’s arrogance before and after the 9/11 tragedy. When thinking the idea, I recalled the mad knight from Monty Python’s Holy Grail. With no legs and hands, he still believed in his victory with the means of violence.

Morten Voigt

email@mortenvoigt.dk www.mortenvoigt.dk

What’s your background (training/education)? I graduated from Danish Design School Copenhagen in 1990. My real training has been working in the field for years. How did you get started doing illustration? I just jumped in to it. There really wasn’t anything else I wanted to do.

Why is illustration important – and what can it do that other storytelling techniques cannot? I don’t know if illustration is that important, compared to other storytelling techniques, but it contains an option to go further than you can with a photo. What’s the story behind the illustration shown above? This particular piece is about differential education in Danish schools.

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Your current job title and workplace? I am working as an independent illustrator and have done so for over twenty years.

CRAZY COMICS Each chapter opens with a short introduction to the content – here the opening spread for Monica Hellström’s chapter about the inspiration from international comic books. A new generation of illustrators was born.

STAR QUALITY Mats Gustafson is one of the Swedish illustrators who has made an international carreer for himself starting in the 1980ies. Illustrations for a reportage from the Berlin (left) and a portrait of fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Sweden, illustrated

Svensk illustration – en visuell historia 1900–2000 is an excellent book about the history of Swedish illustration and also the story of a cultural development through more than 100 years. A heavyweight publication with the potential of a classic.

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Lars Pryds pryds@mac.com

 “We had complete faith in them, and felt safe. Some of them we perhaps published a little too often. But they had to survive, too. They stood up for us – we were there for them”. The words are Finn Nybølle’s, Art Director of Femina in the 1960ies. “They” are illustrators he hired for the different sections of the magazine. His words bear witness of the extraordinary relationship that existed between the editors and the freelance artists in those days – a mutual respect for each other’s field of work that paved the way for thorough work and excellent results. A unique period in Swedish magazine history. One of the grand old ladies of Swedish illustration, Jane Bark, also remembers that special period of time – when “nothing was impossible to do in Femina”. The only ones who might be a little sceptical of her work once in

a while were the owners, the Aller family, – or maybe her own mother. The relationship between artists and editors have changed over the years, as this heavyweight book shows. Both literally and figuratively it’s a big publication – it weighs more than 2 kg and over 336 pages tells the story of illustration in Sweden, with focus on the years 1900 to 2000. Trends and history seldom care about calendars, so the two first chapters draw lines back to the 19th century and to the invention of the xylography and litography – the technical basis for the possibilities of illustration in the following century. The book also looks into the future – with a few examples of new publications that use illustration – “not just to illustrate content or a headline, but rather adds new meaning to the content”. The artists and the culture But it’s the stories from the years in between which are the most exciting ones to read. The 17 chapters are written

by 12 different writers, each with their special knowledge and focus. Some chapters take the broad view of a confined period of time or theme. Erika Lunding, for instance, writes about the dream of the idyllic Sweden – with the wellknown Carl Larsson as a starting point and including others who influenced the culture and the Swedish selfunderstanding as much as he did. One chapter looks into the tools that the artists have worked with through the years, another is about the famous Anders Beckmanns School, which saw the birth of many of Sweden’s best fashion illustrators and fashion designers. Others tell the story of single artists. Einar Nerman never called himself an illustrator, but struggled all his life to keep the balance between art and illustration, working in several fields. Nerman was a professional modern dancer for a while and experimented with stage design, portrait painting and more. He lived and worked for years in both London and the United States,

drawing caricatures of famous actors like Fred Astaire and Mae West. In the London theatres, he worked for The Tatler, a theatre- and society magazine, and refused to draw caricatures of people who would not pose for him in person, often in the theatre immediately after their performance. The graphic form The arrival of the Macintosh in the middle of the 1980ies caused a major change in the way illustrators work – and also created new types of media: Many new magazines and newspapers for young audiences appeared, and the old newspapers introduced new sections, especially in the weekend editions, like Expressen Fredag, DN på stan, and SvD City as a few examples. Another chapter tells about the importance of art direction, with the aforementioned Finn Nybølle as the role model for giving illustrators the best possibilities to create good work in mutual respect at all levels. This underlines the editors’ words in the foreword:

“An illustrator must relate to how images are presented, how the graphic form is. It can be compared to architecture. The graphic form creates the space in which the illustration works. […] No illustration is better than the presentation of it allows”. This is an important point – that every aspect of creating a publication is a cooperation between many different special workers, from journalists and editors to art directors and illustrators. Svensk illustration – en visuell historia 1900–2000 is a comprehensive and wellwritten book, indespensable if you are curious about the history of illustration. The Swedish part of that history is huge, and the editors acknowledge that this book is not complete: important people have been left out. Nevertheless, this book adds to the understanding of a very special trade, and helps increasing the respect for the illustrators’ work. The sometimes very simple strokes of a pen may look easy to make, but this book shows that they certainly are not. 

Andreas Berg & Sara Teleman (ed.): Svensk illustration – en visuell historia 1900–2000 336 pages 31,5 x 24,7 cm, hardback Bokförlaget Arena Price: 459 SEK E www.arenabok.se

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1960IES AND 1970IES Jane Bark’s black and white illustration for a short story (1972) is shown here as an example of the great work published in the women’s magazine Femina in the period with Finn Nybølle as Art Director – a unique period in the history of Swedish magazines. Other illustrations are by Gerd Miller (top left) and Kurt Ard (top right).

THE SNDS CONFERENCE 2014 Thurday 9th – Friday 10th October 2014

fusion14.snds.org