SNDSmag 2015|3 by SNDS Magazine

SNDSMagazine 2015|3

Annual News Design Conference Final program p. 6–20

The Editor: Complete graphic control p. 3 A typeface for Copenhagen p. 4 The quality of printed and digital communication p. 22–23 News on the wrist – a look at some news apps for Apple Watch p. 24–27 News Design: From classic writer to multimedia storyteller p. 28–29 Your only choice is to be outstanding p. 30 In My Humble Opinion: The importance of international cooperation p. 32

SNDS BOARD

SNDS SECRETARIAT

SNDS MAGAZINE SNDSMagazine 2015|3

President & Chairman of the Competition Committee Flemming Hvidtfeldt Stentoften 72, DK-9520 Skørping, 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 Journalist Suomisvej 1 st th DK-1927 Frederiksberg C Denmark +45 40 10 28 30 frank.stjerne@gmail.com

Secretary for the board Lone Jürgensen Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, Grøndalsvej 3, DK-8260 Viby J, Denmark +45 87 38 38 38 / 31 08 lone.jurgensen@jp.dk

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

WWW.SNDS.ORG

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

A big thank you to our contributors in this issue:

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

Kim Bjørn Cre8o www.cre8o.com kim@cre8o.com See p. 24–27

Web-editor Kartin Hansen Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, Grøndalsvej 3, DK-8260 Viby J, Denmark +45 87 38 38 38 / 31 07 kartin.hansen@jp.dk

Print: GraphicCo, graphicco.dk SNDS Magazine is set in Real Text and Museo Slab and designed in Adobe Indesign CC. SNDS Magazine is published quarterly in March, June, September and December. Editorial and advertising deadlines: February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15. Published by SNDS – the Society for News Design Scandinavia

www.snds.org Elisabeth Svendby, Amedia Hieronymus H. gate 1, N-0160 Oslo, Norway +47 40 23 76 25 elisabeth.svendby@amedia.no

SNDS on Facebook: facebook.com/sndscandinavia

SNDS on twitter: @sndstwit Anders Tapola, Smålandsposten, Linnégatan 2, S-351 70 Växjö, Sweden +46 470 770 686 anders.tapola@smp.se

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On the cover: SNDS15 – this year’s annual design conference. Design by Lars Pryds See more p. 6–23

ISSN 1901-8088

SUBSTITUTES FOR THE BOARD Ingrid Meisingset, Adresseavisen, Norway Olli Nurminen, Helsingin Sanomat, Finland Søren Nyeland, Politiken, Denmark Petra Villani, Sydsvenskan, Sweden

Annual News Design Conference Final program p. 6–20

Read SNDS Magazine as e-magazine: www.snds.org/magazine

Maj Ribergård Ribergård & Munk www.ribmunk.dk maj@ribmunk.dk See p. 28-29

SNDSMagazine 2015|3 editorial

Complete graphic control Type design is […] the last arena where the graphic designer is still in charge of his or her own work.”

– Adrian Shaughnessy*

There was an uproar in the Danish media world – among graphic designers especially – when Egmont Publishing in August decided to outsource a series of layout tasks to a company as far away as Vietnam, cutting down inhouse staff and pushing 13 designers out of their jobs. Upscale lifestyle magazine Euroman’s Editor-in-Chief resigned in protest and its leading Art Director was fired as a result of the decision. Social media exploded. Deciding where to have your pages designed involves the question of control, and one way of keeping control over long-distance work is by using templates. The most ‘important’ Euroman pages will still be designed at home, close to editors and writers, whereas the Vietnam-produced pages will rely heavily on templates. “The challenge for designers – a group that increasingly includes thoughtful users as well as professional typographers – is to disable the stylistic limitations of templates”, Ellen and Julia Lupton wrote back in 2007**. While the consensus among designers in the present debate seems to be that in-house designers are expected to do just that: thoughtfully break the stylistic PH OT O BY L AR limitations and create art – there is fear that S AARØ Vietnamese designers on a budget will break the templates to create disasters. We already know that Danish Art Directors are able to produce great work, but if the result of the outsourcing will be disastrous remains to be seen when the first issues of the ‘new’ Euroman hit the newsstands. TYPE CONTROL

*In: Typographic Tipping Point, designobserver.com 07.06.2015 **In: Univers Strikes Back, 2007. Quoted from Graphic Design Theory : Readings From the Field. Princeton Architectural Press, 2009.

The unemployed designers now have to look elsewhere to work with the craft they love. Some may start their own company – they can turn to page 30 and our review of a new book that will guide their way. Others may engage in type design – an area where, according to the opening quote above, it is actually possible to have if not complete then at least a high degree of control over your work. In an article on Design Observer, London-based graphic designer and writer Adrian Shaughnessy asks the question, “How many typefaces is too many typefaces?” His answer is that there probably is no limit, one

of the reasons being that young designers turn to type design as one of the last arenas of free expression – away from the “templated graphic environments where everything is already designed” and from the “slavish adherence to business strategies that limit creative thinking”. Designing type is also about dealing strictly with form, it “feels like the exercise of a craft. It feels like proper old-fashioned ‘making’, at a time when huge areas of graphic design practice have become increasingly robotic”. No templates, no interference from picky clients. Maybe that’s what urged three Danish designers to create a font for the City of Copenhagen – without actually having the City (or anyone else) as a client. The result was a font free for all to download (see p. 4). WEARABLE SCREENS

The Apple Watch, on the other hand, is no doubt the result of serious strategic thinking. Owning 75% of the smart watch market, Apple Watch is the place to be for news businesses in the future. Kim Bjørn, designer and co-founder of Cre8o, looks at some of the news apps that have already appeared on the wearable screen, including his own design for Ekstra Bladet (see p. 24–27). COOPERATION IS KEY

Visuals were not always an integrated part of telling a news story – but cooperation between colleagues with different skills has become an important part of the whole picture. As Maj Ribergård’s interview with a classic-journalist-turned-visual-storyteller shows, journalists can gain a lot from incorporating visuals and graphic tools in the planning of articles (see p. 28–29). Cooperation is also the subject for SNDS President Flemming Hvidtfeldt’s column on our back page. He reminds us that SNDS is part of the global organisation SND – which gives members the potential to reach far beyond the Scandinavian countries. This international focus is also reflected in the line-up at the big event of the year in SNDS: SNDS15 NEWS DESIGN CONFERENCE

We’re proud to devote the majority of this magazine to presenting the final program for two inspiring days in Copenhagen. And there is still time to take a quick decision not to miss out: Check out the speakers and the program on page 6–18, then register online on conference.snds.org – or fill in the form on page 19-20. See you in Copenhagen on 1–2 October!  Lars Pryds Editor, SNDS Magazine

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KøbenhavnItalic.12345! KøbenhavnItalic,678 KøbenhavnItalic& KBjMeGbhavPnItafiLw

Regular, SemiBold, Black (+ italics) and a set of symbols despicting historic buildings (e.g. City Hall, Tivoli, and prominent churches) or decorative elements from the city’s history is the current range of the KBH font family.

Inspiration for KBH came from existent street signs and research in the graphic history of the city. Photos by Morten Rostgaard Olsen.

A typeface for Copenhagen Why not brand a city by designing and using a dedicated typeface? This was the idea behind the development of the typeface KBH (short for Copenhagen). Text by Lars Pryds lars@pryds.com Three designers have created a font to the Danish capital. The typeface is specially designed for Copenhagen and is meant to contribute to a visual profiling of the capital, aimed at both visiting tourists to the city and its citizens. The typeface KBH is the result of collaboration between the designers Morten Rostgaard Olsen (initiator), Henrik Birkvig and Ole Søndergaard. The designers hope that this unique Copenhagen font will become an original and unifying part of the city’s profile, both nationally and internationally. “We have no specific plans for the usage of the typeface,

SNDSMagazine 2015|3

but hope that many different people will use it for almost anything possible,” says one of the designers, Henrik Birkvig, Head of Dept at Danish School of Media and Journalism. The development of the font has been made possible through financial support from Bergiafonden and Etatsråd Georg Bestle og Hustru’s Mindelegat, and everybody can download the font for free. “The project began when we worked together for an exhibition about type design, “ABse – fra form til font” which was shown at Mediemuseet in Odense and at the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen in 2010/2011. Morten suggested that we made a font for the city, and this led to a lot of meetings with the design department of

the City of Copenhagen and the organisation Wonderful Copenhagen,” Birkvig says. “We found inspiration in existing signage in the city, research in the archives at the City Hall, the city’s culture and the Danish typeface culture during the 20th century.” The design manual for the City of Copenhagen will be updated in the near future, according to Anders Ferdal, head of the city’s designteam. But whether Copenhagen (the city) will adopt Copenhagen (the font) for its official documents and branding material is still to be decided upon, he told journalisten.dk: “We cannot simply say yes, thank you, just because it’s free. Maybe other [designers] would like to have a try at it as well”.

The three weights of the KBH font: Regular, Semibold, and Black + corresponding Italics and a set of specially designed symbols (“Pictos”) can be downloaded for free for twelve months from the Fontpartners website (see link below). After this time you will need to buy a license to aquire the KBH font. Fontpartners are currently working on more weights to make KBH a full-fledged super-family with enough variants to satisfy even the most demanding customer, from the “the local café” to large corporations and organisations. 

Download Copenhagen: × copenhagen.fontpartners.com

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SNDS15 is now only a few weeks away The SNDS15 design conference will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark on Thursday and Friday, October 1–2, 2015. Here is a short overview of all the great sessions you can enjoy.

CONFERENCE START-UP WITH STYLE

LIGHTING THE FUSE WITH 20×20×10

THE AWARD SHOW & GALA DINNER

We kickstart the conference with a welcome drink, world-known keynote speakers and cosy networking in the breaks. And don’t worry: We’ll set up a nice buffet, just to get you fueled for the rest of the evening.

In true Pecha Kucha spirit we light the fuse Thursday evening with ten speakers presenting each an idea, concept or project with 20 slides each in 20 seconds! This is ensured to get your attention as each one races through their presentaion in about 6-7 minutes. Sharp, focused tothe-point presentations that will leave you inspired!

No conference without the award show where we celebrate the winners and share a fancy dinner in good company. You will have a good look at the winning entries while enjoying an excellent DJ mix of nice vibes. This year we even keep the bar open much longer – just to extend the joy and love!

NIGHT OUT IN COPENHAGEN

GREAT LINE-UP OF SPEAKERS

We have engaged a long list of speakers that we want you to learn from and get inspiration from. To keep you focused and because we will have such great speakers from all around the world, we have only one track in the program on Friday. There will be nine speakers lined up, talking for about 30 minutes each and you even get a break every full hour to exchange ideas and network with colleagues, speakers, new and old friends. Over the next pages, we present the complete list of speakers to make you prepared for some great talks from the stage.

As the city lights turn on, so do we. Thursday night the SNDS expedition will be heading out in the Copenhagen Nightlife on a guided tour to a fancy bar or two. Or three… That’s all we need to keep the fuse lit and the talk going.

See you in Copenhagen!

SNDS15 IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

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Head over to the registration form on page 19–20 and fill in your details to sign up for this to-be-unforgettable event – or go to conference.snds.org and register online.

Join one of the master classes before the conference. Photos from last year’s master classes by Søren Nyeland.

Get wise: Join a Master Class For those who arrive early on Thursday and want extra knowledge, we offer two exclusive master classes that will teach you skills in printed newsdesign, the latest technologies and best practices in digital cross-platform design. DATA VISUALISING FOR BEGINNERS

BRANDING OF CONCEPTUAL CONTENT

Charts and maps are quickly becoming essential ingredients for digital storytelling. Join this master class to get useful hands-on experience visualising data and crafting maps ready to be published online. In this master class we look at the basic chart types and learn how to draw and style them using a custom data set. We’ll also look at different mapping tools, and how to use them to design maps. We will discuss common pitfalls, best practices, and potential when using data to tell stories. Masters: Anders Bergmann and Rune Madsen Location: TBA – check conference.snds.org Date and time: October 1, 2015, at 10am–1pm

How hard can it be? Create value for your users. Smart services with cleverly bundled content are popular, but why has no media yet developed products and services that are tailored to the users’ behavior? During this master class you will learn different models that guide the user from awareness of the product to becoming loyal customers. You learn to create a brand, to design interface, content and presentation according to your users – and to deliver relevant products and services enhancing the user experience. Master: Rickard Frank Location: TBA – check conference.snds.org  Date and time: October 1, 2015, at 10am–1pm

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SNDS15 speakers At the SNDS15 conference you will meet amazing design professionals. In these short introductions you will get an idea of what you can look forward to see and hear about in Copenhagen.

PHOT O PR

ARNE DEPUYDT

PĂ&#x2026;L NEDREGOTTEN

De Morgen won The World Best Designed Newspaper SND award earlier this year. We are proud to have De Morgen on the program for the SNDS15 conference giving us insight about their award winning print design. Arne Depuydt joined De Morgen after graduating from the Design School in 2007. He started as a sport pages designer. In 2010 he was appointed assistant Art Director and in 2014 as the general Art Director. The same year he started the process of redesigning De Morgen with design consultant Jacek Utko.

PĂĽl Nedregotten is Chief Innovation Officer/CIO at Amedia AS, Oslo, Norway. He is responsible for technical development and design in the crossfield between editorial needs and business needs. He has worked with online development and digital editorial questions since 1994, and been in several different central positions in the norwegian online news market in almost 20 years.

Website: www.demorgen.be

Website: amedia.no

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PHOT O PR

BJARKE MYRTHU

41 years old, born Danish, global citizen in spirit. Bjarke is the CEO and founder of Blind Spot, a social storytelling app. He is an often used speaker and jurymember at conferences, events and by organisations like Harvard, MIT, SXSW and World Press Photo. As a producer and consultant Bjarke is behind several award winning interactive documentaries. Bjarke also founded Storyplanet.com and co-founded Magnum In Motion at Magnum Photos.

The soul of the Internet is links. We just made them a little more interesting by giving them a graphical interface and calling them spots.

Website: blindspotapp.com Twitter: @myrthu

blindspotapp.com

LIV HÅKER

Liv Håker is an awarded designer and part of the editorial development team at Sunnmørsposten. She co-redesigned the print paper in 2013 and has worked on web design, data journalism and data visualization since – pushing for better digital visual storytelling. Tech junkie – code rookie. Member of the SNDS Best of Scandinavian News Design digital jury 2014–2015.

PHOTO: LARS PRYDS

Website: www.smp.no Twitter: @livhaker

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PHOTO PR

HENRIK HATT

Henrik Hatt is administrative manager at Moesgaard Museum (MoMu) in Aarhus, Denmark. He has an academic background in media science and archaeology. Henrik has worked with exhibitions in international contexts since 2003 as well as senior consultant within the field of experience economy. In 2012 he started at Moesgaard Museum establishing the creative team and methodology for the new exhibitions at the new museum building that opened in the Fall of 2014. Moesgaard has won awards both for their exhibitions and architecture. Henrik will give a talk on design seen from a different perspective – the museum experience. The new museum started a new creative process – including the creation of a fully manned design studio. Moesgaard has succeeded in attracting new audiences using modern and traditional communication channels. Henrik Hatt will present the methods used to reinvent the museum communi cation and draw parallels to the news business.

EMILY GOLIGOSKI

We placed researchers, designers, scenographers and other creative people in the same room so that they together could find out what the good story is. The result is a brand new exhibition experience. Henrik Hatt

Website: moesgaardmuseum.dk

PHOT O PR

Emily Goligoski advocates for reader-centric news products in her role as user experience research lead at The New York Times. She previously spent her days at Mozilla talking to people about their needs and designing educational tools to empower them. Emily has taught needfinding at the Stanford Design Institute (“d.school”) and UX design at General Assembly. She completed her Master’s in Learning, Design & Technology at Stanford while conducting user research at Intel Labs. Before working in the Bay Area she reported for Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ) and studied journalism at Northwestern. An avid yoga practitioner, she has taught with the Art of Yoga Project and is a Youth Radio board member. Website: www.nytimes.com Twitter: @emgollie

PHOTO: FOTO/MEDIEAFDELINGEN - MOESGAARD MUSEUM

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HO TO

MARI RANDSBORG

We crystallize big ideas to build strong brands. Brands that stand out and clearly communicate what they are all about. Brands that move the world forward. e-types.com

Managing director & Partner, e-Types. Randsborg heads e-Types group with 50 employees and is managing director in the two e-Types Group companies e-Types (Brand development) and Playtype (Type foundry). At e-Types she has worked with a long range of large corporate identity, branding and design projects for a. o. MĂŚrsk, Danish National Police, Danish Confederation of Industries, Jordan Dental, Portman USA, Sanoma, Grundfos, Berlingske Media, Coop, The Royal Danish Theater, DR, Nordisk Film, Statens Museum for Kunst and Carlsberg. Mari Randsborg was educated at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture as an architect and graphic designer. Website: www.e-types.com

ď Ą

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PHOTO PR

JON HILL

Jon Hill joined The Telegraph as Creative Director in May 2014. Prior to that Hill worked seven years as Design Editor at The Times. In his early career he was mentored by legendary Simon Esterson, one of the most famous editorial designers in the UK, working six years for him at the Esterson Associates. Hill redesigned The Times with Neville Brody, one of the world’s leading graphic designers of his generation. Learning from these masters Hill has worked his way through leading positions in the News Design area in the UK. He believes that designers have to work hard to earn their place in the organization. It’s not about making things pretty but helping people to understand the world we live in. Jon Hill will in his presentation give insight on the upcoming and at the time ongoing redesign of The Telegraph newspaper and its digital platforms. Website: www.telegraph.co.uk Twitter: @jonhilldesign

OT OB YM

ATT L O

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PHOT O PR

NICO MACDONALD

MATTHEW BALL

Nico Macdonald is Co-Director of Media Futures, a high-level and hands-on project on media and innovation. Media Futures has collaborated with organisations from the BBC to Bloomberg to understand and demonstrate the future potential of media from publishing to broadcasting. Nico Macdonald writes on media, design and innovation for publications including the Guardian, BBC News Online, Creative Review, PRINT, and Eye magazine. He is also author of What is Web Design? (RotoVision, 2003). At SNDS15 Nico Macdonald will review innovation in news design — in terms of product and practice — and how this has impacted on analogue and digital design. He will also outline some key directions for innovation, and ways we can be more innovative.

Matthew Ball is Art Director for Think Scotland Publishing which works predominantly with membership organisations magazines. He specialises in editorial design, magazine production, web design, and training from his own design consultancy, which he launched in 2005, based in London and Edinburgh. The key goal of a member magazine is to motivate the membership or community to participate in an activity and feel part of a group or community, whether it be visiting a National Trust property or getting involved in an environmental campaign for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. Print is thriving in the membership organization industry, it’s a great medium for member organisations to communicate with their community. The challenge for a publisher like Think Scotland is to take the organisation’s brand values and messages and convert these into inspiring editorial stories with compelling design.

Website: www.spy.co.uk Twitter: @Nico_Macdonald

Website: www.matthewball.co.uk Twitter: @MattBallDesign

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TED IRVINE

The challenge is how to bring the brand and design together effectively. To me, you need to do that traditional design work. You need to literally be a designer – a true craftsman. Ted Irvine on typecast.com

Ted Irvine is the Senior Design Director at Vox Media, one of the fastest growing online publishers, whose properties include Vox, SB Nation, The Verge, Polygon, Curbed, Eater, and Racked. He helps lead Vox Product, the team of designers, developers, product managers, and support managers who create innovative experiences for the company’s large monthly audience. In 2012 SB Nation was recognized by SND as one of the World’s Best Designed news sites and apps. Read an interview with Ted on typecast.com: http://bit.ly/ted-i-interview Website: www.voxmedia.com Twitter: @VoxProduct

PHOT O PR

PHOTO: VOXMEDIA.COM

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RICKARD FRANK

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. Website: www.dn.se Twitter: @rickardfrank

PHOTO: SØREN NYELAND

PHOT O PR

ANDERS BERGMANN NIELSEN

Anders Bergmann Nielsen 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 are some of the tools. Anders recently moved to TV2.dk to help the Danish broadcasting company with editorial development on their digital platforms. Website: tv2.dk Twitter: @anders_bergmann

PHOT O PR

RUNE MADSEN

Rune Madsen is a Danish designer, programmer, and artist living in New York City. He designs and builds web applications, data visualizations, algorithmic design systems, and many other things involving the artistic uses of computation. A former developer at the New Yorks Times, he is currently Director of Software Development for O’Reilly Media, where he leads a digital design team focused on the transition from print to digital. Rune is also an adjunct professor at ITP, New York University, where he teaches graduate classes on algorithmic design. Website: runemadsen.com Twitter: @runemadsen 

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The PROGRAM The SNDS News Design Conference October 1–2, 2015 Copenhagen DK SNDS15 IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

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Thursday 1 October 10:00-13:00 Masterclass: Data visualizing for beginners. Anders Bergmann, TV2 and Rune Madsen, runemadsen.com 10:00-13:00 Masterclass: Branding of conceptual content Rickard Frank, Dagens Nyheter 14:00 Registration and welcome drinks 14:30 Welcome: Opening of the conference Flemming Hvidtfeldt, SNDS President 14:45 The road to become the world’s best designed newspaper Arne Depuydt, DeMorgen 15:30 The new campfire: The world after the death of the printing press Bjarke Myrthu, Blind Spot 16:15 Break 16:45 Design at Scale: Platforms, Process, and People Ted Irvine, Vox Media 17:30 Buffet + drinks 18:30 Infusion 10 speakers, 7 minutes each. 21:00 Evening bar expedition.

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Friday 2 October 08:30 Morning coffee 09:00 Design, type and news Mari Randsborg, e-Types 09:30 Attracting a new audience by reinventing communication Henrik Hatt, MOMU – Moesgaard Museum 10:00 Coffee break 10:30 Finding & Studying Your News Consumers to Serve Their Needs Emily Goligoski, The New York Times 11:15 Where we’re going wrong in designing online newspapers – a diagnosis Pål Nedregotten, Amedia 12:00 Lunch break 13:00 Redesign Now: Reimagining Britain’s oldest newspapers Jon Hill, The Telegraph 13:45 Pushing for better digital visual storytelling Liv Håker, Sunnmørsposten 14:15 The art of building digital narratives Rune Madsen, O’Reilly Media 14:45 Coffee break 15:15 Print is not dead Matthew Ball, Think Scotland 16:00 Innovative thinking and practice in news design Nico Macdonald, Media Futures 16:45 Closing 17:00 SNDS General Assembly 19:00 Award Show and Gala Dinner

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Venue: Scandic Copenhagen Hotel Vester Søgade 6, 1601 Copenhagen V

See you in Copenhagen! The SNDS News Design Conference October 1–2, 2015 Copenhagen DK SNDS15 IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

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For secretariat use

SNDS15 Design Seminar 1.-2. October, 2015 REGISTRATION FORM

510

Fill in with block letters or type and return the form together with your payment to: “SNDS”, c/o DIS Congress Service, Herlev Ringvej 2 C, DK-2730 Herlev, Denmark Tel.: +45 4492 4492 - Fax: +45 4492 5050 Email: dis@discongress.com

PARTICIPANT

Family name:

First name(s):

Title/Profession: Company/Institution: Address: Postal code:

City:

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E-Mail:

No. of REGISTRATION FEES in Danish kroner (DKK) Pers. Only one participant per form

Member 795 Masterclass: Data visualizing for Beginners, 1st October Masterclass: Branding of Conseptual Content, 1st October Hotel (total nights) Scandic Copenhagen, DKK 1270/1370 Social Programme Welcome reception, 1st October Dinner and award show, 2nd October Dinner and award show only 160 Total amount

From 1st September

DKK

TOTAL DKK

5,925 1,825 1,825

Yes No Yes No DKK 1,200

Please note, all prices will be added Danish VAT of 25%.

Please turn over for information on payment and accommodation

PAYMENT

All payments must be made in Danish Kroner (DKK) and payable to SNDS, c/o DIS Congress Service. Registration or hotel reservation will be conﬁrmed when DIS Congress Service has received the payment. Payment must be remitted as follows: by banker’s draft or cheque drawn on Danske Bank, Holmens Kanal 2, 1090 Copenhagen K, Denmark by bank transfer to IBAN No. DK2530004180348689 - bank account No. 4180 4180-348689 (SNDS) Swift code: DABADKKK in Danske Bank, Frederiksberggade 1, DK- 1012 Copenhagen K, Denmark by credit card. By my signature I authorize DIS to charge my credit card. The total amount must be written on the front page in the box “Total amount ”. Dankort

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*The three (3) last digits printed on the back of your credit card. Cardholders name: Cardholders signature:

Remember to state Participant’s NAME and SNDS on all payments! HOTEL RESERVATION

Arrival date:__________ May - Departure date:____________ May Hotel

Single room

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Scandic Copen- DKK 1,270 per night DKK 1,370 per night hagen Prices include service charge and taxes. All rooms are with bath or shower. The deposit will be deducted from the ﬁnal hotel bill when paid by the participant at the hotel. Special wishes:

I herewith confirm by my signature below that I have read and am fully aware and accept the cancellation/payment conditions and the liability/insurance conditions stipulated in the announcements and on the conference website http://fusion14.snds.org/

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Remember to make a copy of this form for your own file

ISBN: 978-87-992510-5-6 · ISSN 1902-6293

Online and mobile categories – content produced and published in 2012

B e

Best of Scandinavian News Design 2013

S t o f S c a N D i N a v i a N N e w S D

e S i g N

Best of Scandinavian News Design 2013

2 0 1 3

Print categories – content produced and published in 2012

ISBN: 978-87-992510-5-6 · ISSN 1902-6293

2014

2013

2010

2009

Best2013-katalog-omslag.indd 1

02/09/13 08.22

2012

2011

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2007

Back issues of

 The Book

Best of Scandinavian News Design Is your collection incomplete? Did you miss out on one or more of the previous years’ catalogs showing all the winners in the SNDS Best of Scandinavian News Design competitions?

Don’t worry. Order your back issue today by sending an e-mail to the SNDS secretariat at: lone.jurgensen@jp.dk

Price € 15,- pr. book + shipping

 Each book is A4 format, 72–80 pages, full colour reproductions of all winning entries.  Earlier editions than the ones shown here may be available.  CD or DVD with photos of the winning pages is available for select years. SNDSMagazine 2015|3 21

The quality of printed and digital communication The catalogue showing all the winners in this year’s Best of Scandinavian News Design Competition will be presented at the Award Show & Gala Dinner at the SNDS15 Conference, Saturday 2 October. Competition Chairman Flemming Hvidtfeldt and chairman of the digital categories Kim Bjørn sum up the overall impression of the submitted works in the prefaces for the catalogue. Text by Flemming Hvidtfeldt fhvidtfeldt@yahoo.dk and Kim Bjørn kim@cre8o.com We often forget the quality of printed media in favour of digital media. During the past 1015 years, more and more focus has been given to the business of online news and publications. It has been correct to do so, nobody questions that. As a print medium, you cannot fight the development that is taking place in the world of news. Had we done so, we would have been long forgotten. Online news design has contributed greatly to the quality of print over the past ten years. Both in the way of presentation and in the way news is made available to everyone who owns a mobile phone, computer or tablet. The development of digital media, and the way to present news and stories is clearly shown in this year’s competition catalogue: It has two front pages – one for print, one for digital. The book tells a good story of innovation and creativity in the Scandinavian media houses. No doubt this trend will continue to the benefit of readers, viewers and media houses. DEDICATION AND HIGH QUALITY

One part of the book is dedicated to print design, which is

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also a good story. It’s a story of creativity and innovation in printed media at a time when diversity is growing and readers and subscribers become fewer and fewer. Although we have seen a decline in the number of entries in the competition this year, we did receive some 600 entries, proof of the constant and dedicated work performed within Scandinavia. The entries were of high quality too, and the judges had a hard time deciding which entries should be awarded. Printed news itself has managed to adapt to the changes in the readers’ preferences. Printed news is no longer hard news. It’s more about telling the story behind the hard news and telling about relationships in the community. This is reflected in the design of printed news. Stories are longer and better prepared than previously, and the printed news is aimed at people who like to study any given story in depth. In a way it is the very opposite to online news. Printed news does not “go away” or disappear from a screen. You are not distracted as you are when reading news online. You do not have an endless number of links in printed news. It’s right in front of you all the time. You decide to read, you can touch the paper, you can put it away and return to the story

whenever you want – which is one of the advantages of print over online news. SLOW NEWS

Print news is slow news and continuous reading. In a way, it’s like a book. It gives you comfort and eases your mind, while you, hopefully, get smarter. And if you fail to grasp a story immediately, you can return to it later. You can turn the pages and you can go back. In addition, design helps you decide what is important and what’s less important. That’s the main purpose of newspaper design. And that is what the judges found good examples of this year. Examples you’ll find in this part of the book – the quality of print. The two “front” pages of this year’s catalogue – one for print (top), one for digital categories. Below: Trophy for the Best of Show winners.

DIGITAL RECOGNITION

This year’s digital competition maintained a satisfactory level with 113 entries divided among a total of 9 categories. The jury has worked hard and in great detail to give each individual entry the attention and evaluation it deserves. Not only the jury deserves to be thanked for their good work – we would also like to thank all of you, who – proud of your own work – have submitted entries in the hope of winning or at least receiving recognition for your efforts. The very act of submitting an entry deserves recognition,

The digital jury calls this entry from VG, Norway a “radically new way of telling a long-format story” and gives it an award in the category Storytelling. Is it a Gold or a Silver? The result will be revealed at the Award Show in Copenhagen, 2 October 2015. Design by VG staff members Sondre Nilsen, Simen Grytøyr, Dan Kåre Engebretsen. Find the story at vg.no/spesial/2014/dodsdykket/

as it takes no effort to choose not to be part of the competition and not to contribute to collaboration and the sense of community in the workplace. We think that it is commendable, brave and inspiring that, as a journalist, photographer, designer, editor, developer or media company, you want to take part in moving the development of ideas and inspiration forward – no matter the amount of resources it takes. Things are moving forward – and heading in the right direction, too. STORIES AND PROJECTS

This year has seen a significantly high number of entries in the categories of Storytelling and Data projects as compared with the other categories. This shows us that many editorial offices put a lot of energy into setting priorities,

and that communication of news on digital platforms is finding a form, which is natural for the dynamic reality in which it exists. We have come a long way when words and pictures merge seamlessly in interactive longreads that feel natural on a laptop or mobile phone. The numerous projects using data visualisations to uncover and explain complex cases, have led to both smiles and frustrations among the members of the jury, as quantity does not always equal quality. We have also been presented with TV items, which attempt to use the media in new ways, and there seems to be a budding trend among TV editors towards finally starting to think outside the flow TV bubble, while at the same time creating new and interesting concepts. In addition, we have entered an era of somewhat

revolutionary redesigns of websites – evolution in bits and bytes. BALANCE AND COLLABORATION

This year, many entries have demonstrated a good balance between the criteria that the jury applied in their assessment: Visual design, Interactivity, Usability and structure, and Journalism/editing. Collaboration between journalists, designers and developers now seems to be far more natural – and in some instances even necessary in the editorial offices. At a time when competences move closer, it is tempting to think that some of us can do it all. Unfortunately, we have seen examples of this among the submitted entries too. But a lack of professional depth will not go unnoticed by the readers or the jury – and this

may mean that sites will take a long time to load, the text will be illegible, pictures irrelevant or articles superficial. Key competences are important, especially as the new wearable platforms become part of the readers’ everyday lives – as we live in a time when it is not difficult for the reader to find the news – but rather to find it reliable. When technical matters, form and content make up a uniform whole, we do not only create the basis for reliability, but also for quality communication and information. And this is precisely what we try to do in this competition. 

Flemming Hvidtfeldt is SNDS President and Competition Chairman. Kim Bjørn is Chairman of the digital committee.

SNDSMagazine 2015|3 23

News on the wrist – a look at some news apps for Apple Watch Will readers ever care reading news on their wearables - smartwatches, skin-screens or the like? There is only one way to find out. Put something out there. By Kim Bjørn kim@cre8o.com While many media companies are “trying to work out” how to put news on new mobile wearable devices such as Apple Watch, some are already doing it. They pave the way for those who hesitate. In the fast paced digital world where developers are the most sought-after resources, it can be difficult for development departments to get the time to dive in. But

there is only one way to know if consumers with wearables will want news on their wrists: Do it. Think it. Develop it. Put it out there. That’s where the real “trying to work out” begins. As with all digital development these days, the smartest development is done in small steps, so it’s easy and fast to change direction. So, instead of doing big projects that we don’t know the impact of (and which are always delayed for some reason), it makes sense to build

“minimum viable products” together WITH the users – not FOR the users. This way, instead of guessing, we get knowledge. As Senior Product Manager Andrew Phelps from NY Times has put it: “When these new devices come out [...] the way people use them changes in a way we can never predict. So I have to think that wearable technology will be another device in that category and it will become very common to be glancing at your wrist to get news.”

Time stamps below headlines is a nice and informative touch.

In the news lists you get the choice of seeing more stories in each topic – nice and user friendly.

Let’s look at some of the products out there that might pave the way for new thinking about bringing news and stories to wearables. 

Kim Bjørn is designer and partner in Cre8o, who developed the first Danish news app for Apple Watch for Ekstra Bladet. He is also head of the SNDS Digital Competition Committee. × www.cre8o.com

CNN, USA

CNN does overall a good job. Top story in glance view – obvious and right.

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By using the force touch menu, you even get the choice of customizing what kind of stories you want to see in the lists. Maybe a bit too many choices here.

Danish Ekstra Bladet launched the first Danish news app for Apple Watch with the help of Cre8o: “We have always focused on being present when our users embrace new technologies” as leading Digital Editor, Anders Refnov puts it.

EKSTRA BLADET, DENMARK

Disclaimer: Ekstra Bladet's app was designed by the author of this article. That said, we aimed for a simple glance view of the latest published article.

Simple layout in the articles and Force Touch menu to choose between sports, most read and latest news lists.

In News lists the color indicates which section you are in.

The Force Touch menu allows for easy access to other news sections.



SNDSMagazine 2015|3 25

NEW YORK TIMES, USA

NY Times greets you very politely.

Big headlines shout at the user, but are very readable. A little arrow points towards image below.

Image bylines is a nice touch. However, the user only gets a very limited overview of the news.

At the end of the list, you get a friendly message, that you’re all informed – a nice touch. A different and simple approach.

The lists are clear and readable – give a good overview of sections.

Inside the articles the headlines are big – too big. The brand color works though. The Force Touch menu allows for sharing or bookmarking the article.

The body text of the articles is a bit dark and way too big – annoying reading experience not suited for skimming.

However, you get to read on black background further down – better.

The stories can be saved for later by use of the Force Touch menu – but five is still too few in my opinion.

HUFFINGTON POST, USA

The Huffington Post app opens to a menu. It’s hard to guess the difference between Trending, Most Recent and Top News, so you have to touch again – annoying, but colorful.

THE GUARDIAN, GREAT BRITAIN

The Guardian clearly shows the top story in Glance View no nonsense here. However, in the app, you only get to see the headlines of the top five stories – not enough.

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Uncommon choice of white background for the first story, wise in terms of branding but readers' reactions will tell if it’s wise in terms of readability.

AFTONBLADET, SWEDEN

Aftonbladet makes excellent use of photos and a little arrow guides the user to read more. No ‘Glance View’ feature at the moment though - a bummer.

Aftonbladet uses ads in the middle of their overview of stories. It will be interesting to see if it works on this kind of personal device.

Aftonbladet has a clear overview but only provides us with the most read news – I want more.

Relying on the Handoff feature between iOS devices could be an easy solution for a less interrupted reading experience.

The newslists uses DNs font wich in this case does not give the best readability. Swiping horisontally between lists is easy and comfortable.

Headlines in custom font – not a wise choice considering legibility. Apple’s standard font would be the obvious choice.

A strange difference in weight and size between intro and body text – but full articles and via the Force Touch menu the possibility to read on the iPhone – if you are logged in.

DAGENS NYHETER, SWEDEN

Dagens Nyheter gives a good overview and allows you to swipe between Latest News, Sports, Economy, Stockholm and Culture, each with ten stories.

BUZZFEED, USA

Buzzfeed wants to engage me with polls - but do I care to answer?

ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH

Well, it didn’t take long - but I would prefer their buzzing feed instead.

× The Apple Watch has 75% of the smart watch market. × Apps on the Apple Watch are installed through the iPhone. Users can configure how and where apps appear on the Home Screen and in Glance View. × If an iPhone app has a Watch “companion app” it is visible in the app store. Most watch apps have a simplified user experience or add functionality to the iPhone app. × Version 2.0 of Watch iOS is on its way. A new “Native mode” will allow apps to run without being dependent on the iPhone – and run with better performance and stability. Developers will get access to using the Taptic Engine, the Digital Crown, the Accelerometer, Heart Rate Sensor, Speaker and Microphone in apps. Apple Watch: × www.apple.com/watch Apple Watch Human Interface Guidelines: × apple.co/1Oai6Jd

SNDSMagazine 2015|3 27

Modern politics in the shape of a chronicle from the Middle Ages – in a true multimedia production including the use of words, illustrations, photography and soundbites. Screendump from www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/historier/valgkampen/

News design: From classic writer to multimedia storyteller The clasic craft may be dying, and maybe the days are over when a journalist thinks and writes his story in words. The new term is “thinking in words, visuals and soundbites”.

Text by Maj Ribergård maj@ribmunk.dk Graphic designer Ole Munk is teaching “News Design” at DMJX, the Danish School of Media and Journalism. In his class are students from both journalism and media departments. Many have already been trainees in editorial departments with daily tasks of producing content for print, television, radio and the web – sometimes simultaneously. On a special occasion, Ole Munk invited journalist Morten Mikkelsen from Kristeligt Dagblad (the Christian Daily) to talk about his ‘travel’ from being a classic journalist to becoming a multimedia storyteller. IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS

“I am actually very much a man of words. I was educated with words. 30 years ago, when I rode into Aarhus on my bicycle to study at the School of Journalism, carrying my little

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old typewriter in my backpack, we worked with nothing but words on paper. No computers, no internet. No subject called ‘News Design’. There was one special room at the school with computers, but we were not allowed in there unless there was a teacher to hold our hands. Investments were made in Apple computers but they were left on pallets in the hallway – nobody knew how to install or use them. Years passed before we started using them. Some years later when I got my first job as a professional journalist, we still wrote our copy – 400 lines would fit nicely on a newspaper page – and only afterwards we might start thinking about how to illustrate the article. Either we would write a note to a photographer or we would send the text to an illustrator or artist. Occasionally when feelings ran high, we would use a quote to empasize a point.

A lot has happened since then. But from the time when I was hired at Kristeligt Dagblad in 1998, a few more years passed until we began thinking about the visuals from the upstart of the assignment.” This is how Morten Mikkelsen describes the early years of his career. Today, he is part of the Domestic News department at Kristeligt Dagblad (KD). He covers educational topics as well as culture and general education. THE MAESTRO IS ALIVE

“The part about general education includes stories from schools, universities etc., but also education in a wider sense – where we look at trends in time, the development of the society, all the things that contribute to forming us as human beings. What I write about is sometimes very abstract and illustrating it can be a challenge. At KD we had an introduc-

tory course to the Maestro concept and we often use this work method. The Maestro concept is all about planning your story together with the other people involved. We will meet with the photographer, the page designer, and the sub-editor in order to discuss and decide what we really want to present on this particular page – in terms of both words and visuals.” Morten highlights an example of this approach and how it has affected his workflow and the way to look at the news: “In Denmark, the recent public school reform has been discussed in all media, also in KD. Now it seems as though there are some who have gotten cold feet. And it has been discussed whether the outcome of the reform is that children now have to spend too many hours at school. I talked to politicians and experts who all had divergent views on the matter. I decided

Morten Mikkelsen presenting a pie chart visualization of a complex problem mto students at DMJX. The synergistic effect of combining words and visuals strenghtens the communicative benefits of the page. Photo by Maj Ribergård.

to try to find out exactly how the typical schoolday had been expanded. What goes on in the classrooms? EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE

Art Director Ole Munk and I did some research and created a visual presentation – a plain pie chart – which clearly shows that we simply don’t know the actual content of a surprisingly large percentage of time spent in schools (4,470 hours in the course of 10 years). The pie chart and its prominent placement on the page visualizes our approach to the story and the headline supports that. It was eye-opening to me how clear the journalistic angle became. The rest of the article is divided into short interviews with experts and specialists. All in all I think this is a visually very well-functioning article.” Ole Munk joins in: “This presentation also provides Morten with the oppor-

tunity to ’write up to’ the illustration. It feels safe to assume that the reader sees the pie chart and will “commute” back and forth between images and words, a bit like watching TV. On the way, a synergistic effect will appear where the communicative benefits will be higher than the sum of the separate parts.” THINK DIFFERENT

For the newspaper’s website – k.dk – Morten Mikkelsen works with visuals in an entirely different way. Work here takes place in a multimedia universe with all the possibilities this includes – e.g. sound and video. Morten Mikkelsen gives an example: “Inspired by VG in Norway and their way of presenting stories about the election, we created an introduction to the Danish election in the spring: Danish politics presented as a satiric chronicle from the Middle Ages.

We used the TV series ‘Game of Thrones’ as our template for the story which includes highlights from six years of Danish politics. But our intention was that it should also be possible to read and understand the chronicle even if you did not know ‘Game of Thrones’. “ The political parties are presented as royal houses, each with a crest of their own. The story begins in 2009 when ‘The Old King’, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, decides to retire and hands over the throne to ‘Lars The Daring’ or ‘Lars The Depraved’. This story demanded a lot of reseach, and illustrator Morten Voigt and I began working in early spring when election rumours first started appearing. We were ready to launch the chronicle online on the day the election was declared. It received massive attention – or ‘Play’ as they call it today.” 

KRISTELIGT DAGBLAD

Kristeligt Dagblad writes about faith, ethics and existence. The newspaper is based on a Christian foundation, but according to the editors it is a ‘newspaper for all Danes, about life’s big questions’. The newspaper is known for its thorough research and a serious provocative journalism. Kristeligt Dagblad is one of the few Danish newspapers with a growing circulation. Kristeligt Dagblad’s website × www.k.dk The election chronicle × www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/ historier/valgkampen/

Maj Ribergaard is a design and communication consultant, graphic designer, and illustrator, owner of Ribergård & Munk Graphic Design Studio, Espergærde since 1990. × www.ribmunk.dk

SNDSMagazine 2015|3 29

PHOTO BY LARS PRYDS

Your only choice is to be outstanding Going solo? Starting your own company? Buy this book. It will help you understand and succeed. Text by Lars Pryds lars@pryds.com In a time when more and more regular jobs in the media business disappear, staff is laid off and a growing number of tasks are carried out on a freelance basis, it is tempting – and for some maybe the only way out – to start up your own one-man or one-woman business. Work for Money, Design for Love is a book about exactly that – about how to take the big step from secure employment in a big (or small) company to being your own company of one. DAMN GOOD ADVICE

David Airey is a self-employed graphic designer from Northern Ireland and writes three of the most popular graphic design blogs on the internet. In the book he shares his personal experiences and gives the advice he would have wanted to read when he started out – “teachings that would’ve put me years ahead of where I am now” as he says. Airey’s advice – intertwined with a lot of excellent stories from other designers to illustrate his points – covers

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rather practical issues such as designing your brand identity, setting up your own website, managing projects, how to market yourself (even for free) to get noticed by possible future clients, how to present your work, and how to price your work. He also gives the advice that you should prepare yourself to entering a completely new state of mind when you’re suddenly the manager of your own company. One thing you need to have is confidence – which means believing in yourself: “If you don’t believe that what you have to offer is of any value, well, no one’s going to pay for it”. You will also need to accept that you’re in charge of every single step in the process – from finding the clients, landing a contract, delivering the design and the product, to invoicing and following up on clients for new jobs in the future. You’re not ‘only’ a graphic designer anymore, you’re a ‘business’ – and this thought might take a little time to settle in your mind. Also, you must be prepared to take all the credit for great work as well as bad: “…in a company of one, there

David Airey (2013): Work for Money, Design for Love New Riders Paperback, 21.5×14 cm 280 pages, 19 b/w illustrations ISBN 978-0-321-84427-9 List price: $34.99 E-book: $27.99 www.newriders.com

are no coworkers to shield poor performance. Your only choice is to be outstanding. You are completely in control of quality control.”

weighs the pros and cons of working alone as opposed to working in a larger company, and although there are downsides to being small, his decision to becoming self-employed was “the best business decision [he] ever made”. The strength of this book is the way he convinces us that we can do the same – even though it means hard work, little sleep, and constant focus on keeping the balance between work and all the other things you need to do with your friends and loved ones to stay a healthy, whole person. So, in a few words: If you’re thinking about going solo, or have just taken the big leap – buy this book. It’ll give you confidence – and a lot of good advice. Probably, it can help your one-person company become a success. 

THE PROS AND CONS

A chapter entitled “Choose Clients Wisely” is both important and entertaining. It gives examples of signs – “Red flags” – to look for to avoid engaging with clients that will be a pain in the behind and actually make you lose money. Throughout the book Airey

The book’s website: × workformoneydesignforlove. com David Airey’s graphic design blogs: × logodesignlove.com × davidairey.com × identitydesigned.com

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SNDSMagazine 2015|3 in my honest opinion

The importance of international cooperation Flemming Hvidtfeldt fhvidtfeldt@yahoo.dk In only a few weeks the Scandinavian conference for news design, SNDS15, will take off. A year ago we at the same time had the SND conference in Germany and the SNDS conference in Copenhagen. It wasn’t the best combination. In my opinion neither SNDS nor SND gained anything form the clash. On the contrary. The number of participants both in Germany and in Copenhagen was average. It was a pity. But luckily time has changed. SND held the SND conference in April this year, in Washington DC. With a great program and with more than 500 participants – the highest number in many years. It truly was a success. I do not imagine that the number of participants in the SNDS conference will have as high a number as the SND conference. But the great interest in the SND conference in April might tell the story of growing interest in design. I hope we will see a rise in the number of participants in Copenhagen in three weeks. Not for the benefit of SNDS but for the benefit of the participants and the media houses they work for. PH OT OB Y LA The program is inspiring and on RS A A R Ø top of that there are two masterclasses to consider. You’ll find the program in this copy of the magazine. And a registration form as well if you haven’t already signed up for the conference. The decision to move the SND conference from autumn to spring was made right after the conference in Germany. In my opinion it was a good decision. The number of participants in the conference in Washington almost skyrocketed and the SNDS conference, which will be in autumn for the coming years, will gain from it. And everyone who wants to participate in both the SND and the SNDS conference have the possibility now.

The decision of moving the SND conference was made after several talks between the SND board and the SNDS board. And the discussion on the subject has – as I see it – paved the way for a better and more fruitful cooperation between SNDS and SND. We will all benefit from that. Cooperation between the two is a condition if we both want to prosper in the years to come. Furthermore efforts are made to make the SND more international than ever. The SND board has decided to reach out to Africa, Latin America, South America as well as Southeast Asia to make the organization truly international. We will all benefit from that move because it will broaden our perspective on news design all over the world. And it will – I hope – give more inspiration to us all. The work has just started. And there’s a long way before we will see results. But by learning from each other in the news business we will only be stronger and better. For the benefit of our readers, viewers and users. The decision to broaden the view in SND is a result of cooperation between SND and SNDS. It began a year ago, when we had two conferences to choose from. One in Copenhagen and one in Germany. We didn’t agree at that time. But the clash of conferences has started a dialogue which I hope will make both SND and SNDS even more interesting for people in the news business. 

Flemming Hvidtfeldt is SNDS President and chairman of the committee for the Best of Scandinavian News Design competition. He is a freelance journalist.