Adonis Durado on how SND awards lifted the confidence and enthusiasm

It was an excellent performance by Times of Oman in the last  edition of the SND's best of newspaper design competition.They expected three or four awards.But came out in flying colors by bagging 36 awards and placed second in the overall medal hunt.

How it as lifted the confidence and enthusiasm of the Times of Oman design team?

Design Editor Adonis Durado shares the experience with www.newspaperdesign.ning.com for SND 19

There are a lot of positive effects, but the major ones are as follow:
First, my staff felt vindicated internally. When you tried to do something bold and push boundaries, it's obvious that you will meet resistance among your colleagues. There were times that you have to make your case or fight for that idea. The awards then served as an affirmation that you had fought the battle rightfully and victoriously. Because of this, my staff have gained more respect from our peers.

Second, my team gets more energized and inspired. The awards have boosted their morale. And I noticed that my staff have outshone their works this year than last year. Their pages look more refined and more exciting because they explored different ways of visualization. In other words, the awards work like vitamin to their creative spirits.

Third, our newspapers have fulfilled its dream to be known around the world. I'm sure a lot of folks in the newspaper community do not know where Oman is. By winning the awards, Times of Oman and Al Shabiba have put our brands – and the country – in the spotlight. We have accomplished a feat that small and relatively unknown newspapers like us can indeed dream big and be recognized as one of the best in the news design industry.

Success story of Times of Oman

Meet the man behind the SND32 cover