By Mario R. García
If you love printed newspapers, get inspired by seductive example of pages designed by the best in the business, and would like to bask in the glory of everything print, there is a new book for you.

It’s a new book about newspaper design in the market as of June 28.

This time one of the authors is the revered Spanish designer, Javier Errea, in collaboration with Gestalten, the German publisher.

As I would like to do justice to the extensive catalog of examples and profiles here, I have decided to break this “review” of Newspaper Design into two parts. Today, I am presenting the case studies of the 10 newspapers profiled in depth throughout the book. Thursday, I will deal with the profiles of five designers.

(Disclaimer: I am honored that Javier opted to profile me as one of five designers whose work is reviewed in the book. The others are my colleagues: Lucie Lacava, Antoni Cases, Mark Potter, and Errea himself.)

Many will find it both ironic and satisfying to have a book published in 2018 that is a love letter to printed newspapers and how they are designed. And, in fact, the word  love even appears in such headlines as “Love Affair with Typography”(referring to France’s Liberation).

In between, page after page of well designed pages is what Newspaper Design is all about.  For those of us who start a project getting inspiration from the work around us, this book will be a gift from the print design gods.  It’s a parade of the best of show and a constant reminder of the creativity that pours forth daily via the pages of newspapers.

How true it is that daily newspaper design is perhaps the best example of continued creativity under pressure. Perhaps few fields present their practitioners with the challenges, rigors and deadlines that designers in newspapers face so that readers will find a copy of their newspaper at their doorstep each morning.  Glancing thru Newspaper Design is a powerful reminder of this, and we thank Errea and his team for curating such rich material.  It is true that I had seen so many of these pages as they appeared, some which I have profiled in my blog. However, it is a delight to have this catalog that groups them together to give them their proper and well deserved historical hall of fame moment.

I think Newspaper Design is also a catalog of “wows”. I found myself wowing thru most of the book, both with the new and the familiar. I confess that also felt a bit of joy and pride for being part of those who have devoted so much of our time and effort to designing newspaper pages. So, yes, Newspaper Design is also inspirational and what designer does not need a bit of inspiration (as it is so well defined in one of the essays that are sprinkled through this book : A Full Stop is Everything. Or Why Designers Must Sometimes Take a Half-Step Back to Take two Forward).

The authors don’t hide their faith in and adoration for print, starting with the introduction:

“Today, the digital shift continues to shake up the news industry, forcing both journalists and designers to question their methodologies to date. But, despite this shift, newspapers are still in play, with even the most local technocrats acknowledging that print is here to stay.”

Nice. I think it may stay longer in some quarters rather than others. And, for sure, I maintain that print editions Monday through Friday will go the way of the fax machine, but robust weekend editions are here to stay.

So, Javier, your book should serve as an inspiration to all those planning the weekend editions of the future for print.

Case studies

This book focuses on case studies of 10 of the best designed newspapers in the globe. These are, indeed, the type of newspapers whose design always lures us when we are looking for inspiration, or, in my case, examples to show students and those attending our seminars.

The authors have managed to create a template for each of the case studies, which consist of an overall look at the role of design in the newspaper, then the editorial flow of content, any print only specials, the role of digital, and, in some cases, specific topics such as historic redesigns or the emphasis on type, photo or infographics.

1. The New York Times (USA)

Newspaper Design: “Today, the New York Times is a veritable factory of innovation where new ways of telling stories are continually developed and tested.”

This is one of my favorite case studies in the book, perhaps because I live in New York and I am a daily consumer of a lot of what the Times produces, which is why I am happy to see that the authors have amplified beyond the printed edition to include references to the terrific work the Times does with digital storytelling, starting with the now iconic, Snowfall.

2. Liberation (France)

Newspaper Design: “….of all the world’s newspapers, Liberation is possibly the one that gives the greatest amount of coverage to culture and lifestyle trends: at least 20% of all stories on the front page are cultural, and its criticism of music, film, and books is among the most respected in Europe.”

The iconic French daily, and once a darling of the left, with its distinctive diamond shape logo, a unique brand that is as much a protagonist on the front page as the lead story.  We at Garcia Media were honored to work with the team of Liberation, a point that Errea makes in this case study.

Libé excels in typography, photography, informational graphics, but, most significantly, in the visual surprise department, as the examples in this case study show us.

3. Jornal I (Portugal)

Newspaper Design: “What is truly remarkable about i is seeing how excellent journalistic content can be created when two crucial conditions are fulfilled: the editorial and graphic teams are aligned; and all the editors in the newsroom have a visual mindset, coupled with an awareness that how news is presented is just as important as the news itself.”

If newspaper design could be stored in candy jars, this newspaper with the one letter logo, i,  would be a combination of mints, licorice and a Reese’s peanut butter cup.  It is always innovative, surprising and colorful, but not just in its look, but also the way headlines are written, and the stories chosen to appear on Page One.

4. El Mundo (Spain)

Newspaper Design:“Opinion is one of El Mundo’s signature elements and is an original contribution to Spanish journalism.”

El Mundo is Spain’s second most circulated daily and it excels in infographics, but also for its showcase weekly magazine, Metropoli, a point of visual reference for anyone looking for weekly wow moments.

5. Dagens Nyheter (Sweden)

Newspaper Design: “From the point of view of content, Dagens NYheter decided to target a younger, more urban audience. The business section was merged with the main news section, and a new local news section was added, giving the newspaper a three-section structure: News, Stockholm & Sports, and Culture.

This is another daily that we at Garcia Media collaborated with in one of its redesigns.  Like many Scandinavian newspapers, Dagens Nyheter is no stranger to experimentation, excellent use of typography, and visual surprises everywhere, especially in its supplements.

6. Die Welt (Germany)

Newspaper Design: “As early as 2012, WELT began to pursue a digital first approach and installed its online platform as the main hub for news production. Most articles are published online first and are later adapted for various print outlets.”

I like the way Die Welt manages to combine a sense of Germanic order, but at the same time surprise on Page One with its visual (many times there is only one on the front page).  Take a look at the precision of the grid, and how type is used, often against a backdrop of white space.

7. National Post (Canada)

Newspaper Design: “Today, like a chameleon the National Post’s logo can change colors according to the tone of the news of the day, becoming, for example, black or red.”

 Oh, the National Post.  I believe that it has got to have the title of the most award winning newspaper for best design in the globe.  Its yellow logo on its side makes the front page stand out.  Here is a broadsheet that is treated as if it was a compact sometimes, or a magazine cover, or a huge movie screen. “Fun”, as its long time creative director, Gayle Grin, would say.

8. The Guardian (UK)

Newspaper Design: “The Guardian is synonymous with great visual journalism.”

Talk about transformations, as from regional to global player, from a lower case g to the more respectful capital G. Through it all, great journalism, early experimentation with digital storytelling, and an ability to survive that is often the topic of media articles.  Everyone cheers for The Guardian. Me too.

9. La Repubblica (Italy)

Newspaper Design:“For La Republic, innovation is a wonderful, natural consequence, because it is in our DNA.”

This is probably the current darling of designers everywhere.  Here is a newspaper design with clever and systematic use of grids, typography and color (not too much), reminding us what can be done with black and white pages, innovative approaches to presenting numbers, and the occasional surprise with type that is a bit retro, but, oh, always so fresh.

10. La Nación (Argentina)

Newspaper Design: “To speak about innovation in 2018 means talking about La Nacion.”

I am a fan of this one, the traditional newspaper of the Argentine elite, but now quite popular with millennials who find it, to use Errea’s own word “chic”.  La Nacion is without doubt, and next to Spain’s El Pais, among the best written and edited Spanish language newspapers in the globe. It is also experimental (tabloid format Monday thru Friday, broadsheet for Sunday).

Getting the book

Newspaper Design :Editorial Design from the World’s Best Newsrooms

Editors: Gestalten & Javier Errea

Format: 24.5 x 33 cm, 9-3 / 4 x 13 inches

Features: Full color, hardcover, stitch bound, 288 pages

Price: € 49.90 (D) / £ 50 / $ 69

ISBN: 978-3-89955-536-3

European Release: June 28, 2018 

International Release: July 31, 2018