Dubai.– Two important publishing houses from the Middle East were
selected in the 29th Annual Creative Design Contest from Society for Newspaper,
'Gulf News' and the new tabloid 'Business 24 7' both based in Dubai.Gulf News, already a veteran in this competition for 3
consecutive years, won 8 awards of excellence this year.
Arab Media Group's new
tabloid Business 24 7 won one award. The winners came from 14,818
entries submitted by 373 daily and non-daily newspapers around the world.
The top winner in all 19 categories was the Los Angeles Times and its
magazine, with 109 awards. Of the 193 newspapers from 33 countries that earned
awards, the United States led with 707 awards, followed by 92 for Canada, 65 for
Mexico, 43 for Turkey, 42 for Spain, 23 each for Argentina and El Salvador, 21
each for Germany, Brazil and Sweden, 20 for Denmark, 18 for England, and 14 for
Portugal.
Other award winners included newspapers from Australia, China,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway,
Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United
Arab Emirates.
'I will be very happy when an Arabic language newspaper
will be selected in this competition. Many newspapers like Al Ghad, Emarat Al
Youm and Al Balad are doing well, they should also participate in this event,'
says Douglas Okasaki, Society for News Design Regional Director for Middle East
and Africa.
The 14,818 entries were up from last year's 13,862, but less
than the high of 15,020 entries in 2005. Judges honored 1,166 winners, fewer
than the 1,748 in 2007, and more than the 1,135 in 2006 and 1,082 in 2005.
For the first time in the competition a judge from Middle East,
Ramachandra Babu, illustrator from Gulf News, participated in judging and
selecting the best pages. 'It was a great experience to see and judge the
newspapers all around the globe. And it was an honour to work for Society for
news design,' says Babu.
The competition also selects the world's best
designed newspaper. Entire newspapers from the cover to the last page with best
design are selected, and this year's 'World's Best-Designed Newspapers' are:
• Akzia in Moscow, bi-weekly, circulation 200,000
• Expresso in
Paco de Arcos, Portugal, weekly, circulation 140,000
• Frankfurter
Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in Frankfurt, Germany, weekly, circulation 320,000
• The Guardian in London, daily, circulation 355,750.
Written by: Duane, 3 Mar 2008 7:23 AM
From: United Kingdom
I've never seen a well designed newspaper. Ever. They don't exist.
Anything that claims to supply news and contains commercial advertising are trash anyway.
So that, in effect, discards 99.9% of newspapers.
The papers are cheap. The typography insane. The format terrible.
Compared with a well designed book, all newspapers look like garbage.
From: United States
Perhaps, but books do not have to be published daily, with the latest news, and under very strict time constraints. It is disingenuous to compare the two very different media.
Written by: Duane, 10 Mar 2008 12:05 PM
From: United Kingdom
Don't really agree with that. They are both printed media - good layout has very little to do with time.
More to do with formula and rules. Or maybe they could spend less time on placing in the adverts and laying out the design.
Anyway, still doesn't explain why they hand out awards for it. Crap is crap. Its like giving out awards for the most creative horse shit you can find. Pointless really.
From: United States
Dude, if you can't understand the diference between newspapers and books, you really can't be expected to understand this issue at all. And if you can't grasp how time might be a factor in layout, you probably wouldn't get the the various other factors involved either. You obviously have some difficulties with reading. It's nothing to be ashamed of.
Written by: Duane, 11 Mar 2008 7:35 AM
From: United Kingdom
Considering I've worked in both industries, In Newsprint and Art Direction / Graphic Design, I can speak first hand about them. I hold a degree in Graphic Design and a further specialism in Typography. I was taught and have worked with some of the UKs leading graphic designers.
I've worked for companies such as British Airways, The BBC and Nestle to name just a few.
I left Newsprint as it was uncreative and dull. The creativity comes in the journalistic aspect, not the papers design. You are so wrong about time - some papers have been going 150 years in this country. They have had ample time to improve design. How much do they need? Your thinking newsprint is rushed - it is from a journalistic sense. However designs remain the same - working to templates.
I have no problems with reading - I didn't use the word 'Dude'. What's next a 'Buddy' or a 'Jerk'?
You know there is really only one form of English - International.
American English is just bad English.
Written by: Duane, 11 Mar 2008 7:38 AM
From: United Kingdom
You say I have difficulties reading - I can read most of your text, however your word 'Diference' doesn't appear in my Oxford English dictionary. Could it be that you mean 'Difference'?
From: United States
When all else fails search for the typos. Nice work Duane.
Written by: Duane, 11 Mar 2008 8:36 AM
From: United Kingdom
Get it right then Numb Nuts. You're obviously amazingly smart.
From: United States
So I've been told, Duaney. And I'm sure you've been told countless times that you are amazingly stupid. There, now we have no more secrets.
Written by: Amazed, 21 Jan 2009 11:43 AM
From: United States
Just catching these remarks reminds me how much arrogance some people have. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to catch not only the typos, but the grammos in reading through the entries, but if one is throwing stones, one should not reside in a glass house. Unfortunately, for the graphics expert, it seems, amazingly, he/she has failed to admit that the most creative designers/communicators sometimes are in the newspaper business because they are tasked with taking the media and communicating, in a news hole, a message in a way that is graphically appealing--sometimes in a short amount of time. That takes skill and is worthy of awards--inasmuch as anything is. Comparing newspaper page layout to book design is apples and oranges--like saying a winning quarterback of a football team doesn't deserve an award because he doesn't swing a bat--or throw punches like Muhammed Ali. A good designer reaches his goal of communicating and if that means by designing a newspaper page, so be it.
Written by: Duane, 21 Jan 2009 11:53 AM
From: United Kingdom
Yes. Yes. Advertising should win awards too. Oh it does? Well thats the state of the world we live in.
Written by: Amazed, 21 Jan 2009 11:55 AM
From: United States
So you have a problem with awards in general? Or just newspaper and advertising awards when design is involved?
Written by: Amazed, 21 Jan 2009 11:59 AM
From: United States
As the editor of more than 100 year old weekly newspaper which has just gone bi-weekly, I am challenged by the "design" involved in our evolution, ironically, which led me to this article. I am in the position of advocating that our bi-weekly need not to look like a daily, and not even a weekly newspaper, but must be more design intensive than ever, paying particular attention to fonts and overall graphic appeal. According to your argument above, it's trash, really and shouldn't matter--graphically, since some of those pages will have ads, cluttering them up (and paying the bills) especially in this economy. Duane, I don't suppose you got one of those nice little digitized handheld gizmos which can hold several books--for the holidays?
Written by: Duane, 21 Jan 2009 11:59 AM
From: United Kingdom
Yes, advertising is absolute masturbation. Its fun for those doing it, but pretty much a waste of time for others. The DR curriculum tends to get Graphic Design / Art Direction confused with Advertising. It takes an American slant towards the industry rather than European.
Written by: Amazed, 21 Jan 2009 12:18 PM
From: United States
I understand frustration with advertising cluttering the pages, but it does pay bills. I guess the entire system of news delivery would change if there was no advertising involved and then designers who focus strictly on ad design would also be out of jobs--and there would be that entire spiral. Just part of living in capitalistic societies that are also news driven--and still somewhat (hopefully) receptive to newspapers, although I have to agree with gnashing of teeth over the quality of paper newspaper are printed on. It gets worse all the time. But, after all, it's recycled stuff, and they are "throw aways." Unfortunately, however, in order to engage readers, even for a short amount of time, our excellent storytelling skills and even photojournailsm skills don't seem to be compelling enough and so we resort to the same thing you seemingly have mastered, the interplay of columns, text, fonts, white space and more to create a page and the parts of the page that pulls readers in (hopef
Written by: Duane, 21 Jan 2009 12:25 PM
From: United Kingdom
Yes - ads are trash. If you can't sell your news without crappy ads, then your problem is the media not your typography and layout. The first weapon used by advertisers is always - Economics. A bad excuse so try another. Sounds like you're selling a half dead donkey rather than an Arab Stallion. The '100' years should tell you that. The reason I won't buy papers is because 85% of the paper is intent on selling me junk I don't need or want. Every decent form of communication man has strived to achieve is sooner or later ruined by some arse pretending to be creative and filling the media with ads. Newspapers, Radio, Television, Printing Press, Postal Service, Telephone, all destroyed by so called 'creatives'. Its not clever, its shitty. I don't want to hear ads for hemorrhoids as I'm listening to the Radio, I don't want to see fat kids eating KFC whilst I'm watching a film. As my Gran would say, "you can polish shit all day long, but at the end of the day, you're still left with shit"
Written by: Duane, 21 Jan 2009 12:53 PM
From: United Kingdom
I did talks on this subject whilst in SD - Losing jobs is the opposite of reality. When advertising disappears more jobs will be created, obviously not in advertising, but in many other sectors. Example: Burgers. We have 2 large companies that can afford ads everywhere. Do they put this cash to greater good? No, they care little of 'moral good' as they are big this does not concern them, it doesn't need to. They 'create' adverts to disguise negativity.
Written by: Duane, 21 Jan 2009 12:53 PM
From: United Kingdom
Now at the same time, 100 small companies would like to contend with the bigger ones but cannot afford the advertising, as they are eager to compete there would be a natural urge to advance and improve. With ads we are stagnant as competition is stifled. When ads are banned, the playing field becomes even and service, prices, products will all improve simply because if they don't companies will fail and die, making way for better ones. They will not be able to hide behind ads of clowns, puppets, toys, 3D characters and the rest of the junk that comes with it all. Many more smaller companies will exist, meaning more jobs. Today, this is the reason why the vast majority of us all eat eyeball burgers rather than fillet steaks.
You can apply this thought to all industries.
Written by: Amazed, 22 Jan 2009 12:36 AM
From: United States
Interesting. However, your information is entirely too incomplete to assume since we've been around more than 100 years there is no need for our news. We serve a focused, special interest community and so our clients generally happily receive our news (if we can package it attractively enough) and our ads are also focused towards this specific special interest group. They (ads) are not general, nor are they arbitrary. Unlike in other pubs, they are credible, accurate and typically useful. You seem very sure of yourself--and very certain that your way is the only correct way. Tad too narrow for my way of thinking. Full speed ahead without asking questions, perhaps. I think I'll move on to other sources.
Written by: Duane, 22 Jan 2009 9:32 AM
From: United Kingdom
Yes - it does seem narrow minded. I admit that. However, its hard to cram a whole paper & theory into 1000 characters though. I just gave you the essence.
Written by: Amazed, 25 Jan 2009 11:04 AM
From: United States
That's the essence of life though, isn't it? We try and apply simplistic solutions to entirely complex problems. Like we can fix newspaper design with a paper and theory about the woes of capitalism and advertising. Kind of like America thinking a Democratic Congress and President will fix the entire world's woes--by getting itself deeper into debt and ignoring the fact we can't fix everything and especially when people hate us so very much for what we do accomplish justly. After all, In America, who ever heard of 30 day vacations, an emphasis on family time and relaxation and just taking a train ride through the countryside for fun--like others promote. We work, work more and pay taxes. The more we work, the more we pay--to take care of the world all while we snipe at each other and slap silly smiles on our faces to PROVE how tolerant we are of each other at the same time. Sir Walter Scott said it well, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when we first practice to deceive." Complicated
Written by: Duane, 26 Jan 2009 10:04 AM
From: United Kingdom
Thats interesting - but generally I would say the opposite was true. We take simple things and try insanely to make them more complicated. Scott was right though, when we try to deceive is when things get complicated.
Newspapers tell the news (or supposed to)
So we buy paper - easy.
These days newspapers sell news and a lot of other crap too.
So we tend not to buy them and find our news from other sources. Do they change? No they like the revenue it produces. They would rather find ways to change our thinking and create re-designs all the time. Bla bla bla - its already getting complicated.
Smaller
Bigger
Close Gallery
Facebook
Digg this
del.icio.us
Technorati
Yahoo
Anything that claims to supply news and contains commercial advertising are trash anyway.
So that, in effect, discards 99.9% of newspapers.
The papers are cheap. The typography insane. The format terrible.
Compared with a well designed book, all newspapers look like garbage.
More to do with formula and rules. Or maybe they could spend less time on placing in the adverts and laying out the design.
Anyway, still doesn't explain why they hand out awards for it. Crap is crap. Its like giving out awards for the most creative horse shit you can find. Pointless really.
I've worked for companies such as British Airways, The BBC and Nestle to name just a few.
I left Newsprint as it was uncreative and dull. The creativity comes in the journalistic aspect, not the papers design. You are so wrong about time - some papers have been going 150 years in this country. They have had ample time to improve design. How much do they need? Your thinking newsprint is rushed - it is from a journalistic sense. However designs remain the same - working to templates.
I have no problems with reading - I didn't use the word 'Dude'. What's next a 'Buddy' or a 'Jerk'?
You know there is really only one form of English - International.
American English is just bad English.
You can apply this thought to all industries.
Newspapers tell the news (or supposed to)
So we buy paper - easy.
These days newspapers sell news and a lot of other crap too.
So we tend not to buy them and find our news from other sources. Do they change? No they like the revenue it produces. They would rather find ways to change our thinking and create re-designs all the time. Bla bla bla - its already getting complicated.