The Scandinavian chapter of the Society for News Design (SND) is showing off some nifty concepts in one of Europe’s most glamorous cities — Copenhagen.
The Danish capital for the better part of two days became a magnet for talented art directors, designers and visual journalists from the region. Keep in mind that Copenhagen hosts the multiple award winning Politiken newspaper.
The event — Fusion 2014 — started on October 9 with Masterclass; Made for Mobile led by Theresa Neil, from Austin, Texas, and The Newsmagazine 2020, led by creative director Rickard Frank, from Dagens Nyheter. Design editor Soren Nyeland from Politiken and Michael Renaud of Pitchfork shared insights on how to be prepared for the print/digital future.
The second day covered all aspects of design and creativity across all platforms — mobile, online and print. William Owen, founding partner and strategy director of Made by Many, explained the possibilities of shifting from print and broadcast to digital news.
Owen cited the case of ITV’s on-demand TV with its programmes and channels specific for mobile devices. He had led the strategy and introduced tools to facilitate the daily content for multiple channels.
Kat Downs, graphics director at The Washington Post, showcased recent works by her team and explained it is important to start analysing the story and thereafter figure out what readers are looking for via a small screen, mobile or desktop.
For a second year in a row, Dagens Nyheter was awarded the title of Scandinavia’s best-designed newspaper. It is clear that many media houses are moving resources from print to digital. The development is reflected in the more standardised solutions on offer than ever before.
But Scandinavian simplicity comes through clearly in the most parts, according to Flemming Hvidtfeldt, chairman of the committee overseeing entries in the print media. A total of 76 media companies submitted 725 entries.
