An evolving design ethic that is never static

By now it is quite clear that online and platform such as tablets and mobiles are already make part of the grand design plans at publications. It was also the theme that speakers at the recent Society for News Design’s International Congress in Frankfurt went back to again and again.

Alex Breuer, creative director at The Guardian, presented a responsive design that works well on mobile platforms. He emphasised that the visual identity need to have consistency irrespective of the medium. Another vignette from him was the possibility of creating flexible templates that can be changed according to the importance of the news. This means that the editor need not be tied to a single layout.

Speakers from important Middle East publications also shared their experiences. Gulf News’ Art Director Miguel Gomez had a presentation on ‘Special Projects in the Time of Twitter’. He believes that to retain readers, talent is not enough, newsrooms must implement a workflow that promotes the production of special projects from an idea onto paper. He presented the success of Shaheen the Camel’s World Cup ‘Prediction of the Day’. The campaign was funny, creative and, of course, the visual identity made all the difference.

Gulf News also was one of main sponsors of the event along with The Bild, The Welt, the Swiss Government and the US consulate-general in Frankfurt. Each year the Society for News Design hosts the conference in different cities. To be involved with the association, visit www.snd.org.