WEEK FOUR: response.

I'm going to switch it up this week and respond to some award-winning newspaper designs. As found on Smashing Magazine, this post about award-winning newspaper designs from around the world was really interesting. Be sure to read the analytical blurb before the actual newspaper pages because it does a lot to explain their thinking.

Some of the aspects focused on were white space and grid-based design, and how the two techniques can be used in both print and web design. This really intrigued me because it is hard to think of white space being used effectively on a web page. We so often get caught up in just fitting the content at hand into a pre-determined web template that white space isn't always considered as a viable design option. For example, the Columbia Missourian has fallen into this trap; stories are fed into a cookie cutter template and presented in list + blurb format when using the search feature. One of the few times that negative space was actually used effectively was on Lyndy's web design for a Valentine's Day-type story last week. It exemplified the fabulous opportunity we have to do structured, yet more creative web packages for larger or special features in newspapers.

Anyway, I'm going to include some of my favorite front pages from the award-winners below, and tell you why they're good according to the experts (i.e. Smashing Magazine) and according to me.

Politiken, of Copenhagen, Denmark: the thing that caught my eye was the interesting illustration, as well as the amount of space dedicated to it. The nameplate is very serious and authoritarian, perhaps showing the tone of the paper itself? Either way, their graphics are nice.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, of St. Louis, MO: Because I've lived in St. Louis for about 10 years now, I will always have a place in my heart for the Post-Dispatch. While it's written content isn't stunning, its design consistently more visually appealing than most newspapers I've seen. The features and arts sections also continually turn out creative design on top of creative design every week, and its typography is exceedingly hierarchical.

Hartford Courant, of Hartford, CT: This page of the Courant is beautiful, especially for a newspaper. The white space is obviously what stands out here.

Le Monde, of Paris, France: The distinctive thing about Le Monde is the astutely feminine fonts used. The traditional old-style nameplate is common, but the headline and body copy fonts are distinct and rounded, giving it a refined look unique to most newspapers.

Aside from newspapers this week, I just picked up the latest edition of Vanity Fair. The Hollywood issue is on newsstands now, and the cover is absolutely stunning, as usual. I just thought I'd juxtapose the February 2006 Hollywood Issue next to this year's. See any trends, besides my horrible scanning skills?

February 2006 Hollywood Issue (with Tom Ford as guest editor and creative director)

March 2008 Hollywood Issue

Feel free to leav your opinion of either cover as a comment. I figured, since we all discussed the '06 cover in Mag. Design, most of us would have opinions either way.

tbw.