It’s celebration time in the UAE and I admit that while the lights in the red, green and black colors of the national flag are evident everywhere, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between this celebration of lights everywhere since this is a city that glitters like a Christmas tree 24/7.
However, nothing can beat the image of seeing the tallest building in town, and one of the tallest in the world, The Burj Khalifa, illuminated from bottom to top with the national colors. Impressive work that makes us put our Aperol Spritz down with the amazing sight.
While the people of the UAE prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a nation, I am in the newsroom of the Khaleej Times, one of the four English-language dailies in the region, assisting the team with a total transformation to a mobile first news operation. It is a year-long project and my second project in Dubai. As readers of TheMarioBlog know, I was engaged with the Gulf News for several years, working closely with its design team and design director Miguel Gomez, for at least two redesigns of the print edition there.
This time, I have been asked by the management of the Khaleej Times to help the team with a transformation to a mobile first approach to the presentation of content, and to teach the journalists in the ways of mobile journalism. The Garcia Media team in this project includes Senior Art Directors Paula Ripoll and Rodrigo Fino, of our Garcia Media Latinamerica office in Buenos Aires.
New branding, new approach
The project includes the creation of new branding for its mobile presentation, as seen here:
In addition, a refresh of the design of the print edition, which premieres Dec. 2, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the UAE as a nation. However, at its core, this is a transformation in the way stories are written, with the thinking and conceptualizing of stories moving from small to large platforms. I believe that we will place a major emphasis on how content and format come together, which is what makes for an effective flow of stories in a mobile-driven world.
Advertisers join in the celebrations
Tons of ads, including double page spreads, as advertisers bring their brands to the celebration:
The power of print as AD announces global print edition
While discussing celebrations, let’s raise a glass to the management of Architectural Digest, which is publishing a new global print edition.
Architectural Digest will publish its first global magazine issue — its annual AD100 edition that lists the top design and architecture talents of the year — on Dec. 14. Editors from AD’s U.S. and nine international editions came together to work on the brand’s biggest issue of the year, as parent company Condé Nast continues to shift to a consolidated global content strategy that has editorial teams around the world working more closely together.
Read all about it here:
Our mobile storytelling workshops now available remotely
Professors: get your review version of The Story on time for fall classes
As an academic, I know the importance of having the right tools to advance our students, especially on the important subject of mobile storytelling. Please drop me an email if you would like to sample The Story in its digital edition: mario@garciamedia.com
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TheMarioBlog post # 3333