Each project has a sort of mini-moment that we cherish, and never forget. It marks the project. It marks us. Sometimes it is something totally insignificant—-like the moment you won the battle with the publisher and convinced him/her to let you use italics for a certain headline. Or maybe you finally tired the editor enough to let you use ragged right text for that one opinion piece on the editorial page.
A mini design moment can turn into into a big one sometimes. Such was the case here: Mint was a new newspaper, so we had a very wide and open canvas in front of us. We could create and experiment, as long as we kept things in check, and the newspaper having the gravitas one expects from a serious, world class financial daily. With Raju Narisetti as the newly minted editor, I had an ally and a friend. He and I had worked together on the conversion of The Wall Street Journal Europe from broadsheet to tabloid. Raju has a special sensitivity for all things visual. He was an integral part of the design time from the start, expressing his likes and dislikes, mentioning style preferences he wanted incorporated.
Then, of course, we had to deal with something interesting: how to incorporate several pages of The Wall Street Journal into Mint.
We both knew what is “sacred” to The Wall Street Journal, but we also knew that this was a new product, and, although we had to maintain the WSJ brand, we could play with the elements.
And play we did.
The Nameplate: I always had this urge to put the color blue into the logo of The Wall Street Journal, and even try a blue background with white letters. Here was my chance. I tried it, and nobody said anything against it. A mini moment. A big victory. It is still there two years later. Maybe the US edition will get a hint, now that things are a little more liberal, visually speaking, at The Wall Street Journal under News Corp.
The What’s News column: Nothing can be more pure WSJ than the What’s News navigator. Well, from day one of my consulting with the WSJ, I always wanted to put small images to make this vital navigator more visually appealing. I was turned down on that offer five times while doing the U.S., Europe and Asian editions of The Wall Street Journal. Being persistent, I tried it here at Mint, and, again, NOT one word against it from anyone. I saw it again this morning at breakfast and felt that little mini moment of victory coming back. It looks good, it looks contemporary, it breaks the gray, and, well, the small images belong there.
Sometimes it is not about the big moments, but about the mini ones, who come back to cheer up your day two years later.
From Akhil Kumar, who participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, representing India in boxing:
Dreams are not what you get while sleeping.
Dreams are those that don’t let you sleep
Sign of the times
Sign on one of the elevators at The Intercontinental The Grand New Delhi Hotel:
This elevator is temporarily out of service while it gets a holistic upgrade.
Not a bad idea to use the same when a newspaper or magazine goes for changes.
Instead of saying “we are redesigning” or “rethinking”, why not write “your newspaper is undergoing a holistic upgrade.”
In Delhi, India, enjoying sunshine, sweet local fruit, and continuously amazed by the energy, vitality and youth of this country—-especially the people’s love affair with their newspapers.
More on this in the days to come. Tonight, a short two-day hop to Europe, then back in Delhi Saturday. Crazy? Yes, even by Mario standards, but with good time management, a planned dose of early to bed (8 hours of sleep), and a daily run, one can do it.
TheMarioBlog posting #125