Coming tomorrow: Mario’s introduction to Bild-Zeitung!
TAKEAWAY: In a recent post here I made it known that one of the things I wanted for Christmas this year was to sit down with the layouters of Bild Zeitung of Germany and “design” a page in their unique style. Today I get to meet with the editors and layouters in Berlin. AND: Norwegian newspapers in love with the Obamas
Meeting in Berlin
Front page of today’s Bild
For those of you who read TheMarioBlog regularly, you already know that one of my wishes for Christmas is to experience how a layouter and editor approach the somewhat unique world of a Bild page design. Where does one start? What’s the criteria for visual presentation in a newspaper where everything seems to be granted similar importance?
Wait no more, Mario.
My first meeting with the Bild folks is today in Berlin.
I start my day with a run through Tiergarten to get my thinking process going. Today’s meeting with editor in chief Kai Diekmann and deputy editor in chief Michael Paustian is a getting to know you type of encounter.Michael writes me that the “layout team” is eager to meet with me. Well, so am I.
Life may never be the same, and I promise to report in detail my observations and my new learning experience with Bild. I am sure that today is chapter one and will open my eyes as to how designers who have crafted a distinct, not-by-the-rules page design concept, actually produce their pages for maximum impact.
The warm up exercise
As a runner with 15 marathons behind me, I know that you have to prepare well before you tackle a race. Depending on the length of the race, you plan your practice accordingly. I remember doing those 3 and a half hour lonely practice runs while training for the New York Marathon. So, in the spirit of preparation: what do you do before you show up to perhaps draw a page of Bild?
For starters, I have reviewed files of Bild, which, I admit, do not show a lot of change over the past ten years. Bold and brash is bold and brash, whether in the 1980s or the end of the first decade of the 21st Century.
I have found myself doodling big elements on paper, stretching myself beyond modular thinking, and attaching the word FUN to the process of DESIGN.
The real test will be ME doing this with the Bild pros, who can probably draw up such spectacular extraganza pages in their sleep.
More to come!
Obama the Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Interesting concept used by Aftenposten on its website today: a sort of combination mural/type attack highlighting key words of Obama’s speech in Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
Dagbladet leads with the Obamas on Page One. Headline reads: Fairytale
Behind bars: Aftenposten shows the Obamas salute fans outside their hotel. Notice the bars in front of the window, part of bullet proof panel that was installed to protect the President.
Like many other Americans, I was quite proud—-and touched—-with our President Barack Obama’s speech in Oslo yesterday to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. Perhaps only the highly gifted orator Obama could have actually mixed the use of the word “war” with the world’s desire for “peace” and present it in such a way that it was a combination history lesson, inspirational speech and, in my view, one of the most clear explanations ever on why sometimes war is morally justified. In his own words:
“Make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida’s leaders to lay down their arms”
The Norwegian newspapers covered the story in all its various angles, including, of course, the Obama couple, admired by millions around the world, and, particularly, according to the press, Norwegians.
Reactions to Obama’s speech have been favorable outside of Norway as well.
For more details:
Aftenposten
http://www.aftenposten.no/
Dagbladet
http://www.dagbladet.no/
TheMarioBlog post #436