One of the most highly anticipated SND awards yearly is that of World’s Best, usually given to one or two newspapers that outshine everyone else in the judges’ eyes.
I was curious to see the list of the 13 finalists from which the winner or winners will be chosen. Two came from the United States: The Washington Post and The New York Times. Ironically and sadly, one of the finalists is the soon-to-disappear (as a printed product), The Independent, UK.
Here is the list of the thirteen titles that emerged as finalists for Best Designed Newspaper:
Aamulehti (Finland)
Dagens Nyheter (Sweden)
De Morgen (Belgium)
Die Zeit (Germany)
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
The Guardian (U.K.)
The Independent (U.K.)
La Nacion (Argentina)
The National Post (Canada)
The New York Times (United States)
Politiken (Denmark)
The Washington Post (United States)
Welt am Sonntag (Germany)
I had an opportunity to speak to Adonis Durado, creative director of The Times of Oman, who was one of the five judges given the task to make the difficult choice of the World’s Best for which a unanimous vote is required.
“There was a lot of excellent material there,” Adonis told me. ‘But I have to say that the Scandinavians and the Germans lead the way with innovation, excellent use of typography, good content and illustrations and photos.”
As the finalists were chosen, the judges used phrases to describe the various titles. It has been fascinating to pick up on what impacted the judges. As I put the phrases together, I realized that these are the essentials that describe good newspapers and, consequently, good design.
—wittiness, fun and humor…..
—Playful and serious
—Friendly and approachable.
—Beautifully consistent…doesn’t shout
—Consistent typography
—Pacing and grid interact with each other
—Nice use of the grid, a strong foundation
—Creative direction can be felt on every page
—Well edited and under control while still feeling free
—A smart friend who’s comfortable with its audience
—Smart and refined
The top 10 award winners, according to the unofficial tally:
Washington Post — 85
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer — 80
Los Angeles Times — 68
National Post (Canada) — 53
Boston Globe — 46
The New York Times — 45
Politiken (Denmark) — 31
National Geographic Magazine — 31
Minneapolis Star Tribune — 25
South China Morning Post — 22
Buffalo News — 22