WHAT'S NEXT: INNOVATIONS IN NEWSPAPERS

Nick Mrozowski is the founding Art Director of i.

A very young visual journalist that last January INNOVATION recommended to the editors of the new paper in Portugal.

He got the first call from Andre Macedo and and he said “yes” on the spot.

I meet Nick in Norfolk when he was hired by The Virginian-Pilot and started to work for the deputy managing editor for presentation, Deborah Withey.

He was the Society of News Design’s College Designer of the Year two consecutive years while working at The State News of Michigan University.

Before he came to Lisbon Nick was one of the main designers of LINK, a tabloid aimed at young readers.

After the SND-E announced today that i was the best designed newspaper of Spain and Portugal in 2009 (20.000-60.000 category), I asked him a few questions:

WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WITH THIS “DAILY-NEWS-MAGAZINE” CONCEPT?

Visually, this newspaper leaves nowhere to hide.

From the short bits at the front (which we illustrate with small photos, icons and simple infographics) to the in-depth spreads in the middle of the paper (that have sophisticated portraits, large illustrations and news photos) and the graphic double spreads that launch the section, we have virtually no stories that don’t take a visual touch.

And the expectation is magazine quality at every step.

And every day!

It’s a new way of working for most of us.

We thought we would be able to use lots of templates to simplify the work, but as it turns out, we make the vast majority of pages from scratch everyday.

It’s a lot of labor, but we are finding the rhythm.

HOW MANY DESIGNERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS AND GRAPHIC PEOPLE WORK WITH YOU?

Design: 7. Myself, Design Coordinator Pedro Fernandes, and five designers: Ana Soares, João Paulo Rego, Rita Perreira, Luciane Coelho and Luís Marques.

Infographics: 2. Editor Carlos Monteiro and Ricardo Santos.

Photography: 5. Editor Céu Guarda, Assistant Ágata Xavier, and Second Assistant Tiago Lopes, Senior Photographer Pedro Azvedo and Junior Photographer Filipe Casaca. The rest of the photography is accomplished through a special fixed group of freelancers.

Image treatment: 3. São Costa, Sara Correia and Sergio Mateus.

WHAT ARE THE BASIC GRAPHIC RULES FOR YOUR FRONT PAGES?

We try very hard to have a dynamic front page that changes as the news dictates.

The main challenge is to be flexible without being inconsistent.

Graphically, the most important elements are the blocks of bright color we use to designate different stories and the conscious choice we have made to keep headlines relatively small (to compliment our small format).

On average, our main headline is only about 40 points.

HOW READERS ARE REACTING TO THE DRAMATIC GRAPHIC DOUBLE SPREADS?

I don’t have any specific information about what readers think of these… but I know we like them!

We use a lot of large, dramatic photos.

And something we call “info-strations”, a mix of simple infographics with illustration.

We try to keep them quite graphic and as simple as possible.

There are days when we can make a simple, powerful statement with text alone, too.

There are so many possibilities.

ANY COMMENT ABOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE REPORTERS AND EDITORS IN THE PRESENTATION OF THEIR STORIES?

We couldn’t make this paper without the editors.

They spend a lot of time discussing pages and concepts directly with the designers.

And as the news changes throughout the day, we rely on them to communicate the changes so that the newspaper can evolve with the news.

There are more than a few “word” editors who I think would like to be art directors in another life.

That’s great for me and my team!

WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED AS A DESIGNER AND AS A VISUALJOURNALIST WORKING IN PORTUGAL?

Coming to Lisbon has been wonderful for me.

The newspapers here are really exciting and inspiring.

It’s fantastic to work in a market where the competition includes a couple of recent world’s best designed newspapers.

Some lessons from i: Everything is possible (even on deadline). Nothing is ever finished (even after the deadline!).

And I’ve learned an especially valuable lesson by watching the directors here work.

They don’t put limits on their ideas.

So what if something seems crazy?

So what if it seems impossible to accomplish in a day (or a couple of hours)?

They believe in good ideas, and they don’t wait for a focus group or another newspaper to prove that something works.

They just do it.

And that’s the real secret of i.

No limits!

And, of course, I’ve learned some Portuguese! (Especially the things to yell on deadline…)

One thing that I am especially proud of is the commitment to illustration here.

We have a great group of illustrators working with us.

And we have a steady stream of assignments to spread among them.

We’re very lucky that the directors here understand and appreciate the journalistic value of their work.

Martim and André have managed to assemble a really wonderful group of people here at i.

The were really smart in the hiring process to look outside the usual candidates.

I’m very happy to be working in Lisbon, especially with such a great group of people.

A young paper for a young generation of young readers.

The new national quality “daily-news-magazine” of Portugal, i, has been awarded as the “best designed newspaper of Spain and Portugal” (20.000-60.000 category) by a jury of the regional Chapter of the Society of News Design (SND-E).

As Peter Preston wrote last Sunay in The Observer, i is an unique newspaper, so this award and many more than I am sure will receive in the years to come, deserves some attention as one the most innovative newspapers of the world.

INNOVATION’s chief design consultant Javier Errea developed a terrific prototype that Nick Mrozowsk, art director of i, and his visual journalists have implemented and improved day by day.

This has been possible thanks to two fearless editors, Martim Avillez Figueiredo and Andre Macedo, that never say no to the most radical proposals that INNOVATION presented before and after the launch of the new paper.

A few days ago, in Cuatro Tipos, the best Spanish blog about news design, Herminio Javier Fernandez writes:

“I never saw in a newsstand something like this, and I never expected to see that”

Yes, it’s a “dream’s paper”

So, let me tell you some clues and background about this project.

On August 5, 2008, I got the first e-mail about i.

Since then, in my computer are more than 297 e-mails about this paper.

Re-reading now some of these messages I can remember some interesting facts, like that Sojormedia, the media branch of the Lena Group, owner of the paper, wanted to launch i in November 2008!

The paper was finally launched in May 2009.

A world record!

In less than nine months INNOVATION produced the editorial, newsroom management and design on and off line models, found an U.S. art director, and three INNOVATION partners, the multimedia newsroom architects Calau&Riera from Barcelona, Protecmedia from Madrid  and Dosalcubo from Buenos Aires, designed and implemented an “state-of-the-art” multimedia newsroom and the multimedia editorial and online content management systems.

As director of the INNOVATION team with Carlo Campos as project manager and Javier Errea as chief design consultant, plus Eduardo Tessler, Chiqui Esteban, Jorge Heili, Miguel Angel Jimeno and  Laura Cruz. we spent more than 300 working days in and outside of Lisbon in one of the most demanding project ever done by our company, but we always had the full support of the fantastic team of directors and editors of Sojormedia and i.

They are the ones that deserve our gratitude and respect.

They have done in a big way what we have wanted in previous projects: the first compact and compelling quality “daily-news-magazine” of the world.

The “i manifesto” that I sent to the directors and editors of i in January 19, 2009, five months before its launch, explained i detail our dream:

The new “i” will be news caviar.

News paté.

Not news pottage.

News, stories, analysis, opinions and services will be presented in a first-class graphic model, but the secret of the new formula will not be the quality of the design but the relevance of the content.

This has been a content-driven redesign.

“i” wants be an extremely efficient newspaper.

Offering quality and compelling information in an attractive, compact, and easy to read newspaper format.

Not zooming old formulas into fewer pages.

But enhancing the best content ever edited.

Saving time.

Saving paper.

Saving Money.

As an editor’s newspaper, “i” will need very strong editing of the news.

Editing must be one of the most important newsroom skills.

Editing means, first, to be selective.

Editing means, second, to write and rewrite to make the content better.

The new graphic model will be a perfect tool for this editing, editing, editing mantra.

How?

With a “show, don’t tell” news strategy.

Smart infographics will deliver greater amounts of information.

Like good and dramatic pictures.

Or provocative and meaningful illustrations.

Our Portuguese readers will get more information than ever in print and online .

And our superb content will capture more eyeballs than ever.

The website will offer expanded versions of our print content.

Everybody and everything will be edited.

So, columnists will be edited.

Letters to the editor will be edited.

Front page stories will be edited.

Reviews will be edited.

Features will be edited.

Listings and agendas will be edited.

The print edition will be our premium edition.

Only the best of the best will have space in print.

At the end of the day, our strength is not how many pages we print or how much information we deliver, but how much time our readers spend reading, not just looking or browsing.

If we can increase the time devoted by readers to our tightly edited print newspaper, the new model will be a great success.

The new formula of “i” combines short and long pieces, but both will be strongly edited.

This is essential journalism.

This is intense journalism.

This is reflective journalism.

So, we as journalists will need to work more so that our readers work less.

This will be our best service to them.

And to our advertisers, who will love a print product that makes readers read and enjoy news and ads.

Devoting more and more time.

The dream of any journalist.

And the best business for any newspaper.

The circulation of i is growing, and in less than six months is selling almost what was projected in the business plan for one year after the launch.

In the last two months (summer months when the circulation of newspapers in Europe goes down) i has been selling 16% more copies.

Quality Visual Journalism sells!

INNOVATION design and redesign work in the last few year was also rewarded with EXPRESSO, REVISTA UNICA and EL ECONOMISTA winning in other categories of the ÑH6 competition.

(Pictures by i)