Thursday, Nov 24, 2011
Gulf News
Sharjah Gulf News and other award-winning newspapers from the region held an exhibition last Sunday at the American University of Sharjah to showcase designs selected from the 32nd annual book The Best of News Design, published my the Society of News Design.
The annual book features a compilation of winners that participated at the Best of News Design Creative Competition, which were judged by members of the SND.
On the sidelines of the exhibition at the College of Architecture and Design in American University of Sharjah (AUS), design directors discussed the state of news design in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Miguel Angel Gomez, design director at Al Nisr Publishing, pointed out that it is beneficial for both parties to attend such events since reader feedback is important as to what the audience learns from them.
“Winning SND awards put us on the spot and encouraged our staff to do better. Participating in such events is good for us because it links us with the community and for people to be engaged in our editorial decisions,” said Gomez, who has been at the organisation since 2006.
Prestigious awards
Gulf News now has a total of 116 awards as well as recognition from the world’s most prestigious newspaper design and illustration organisations, including Malofiej, SND, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and World Press Cartoon.
SND President Steve Dorsey, who visited the UAE for the first time, pointed out that designers should not be restricted to illustrations and designs in the print section, but should also focus on mobile applications.
“Design is going high-tech and we have to take that into consideration. And while the digital age is growing in the US, it is not growing fast enough so there is still a challenge for all those [in the industry],” Dorsey said.
By Mariam M. Al Serkal Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
