Newsprint as a canvas
I’m at a journalism conference right now, which inevitably leads to contemplation about the future of the industry.
At a session on circulation and distribution an editor from a college newspaper in Montreal asked for advice in expanding distribution to Metro stops in the city.
“Well you’re going to get a massive increase in circulation,” said the distribution expert.
On its face this notion makes sense. Commuters are bored, held hostage by their busses and subways. Numerous publications are founded—or at least sustained in large part—for and by such commuters. A defining feature of these papers is their size, with most printed as tabloids for easy transit reading. Even most major metro newspapers have shrunk their widths to be more “reader friendly.”
The supreme irony is that the more “ convenient” print tries to be, the faster they herald their utter demise. A newspaper aiming to be convenient will always fail when faced with cellphones, e-readers and tablets.
One publication bucking the trend—and earning accolades for doing so—is The Grid, Toronto’s alternative weekly. The relatively new publication (born a little over two years ago out of the ashes of Eye Weekly) has put a premium on beautiful design. Their photo editor and graphic designer spoke at an inspiring session at the conference today. The editor explained:
“We’re trying to change the paradigm of what a print publication can be.”
What that means for The Grid, which is admittedly light on actual news, is a heavy visual emphasis.
“When my viewer looks at my photos I want them to see, smell, hear. They should feel like they are at the event.”
The Grid has become known for their multi-page spreads. Bringing 35 chefs together for a massive group photo of them lined up in front of a food cart, for example. Or taking eight pages to give a vivid 365-degree view of a boat for a story about the revival of Toronto’s harbor.
Technology ultimately holds the upper-hand over print. Moving graphics, interactive features, video and audio are all impossible to put on paper. But if for no other reason than ad revenue, publications are going to have to keep putting out a print product for a long time—and they hold one supreme advantage over consuming news on screens: size.
Cellphones have now mastered the art of displaying a scrollable column of text (see image below) which will always be preferable to dealing with a physical newspaper on a crowded subway train.
But it’s possible for dead trees, covered in vivid, large-format images, to succeed. It’s possible for newspapers to stop cramming five or six stories on their front page and begin using newsprint as a unique canvas for well-curated and visually engaging news.
Even the best newspaper websites still lag behind the best designed papers. This is because they’re locked into templates that while necessary for managing the content flow, are visually uninspired. That will change one day, but for now the sooner newspapers realize their comparative advantages over mobile apps and websites, the better their chances are for thriving over the next few years.
