Jacek Utko, a newspaper designer, talks about how the industry may be saved through strong designs, using his redesigns of Eastern European papers as an example. Although he says it was not the design alone that improved the paper, it was an enhancement of the entire product that did. Circulation increased 29% in Russia, 35% in Poland, and an incredible 100% in Bulgaria he said.
Utko talked about his initial frustrations with newspaper designing and how Cirque du Soleil inspired him because he saw how they took "a creepy, rundown form of entertainment and turned it into the highest level possible of performance." This is when he realized that newspapers could do the same.
They started experimenting with type, photos and graphics until they started getting results. "I wanted to make posters not newspapers, posters" said Utko in relation to adding artistic value to papers. He said what became important was to create a uniform design throughout the paper, not only making an attractive front page. Utko may have a point considering the growth they have seen, but is this just temporary and is it applicable to papers outside of Eastern Europe?
A Chilean regional newspaper El Mercurio de Antofagasta redesigned recently, modernizing the look and escaping the antiquated format.
