‘Journalists love to cover stories about change, but are usually the last to apply change to their own craft’
Design guru Mario R Garcia, the master craftsman behind the redesign of more than 700 newspapers around the world, says that while owners of newspapers may have a clearer vision of what their products should look like, the challenge is to communicate it to their editors
Technically speaking, it’s their tribe that takes a call on how the headlines – and of course all other elements on the page – will look like until one day they decide it’s time for new “clothing” for the newspaper, the magazine, or the print publication in question. So, it’s quite an experience to try and “cut-and-paste” one of the veterans from this tribe into a headline. Mario R Garcia, the living legend behind the redesigning of more than 700 newspapers around the world, including The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, is, arguably, the most well-known face from the world of newspaper and magazine designing.
Quoting Bob Dylan here – “The Times They Are a-Changin’”, one believes, may not be misplaced because the newspaper industry has seen great many changes in the past decade or so. However, many see newspaper designing as a dying industry now because the print medium itself is struggling to stay afloat in most parts of the world what with the digital media gaining ground. “Today we must create designs that accommodate various platforms, not just print,” concedes García, the CEO and Founder of Garcia Media and an adjunct professor at Columbia University, in the US.
“I no longer get involved in a project that is only about changing the design of print, because that does not make sense in real life. Readers use mobile phones, iPads, computers – and print – to read stories,” notes the design guru who lives in New York.
The production process of a print product is quite a fascinating art that requires deft handling – right from the management structure, the decisions taken in newsrooms that keep evolving hour by hour, men and women working with a holistic vision, and, of course, the need for a new kind of linear storytelling for today’s shifting user habits, etc. – it’s a whole world unto itself. It ain’t a simple process as many a reader would assume it to be. For Garcia, the formula is simple: A good newspaper/magazine design helps to make the content easier to find, easier to read, and more attractive to the eye.
The Cuban-American newspaper and magazine designer and media consultant who was born in Placetas, Cuba, on 15 February 1947, and has authored several defining books like Eyes on the News (1990), Contemporary Newspaper Design (1981), Redesigning Print for the Web (1997), Newspaper Evolutions (1997), Newspaper Colour Design (1989), and The News Adviser: Learning the Craft (1974), believes a good design has to be classically elegant and timeless.
It was great catching up with the newspaper design guru for an exclusive interview. Excerpts:
MEHRE ALAM: Change is the only constant and yet, it’s always so very difficult to accept. When you propose ‘changes’ in a newspaper design, what are your thrust messages/words?
MARIO R GARCIA: I think it is a combination of presenting the facts of how we practise journalism today, as opposed to 10 years ago, or even five years ago. I show, via a presentation titled ‘Journalism in the Mobile era’, how we practise journalism today: from transformational strategies in the newsroom (think mobile!), to storytelling (write your story in a linear, visual, mobile style), to design (how to present material that is optically sound and also visually appealing). That presentation goes a long way to create awareness. In most cases, it leads to change and transformation.
‘All good newspapers/magazines design exists to make content easier to find, easier to read, and more attractive to the eye. I have for decades followed my theory of the WED concept (the marriage of writing/editing/design), which means that design exists to accommodate content and to make it easier to consume. This has been a centrepiece of my work’
MEHRE ALAM: When it comes to proposing changes to a newspaper’s look and feel, who’s more difficult to convince – the editor or the proprietor?
MARIO R GARCIA: Editors are the most difficult to convince. Journalists love to cover stories about change, but are usually the last to apply change to their own craft. Owners of newspapers sometimes have a clearer vision, but the challenge is to communicate it to their editors.
MEHRE ALAM: How do you develop the Colour Scheme of a newspaper when you recreate it from scratch or relaunch it? What role does a country’s topography play in it? Do you factor in more elements from geography/history, etc. to map out the changes that you look to bring in?
MARIO R GARCIA: Indeed, the colour palettes for newspapers should be a reflection of the environment (the ambience) in which they operate. A newspaper in Brazil or India should have a more vibrant colour scheme than one in a Nordic country such as Sweden. I visit the local galleries to get inspiration and a sense of the palette.
MEHRE ALAM: Is design content-specific? Do you work according to the folio lines?
MARIO R GARCIA: All good newspapers/magazines design exists to make content easier to find, easier to read, and more attractive to the eye. I have for decades followed my theory of the WED concept (the marriage of writing/editing/design), which means that design exists to accommodate content and to make it easier to consume. This has been a centrepiece of my work.
MEHRE ALAM: What usually is the shelf life of a design scheme, according to you? And, how do you determine ‘it’s time for a change’?
MARIO R GARCIA: A good design is going to be timeless. But, of course, sometimes newspapers change hands (ownership), and new editors get appointed who bring their own perceptions of design. At the end of the day, good design is classically elegant and timeless.
MEHRE ALAM:The Times They Are a-Changin’. Quoting Bob Dylan (from the American singer-songwriter’s third studio album), I believe the newspaper industry has seen humongous changes in the past decade or so. Let me ask you if the trade of newspaper designing is not going to stay relevant in the times to come for the simple reason that this is being seen as a dying industry.
MARIO R GARCIA: Newspaper designing as we knew it in the 80s and 90s has evolved into something more intricate: today we must create designs that accommodate various platforms, not just print. There has to be a universal visual language across these platforms. I no longer get involved in a project that is only about changing the design of print, because that does not make sense in real life. Readers use phones, iPads, their computers – and print – to read stories. But it is one brand, so I pay special attention to brand and design in a way that the brand comes first no matter what platform we are consuming content from.
MEHRE ALAM: The future – many would say that the present too – is digital. One believes that the design element on the digital platform, especially when it comes to infographics, special focus, etc. is just not quite good enough when compared to the print? Is it an art/science (depending on how you look at it) that’s evolving and is still in quite a nascent stage?
MARIO R GARCIA: The present and future are not just digital – they are mobile. We must learn to design from small to large, and not the other way around. All content must be prepared for the smallest screen of all, the phone, then changed to accommodate larger canvases such as a computer screen or print. Each platform has its specific characteristics and what one can do better, perhaps another platform can’t. For example, large photos and visuals work very well in print, but not on the phone screen. However, the digital platforms allow for video and audio. It is up to the creative director of the publication and its editors to understand the nuances of each and work accordingly.
MEHRE ALAM: Who among your peers do you admire? Has he/she influenced your works in any way? If yes, how?
MARIO R GARCIA: There have been many influences on me, not a specific one. Artistically speaking, I like the work of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian.
MEHRE ALAM: Once you hang up your boots, who will succeed you? Is he/she already sufficiently-capable to assume your mantle?
MARIO R GARCIA: Thanks for asking, but I am sure there is a good number of young designers who are already executing great work; some of my former students are prepared to carry on this magnificent work we call visual journalism.
MEHRE ALAM: Let’s talk about the cost of design – is it prohibitive for smaller publishers/printers? How does the balance come about?
MARIO R GARCIA: There are budgets for various publications, depending on circulation, scope of how the design moves across platforms, etc.
(Pictures of Mario R Garcia sourced from his Facebook account)
Mehre Alam is a senior journalist with nearly three decades in the profession and now works as a consulting editor for some publications. He has worked in senior positions in India and abroad with publications like Hindustan Times, Khaleej Times, The Times of Oman etc. He can be reached at mehrealam@gmail.com
An interesting conversation with Mario Garcia. He rightly says mobile is the present and future. In India though some say television has the potential to grow more. Don’t agree though with his point of view on editor resisting design change. At least in the Indian context.
An interesting conversation with Mario Garcia. He rightly says mobile is the present and future. In India though some say television has the potential to grow more. Don’t agree though with his point of view on editor resisting design change. At least in the Indian context.