JUDGES BEGIN SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS Sunday after reviewing all 351 entries Saturday. Paal Berg (left) gives his thoughts about a publication that is still in the competition as judges Nuri Ducassi, Ally Palmer and Bonnie Jo Mount listen.
Prediction: Day 2 will be 'revealing!' Notes are taken to be used later
SUNDAY, FEB. 11, 2007:
As we enter day two, judges' spirits are high after Saturday's long first day.
Judges finished the first review of all 351 newspapers entered for the 2006 judging year.
NEWS FLASH: We have 54 newspapers remaining in the competition after Saturday's tough review. The newspapers that passed the first review represent publications from all parts of the world with small, medium and large circulations. We cannot give you newspaper names; that information remains confidential.
WHAT ARE JUDGES LOOKING FOR?
Judges look at many things to decide the World's Best-Designed™ winners. The paper’s overall design is scrutinized but this is not a beauty contest. Good design alone doesn't mean a publication is worthy of the coveted World's Best-Designed Newspaper™ designation.
If the publication's overall design is very good, the judges then look at:
• the overall quality of the writing; • the quality of the headlines; • the quality of the visuals; • the visual storytelling; • the use of resources -- this is most important for the smaller publications. Judges take into consideration the fewer resources many small circulation publications may have; • the execution of the various elements; • the paper's "voice" -- the way it presents information for its particular audience.
Today begins that carefully orchestrated review.
Judges react to what they've seen
We asked and the judges told us what they think of the publications they have seen thus far after a day and a half of viewing, talking and reading. Here’s what they said:
Paal Berg: ”Small newspapers are more clever with everyday informational graphics than the big circulation papers. I’m also seriously concerned about the level of typography among the bigger papers.”
Nuri Ducassi: “In a bare and vast newsprint landscape where safe and same are the operating words, we’ve found visual innovation and energy in small business papers, weeklies and some midsize dailies from all corners of the world.”
Bonnie Jo Mount: “We’ve had some good conversations today (Sunday) about what was and wasn’t working. I think we are narrowing it down to publications with a range of attributes and voices. With a smaller pool of papers, the geographic aesthetics are becoming more apparent.”
Ally Palmer: “This morning (Sunday) was fun. It was good to finally have a proper discussion. We saw some quality design, layout and typography, particularly from the smaller-circulation newspapers.”
It's time to call it a night
PAAL BERG and the rest of the judges work into Sunday night. It's not easy to select the very best of the best newspapers ented in the competition, but the task is getting done.
Monday will be another full day of studying and discussing the remaining newspapers until the final winners are selected. If things go well, winners will be selected by the end of the day Monday.
If the winners are known by Tuesday morning, the judges will start the long process of selecting 14 pages for each winner that represents why the paper is a winner. Assuming the winners are selected by late Monday, the judges will spend Tuesday editing pages that may appear in the annual winners' book plus writing text that explains why the papers are the "best of the best."
Join us Monday for more news, comments and perhaps a surprise or two.
