Contemporary Newspaper Design: Shaping the News in the Digital Age: Typography & Image on Modern Newsprint

Rating:
Summary: Good design and writing make this fun even for casual reader
Review: I stopped subscribing to a daily newspaper nearly ten years ago, and if it weren't for the ubiquitous copies of USA TODAY shoved under hotel room doors, my direct experience with contemporary papers would be limited for the most part to leave-behinds on subways and airplane seat pockets. True, I shove coins in the corner box when confronted by a major headline event, but the web is ever beckoning.

That's why I'm surprised how much I enjoyed CONTEMPORARY NEWSPAPER DESIGN. I've long been familiar with John D. Berry's writing on type, of course, but to see him focused on (ahem) yesterday's news didn't at first appeal. But then I took a closer look. Beginning with his insightful initial essay linking technology, economics, and the different needs of commuter train and subway car readers to the practical decisions of design and type, he goes on to illustrate his themes through well-chosen pages from papers around the world, from the most formal to the rawest tabloids, accompanied by a series of thoughtful, insightful, well-written essays from leading practitioners.

While this book is rich enough for the more knowledgeable and demanding reader, it's accessible and interesting enough for those of us with a more casual relationship to the daily newspaper. I hadn't expected it, but I ended up agreeing with Berry's conclusion, that "those who think carefully about the best ways to give us our news, and the entertainment and punditry and advertising that go with it, will do us a service and will probably be in demand for a long time to come."