mario garcia
The look of Asia The Asian newspapers are a good study of how historical influences can become a trademark of the look and feel of publications. Published in a variety of languages, including English, Asian newspapers tend to be bold, aggressive, spirited and colorful. Those published in English tend to imitate newspapers from the United Kingdom more than from the United States. My first work in Asia was to create a newspaper in Singapore, The New Paper, now thirteen years old is still as interesting and colorful as it was those few weeks when it first hit the street. Many critics were amazed that such a youth-oriented newspaper could do well in its market, attracting more than young readers. The New Paper characterized Asian newspapers generally in its ability to be adventurous, to branch out and do things differently. The front page could be a poster one day, more text driven the next; photographs could extend across two pages, and headlines were considered small at 86 point. What distinguishes Asian newspapers from their counterparts in Europe and the Americas is: 
Bolder headlines, narrower columns (for the broadsheets), more congested inside pages (for the tabloids), and louder color palettes (even for the more serious ones).
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pure design
More experimentation with advertising placement: starting on page one, around the logo of the newspaper, as floating islands, or in the middle of a page surrounding the ad with text. Greater emphasis on coverage for young readers. For even the smallest regional Asian newspaper, a effort is made to attract young readers, and, with much success.
Returning to the English language newspapers, progress has been slower. While newspapers in the UK have, redesigned themselves to be more organized, with better navigation, and superior use of photographs, their Asian counterparts continue to adhere, to models of the British press of the 1960s and 1970s: mixing column widths on those broadsheets, utilizing far too many small photos on a page, and mixing type fonts. I have to include here some of the daily newspapers from Australia and New Zealand, which, although improved in terms of design over the past ten years, continue to be throwbacks to the golden era of the British broadsheet: too much, too cluttered, too “in your face.” Just like we turn to European newspapers for some of the best use of typography, or U.S. dailies for their excellent photojournalism, and to Latin American newspapers for their superb use of illustrations, we turn to Asian newspapers for their sense of spirit that is instantly transmitted, right on the front page.
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