Newsdesigner.com | Rethinking Reforma*

Rethinking Reforma*

1:19 AM, November 21, 2005

Mexico's Grupo Reforma launched simultaneous redesigns of its three newspapers Sunday, Reforma (Mexico City), El Norte (Monterrey) and Mural (Guadalajara). Garcia Media Latinoamerica's Rodrigo Fino was the project leader, working with Paula Ripoll and Remigio Badano. Also involved were art directors and editors from the papers: Ricardo del Castillo, Reforma; Luz María Díaz de León Reyes, Reforma; Jose Grajeda, El Norte; Fernando Jauregui, Mural and Alejandro Banuet, El Norte. Update: Also, project manager Guillermo Toledo of Grupo Reforma. Apologies, Guillermo!

Fino writes:

But more than just a new aesthetic transformation, the three newspapers followed a meticulous 21-month process to rethink themselves totally, to become a part of a multi-platform environment, amplifying the definition of news. While stating firmly that print is here to stay, the three newspapers have also rethought all processes dealing with navigation, color use, and the methodology of making a reader’s journey thru each page faster and more meaningful.

The full text of Fino's essay after the jump.

Typographically,
Hoefler & Frere-Jones' Mercury Display and Mercury Text take over as headline and text faces, respectively, Font Bureau's Dispatch replaces Giza as an accent face, and the sans-serif face used in headlines, cutlines, bylines and such is Vonnes, which Font Bureau developed for Macromedia a while back.

Reforma's nameplate has been tweaked as well.

By Rodrigo Fino
project leader
REFORMA project
Garcia Media

Sometimes communication processes are inevitable. While broadband expands, wireless connections become the standard, our ability to store digital information grows wildly and the possibilities for us to exchange information get better by the second. So is the way the various media restructure themselves to keep up with the pace.

The traditional media see themselves forced to establish new forms of contact with their audiences, in the midst of an unparalleled global dynamic. This raises the question: can those of us who work in print continue to design, edit and distribute newspapers the same way we did 10 years ago? Today’s readers are not only the best informed, but they also refuse to sit passively, choosing, instead, to be part of participatory journalism, where ordinary citizens partake of the "reporting" of the news, using their mobile phones and digital cameras, to report what they see and hear.

It is in the midst of this media panorama of the early 21st century that the newspapers that comprise Grupo Reforma in Mexico: Reforma (Mexico City), El Norte (Monterrey) and Mural (Guadalajara) introduce a new design this week. But more than just a new aesthetic transformation, the three newspapers followed a meticulous 21-month process to rethink themselves totally, to become a part of a multi-platform environment, amplifying the definition of news. While stating firmly that print is here to stay, the three newspapers have also rethought all processes dealing with navigation, color use, and the methodology of making a reader’s journey thru each page faster and more meaningful.

Obviously, just making cosmetic changes, such as a change of typographic fonts, is relatively easy. And it does not require much audacity to alter the page architecture, devise a new color palette and make the headlines bolder or bigger. However, it is a more thorough and dynamic process to rethink the journalistic styles followed, how news is chosen and presented. At Grupo Reforma, this was the centerpiece of the project: working with journalists and designers at every phase of the project, we at Garcia Media conducted individual workshops where specific sections of the newspaper were discussed, analyzed, then approached differently, with the journalists who had created the original pages "redoing them" following new, improved formulas.

The result that readers will be able to evalute this week when Reforma, El Norte and Mural appear with their new visual and journalistic formulas is the best testimony we can offer to the fact that in today’s fast changing media environment it is "rethinking" and not "redesigning" that fits the description of what we do.

For the readers, a win-win situation; for the editors and designers, a new way of applying their craft.

Comments

Heads up: After you hit "post" things may be slow and you may get an error. Most likely, your comment did post. Apologies. I'm looking for a fix.

While the L-bar is an improvement in giving the front page a more striking look, I don't think its viable without becoming very stale over time and ultimately taking up valuable front-page real estate that could be used in different ways. I also think it takes away from the new nameplate, which is nicely done. Pulling back the yellow in the nameplate does a lot for me. The overall color usage seems well-balanced -- nothing over the top, nothing too bland.

Most of the pull-out items are done well; some of the shaded items look too similar to body copy for my taste, but still better than a lot of places I've seen.

Posted by: Christopher Harrop at November 21, 2005 7:25 AM

The first newspaper to use the "L" shape refer was La Presse designed by Lucie Lacava in 2003. That concept is now spreading like wild fire.

Posted by: Jeff Brown at November 21, 2005 7:42 AM

My understanding is that the 'L shape' is a magazine design concept. A way to establish asymetry and provide an informal and dynamic balance in a layout.

My own personal Tabloid editing experience is that it's a fundamental tool in designing page spreads.

I agree it is more accepted more now in newspaper redeisgn work because newspapers are embracing more magazine editing and design concepts. Why? Because today's more visually-sophisticated readers are comfrotable with a presentation perspective that allows them to consume smaller information chunks that are more threaded within a medium.

Posted by: robb Montgomery at November 21, 2005 7:37 PM

Thank’s for the space and credits for my participation in the Grupo Reforma’s redesign... but my name isn’t written correctly. The right is: Luz María Díaz de León Reyes (Ask Rodrigo Fino, or Mario García, please!).

Thank’s in advice!
Luzma

Posted by: Luzma at November 24, 2005 7:37 PM

Sorry, Luzma! I've fixed.

Posted by: Mark at November 24, 2005 8:12 PM

felicidades luzma! a cosechar frutos ;)

Posted by: norma at November 24, 2005 8:46 PM

We'd been expecting this redisign for years! - I think this new way of communicating news in a clear and more simple way makes great justice to the wonderful work of Reforma's designers, reporters and photographers - and most of all to the readers of Reforma. I know it will take some time to integrate all sections into this endeavour (and of course, continuous 'tweaking' of little details), as we all know there is always some resistance to change... Congratulations to the design team! Luzma: you're my heroe!

Posted by: Claudia Araiza (former Reforma designer) at November 25, 2005 6:20 AM

As an ex-Reforma Group employee, I have witnessed how the upper management is sold on the value of visuals. So, this guys can get away pretty much with anything THAT WORKS!

I'm not surprised to see how this group of young leaders (Ricardo, Luzma, Jose, Fer, Alejandro and Guillermo) and Fino's Team executed such a great overall concept. And yes, some of the tools that we see in the re-design are not new, but the challenge is not to invent new ways, but how well you execute the basics.

Keep up the good job guys and let's make some waves!!!

Posted by: José Merino (former Mural Visual Editor) at November 28, 2005 10:55 PM

Felicidades cuñis!!!! Estoy muy orgullosa, ya te presumí con toda la familia.

Te quiero mucho.

Posted by: Laura Quinones at November 28, 2005 11:59 PM

Creo que el proceso de rediseño fue un reto a vencer nada fácil pues no necesitaba de mucho para mejorar el diseño. Sin embargo me lleve gran desilusión al ver un retroceso en lugar de una evolución. SIento gran similitud con El Universal y eso tampoco es un halago (también le hicieron daño). Esta gente que le dedicó tanto tiempo al proyecto de rediseño es un grupo muy bueno de diseñadores, aunque creo que por esta ocasión la cabeza (del grupo) no fue la adecuada. Felicidades por tomar el reto sin miedo, esperaré ansioso la evolución.

Posted by: Fernando Cortés at December 1, 2005 2:35 PM

En lo personal me gusta mas el diseño anterior y coincido con Fernando Cortés, en que no necesitaba mucho para mejorar el diseño.
Leerlo se me hace cansado, la tipografia del cuerpo es muy pesada y siento que hay desorden en el acomodo de las notas.
Me gusta el nuevo PERO prefiero el anterior.
Saludos

Posted by: Sergio Mora at December 7, 2005 4:17 PM

As a graphic coordinator (and founder) that I was in Reforma some years ago (for 7 years), I think it has been a refreshing new look both design and news driven aproach. Type has been chosen well and works great over the layouts in all sections. What i consider should be looked at is the size of it in some interior pages so that it wont look like poster size type all over them......
Visual editing (graphics, infographics etc) has been simplified which i think its good so that bigger thinks can be developed with better timing and start suprising the reader again.
I‘m glad the redesigning took the time to evolve inside out and not otherwise which happens to a lot of newspapers this days.
I can understand doing the sport section as a magazine that can be sold separately... but it doesnt look sport!. Sports need to look bold, action driven, agressive....so that you can see at it and screams READ ME!.....this one doesnt do that. Type hasnt been well selected and looks all the same.....the talent for creating great products is there but doesnt feels in this sport section.

I can only say GREAT WORK and keep evolving it everyday, not every 10 years or so......be a reader at all times before you are a designer / photojournalist / writer/ editor / etc.

Daniel Esqueda Guadalajara
www.danielesqueda.com

Posted by: Daniel Esqueda at December 8, 2005 5:28 PM

I agree with Daniel Esqueda, CANCHA is not a good approach to sports, and about the redesign, i do like the concept behind the redesign, and i agree with Rodrigo Fino when he said that "picking up the right typography is not so difficult, any designer can do that", but i don’t like the types they choose for the new image of Reforma, they seem kind of old, except for Mercury, which i think was a wise choice for the text...
In the new image i believe that Reforma has kind of loose his metropolitan "mojo", but in an overall view i do think that there are more pros in the content, in approaching the reader, which is the best way to design newspapers...
I like the way the reader now evolves in the content of Grupo Reforma newspapers...
Keep evolving.

Fer, Ricardo, Luzma, Jose, Alejandro, Guillermo, banda, u have done a great work, and i hope you just keep flying high as usual...

As long as anybody talks about it... it works

And like Merino said: Let’s make some waves!!!

Enjoy.

Posted by: Gustavo Belmán (banned from the so called heaven) at December 15, 2005 12:12 PM