Newsdesigner.com | Edmund Arnold, 1913-2007*

Edmund Arnold, 1913-2007*

10:01 AM, February 7, 2007

Edmund Arnold, known by many as the “Father of Modern Newspaper Design,” died at 93 on Feb. 2. He was a typographer, editor and a founder of the Society for News Design. SND has an obit up.

He worked with hundreds of newspapers including the Chicago Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, the Boston Globe, the Louisville Courier-Journal, the National Observer, the Toronto Star, the Kansas City Star, El Vocero and El Mundo in San Juan. He received the George Polk Memorial Award in 1957 for his contribution to American journalism through typographic redesign. In 1960 he joined the School of Journalism at Syracuse University, where he headed the graphic arts department. Almost unheard of in the academic world, he was named a full professor despite having no previous formal teaching experience and despite having only a bachelor's degree (Michigan State, 1954).

Update: SND has remembrances from Mario Garcia, Nan Bisher, Richard Curtis and Phil Nesbitt. And here's the Roanoke Times obit.

Comments

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Our craft has lost its real true guru.

Posted by: MarIo Garcia at February 7, 2007 3:23 PM

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen

Posted by: Daniel Moreno at February 8, 2007 4:11 AM

Ed Arnold was, to me, the father of intelligent typography. He was the catalyst for the research which led to my book Type and Layout, but he was much more than that. He was my mentor before, during, and after my study and I am proud to say our friend. Lynn and I offer our most sincere condolences to Vi and the extended family. We share their loss most deeply.

Colin and Lynn Wheildon, Buff Point, Australia

Posted by: Colin Wheildon at February 11, 2007 8:50 PM

As a former community newspaper owner, publisher and editorial director, there are two main things I remember about Edmund Arnold.
One is that his seminars were so very simple to understand, follow, and remember.
The other is how friendly and patient he was. In my mental file of personal images, he is in the same category as Santa Claus.
As a primarily content-oriented guy, I believe that the chief function of newspaper design is to make the reading experience natural and easy for the reader.
Fashion, and even style, may change back and forth over the years but I believe the fundamentals Ed Arnold identified and taught will never change.
What a giant!

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