The Sun has been named one of the best-designed newspapers in the world by the Society for News Design.
The morning paper's design -- which underwent a major overhaul in 1995 -- has been likened to that of Oriole Park at Camden Yards: somewhat old-fashioned in appearance but modern in its practicality.
With the same philosophy in mind, The Sunday Sun was redesigned last year.
"We wanted a very readable product that reflected the rich history of this newspaper," said John S. Carroll, editor of The Sun. "And we wanted it to be unique among American newspapers."
The 20th annual competition, co-sponsored by the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, drew 291 entries from 27 countries in the "world's best" category. Seventeen papers received "world's best" status of 13,089 entries.
The Sun was one of six papers selected as superior among those with a daily circulation of 175,000 and above. The only other U.S. paper to win in that category was the New York Times.
Five international judges made their decisions at the Newhouse School early last month. Gold medals will be awarded at the society's annual workshop and exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark, from Sept. 9-11.
"Beginning in 1995, we instituted a new philosophy that abandoned modular design, where stories were squared or boxed, and went to something more vertical," said Joseph R. Hutchinson, 31, The Sun's assistant managing editor for design and graphics. "It allows us to position more stories and art higher on the page, which creates excitement about the news."
Hutchinson, who oversees a staff of 25, was hired in 1989 and was promoted in 1995 to help pilot the paper's redesign. Consulting on the project was Roger Black, a New York City media designer whose previous assignments included work with Esquire and Newsweek.
Said Hutchinson: "Our content had been steadily improving, but the way we had been packaging it wasn't showcasing those improvements. Modern readers are bombarded with attractively packaged products; they are more visually aware."
The new approach includes a seven-column front page for every section, multiple headlines to summarize the news -- a throwback to an age when the sinking of the Titanic was news -- and an index for each section.
Carroll, who today marks his eighth anniversary as editor of The Sun, said it was his intention from the beginning to improve the paper's content before changing the way it looked.
"First, you have to work on what you want to convey before you design the vessel to convey it," he said.
The Society of News Design in Providence, R.I., has more than 2,400 members in 48 countries. It is dedicated to improving news presentation and design in all media and its annual awards are without peer in the industry.
The World's Best Designed Newspapers for 1998 as selected by the Society of News Design:
Circulation of 175,000 and above: The Sun; the Globe and Mail, Toronto; Correlo Braziliense, Brasilia, Brazil; the National Post, Canada; the New York Times; and Die Zeit, Germany.
Circulation of 50,000 to 174,999: El Correo, Spain; Gainesville (Fla.) Sun; Le Soleil, Quebec; Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader; the News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.; the Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.; Tomskaya Nedelya, Tomks, Russia; and Die Woche, Germany.
Circulation of 49,999 and below: Diario de Noticias, Huarte, Spain; Centre Daily Times, State College, Pa.; and AM De Leon, Leon, Mexico.
Pub Date: 3/04/99