In early May, a course will be held on layout and production in InDesign, with a special focus on the layout of newspapers, magazines, and newsletters. The instructor for the course is Sæmundur Freyr Árnason, a printer, who was the production manager at Fréttablaðið for many years.
“Excellent layout is the ability to replicate the basic look of the publication so well that it's obvious it's the same product, but with the freedom within that design to be able to play around,” says Sæmundur about the work methods he hopes participants in the course will adopt. He was responsible for the size of issues and the advertising ratio in collaboration with the editorial and advertising departments, organising human resources, shifts, and purchasing supplies for the printing press, such as paper and ink. Today, he works in teaching and consulting on layout and design, including for Iðan Education Centre. Participants can expect a practical course.
What do you learn in newspaper production that is directly useful in InDesign?
“Working speed is of course a good quality to have, but if you do a job the wrong way very quickly, it's better to take a step back. Organisation and proper preparation are a much better option. If you can take time at the beginning of the project to prepare, then you have a script that is easy to follow and simple to repeat,” says Sæmundur.
What was a typical day at work like?
“The most fun thing about working at a newspaper was that you came to a blank page every morning. We always had to finish the paper before the deadline. There was no other option. Issues always came up that needed solutions. I often had to change the size of the paper due to changes in the number of advertisements. The most fun days were when a lot was happening in society.”
Who is this course particularly useful for?
“The idea for this course is primarily intended for those who are working on the layout of newsletters, newspapers, and magazines. It doesn't matter whether students come from graphic communication or graphic design, or whether the publication is printed on glossy A4 paper or in newspaper size.”
What do you think participants will be able to do after the course that they couldn't do before?
“The emphasis will be on preparing the project well. A good template file. Professionally created style sheets and the correct settings for printing.”
The course is described as “practical” – how is that reflected in the teaching?
“In the course, students create their own template files for both magazines and newspapers with all the settings needed to create a professional print product. The procedures that have proven most effective for creating publications will be thoroughly reviewed. Communication channels with clients, submission of material, and so on.”
What separates good layout from excellent layout?
“It's not a big deal for a good designer to create a good first issue. There's often plenty of time to think and try out all sorts of ideas with the material to be used. But then you have to make issue number two and three, and later number 15. How much of the design from the first issue still survives? Excellent layout is the ability to replicate the basic look of the publication so well that it's obvious it's the same product, but with the freedom within that design to be able to play around. We all want to put our mark on what we produce, and with good collaboration between content creators and layout, excellent pages are created.”
What initially fascinated you about layout and production?
“Working on a product that consumers use and have opinions on. I've been creating newspapers and magazines for decades, and it still brings me joy to see someone reading something I've had a part in creating. Seeing the result of my hard work in the hands of readers is what still delights me as a layout artist today. In my work where I'm thinking about production, it was this huge jigsaw puzzle that had to fit together. This was my mental exercise.”
What do you enjoy most about teaching this subject? “This work has been a very large part of my career so far, and I have worked with a great number of fun layout artists. We are people who work to make lines, boxes, and letters look good. Not everyone is made for that. If I can get to spend a few hours talking about and sharing what I've learned with people who have the same interest in this part of the profession, then that's time well spent.”.”
What do you hope participants will take away from the course?
“I hope it creates a foundation for a workflow where the layout designer and editor can work together on a publication in a professional manner, and that the publication is produced in such a way that it's easy to reproduce it again and again without having to reinvent the wheel every time.”
Which newspaper do you admire for its layout? What about a magazine? Is there a newsletter out there that we don't know about that has an exemplary layout?
“After the rise of online media, the old giants of newspaper publishing have rethought the purpose of their print media, and many have redesigned their print editions. One newspaper I've always admired is Berlingske Tidende in Denmark. They have strict layout rules regarding headline sizes, text lengths, and general proportions. But within these rules, they often play around and sometimes break the rules just right. This is especially true for the weekend edition, Weekendavisen, which is a broadsheet edition and focuses more on world affairs and culture than the daily grind of the Danes. There, the text treatment is often used in a very interesting way, with extensive use of graphics and illustrations.
Paper-based news media are a luxury item now that we've become so used to getting news from a screen. Therefore, when I see print media being used in a more interesting and beautiful way than is possible on online news sites, I'm not too worried about the future of beautiful printed material.”
Sign up for the course here.
Sæmundur is impressed by the development of Berlingske and Weekendavisen, and below you can see how their daily and weekend papers are presented on their website: