Third in this series is Al-Akhbar newspaper published in Lebanon. This is also a new addition to the scene in Lebanon, and brings with it a very high level of journalistic quality. I am especially impressed by the editorials written daily by Joseph Samaha. Amazing quality of political analysis. Ok, back to the design:
Fonts: The headline font is quite interesting though the final teh marbuta ruins it. The other typefaces used work together quite well. The kufi one looks quite good. I get the feeling that it is by the same designer as the final teh marbuta has the same problem. In any case, they work quite well.
Layout: Very nice and clean. The design is very fresh and modern looking. One can see the intervention of a graphic designer. In a way, both Al-Akhbar and Al-Balad show a new approach to Arabic newspaper design, which takes into consideration the role of color and supporting graphics and shows clear navigational capabilities. It breaks away from mainstream design and reminds of the new design of The Guardian in London, though it does not yet come close to that level of sophistication. Still, this is excellent progress and I’m very happy to read these papers. I’m also happy to note that there are no advertisements on the first page.
Masthead: Again, they do a very good job here. The design is simple and straight forward. The logo is quite smart. Cool idea to use quotations to imply dialogue. It’s easy to recognise so the branding effect is quite good.
Overall impression: This is a newspaper that you would want to pick up and read, and that is the ultimate goal of newspaper design, no? I am quite impressed by the huge illustration in the middle of the example shown and this is surely a mark of a forward thinking approach to design and content.
You can download the pdf here: Al-Akhbar frontpage.pdf
Very good series of articles. I want to congratulate you on writing on issues in design that are often overlooked in the Arab world. I think newspapers are not only a significant source of information and means of shaping people’s perceptions and opinions, but their designs can also have considerable influence on shaping the general public’s aesthetic sensibilities. They can develop general reading patterns and can modify established typographic conventions. They can be the means for designers to educate the general public about good design and can help cultivate better design-savvy (or sofisticated) clients. That on itself is very important (and good) news for designers in the Arab world. …
Left by huda on February 8th, 2007