A new design for Kommunen
Ribergaard & Munk have redesigned the Danish newspaper KOMMUNEN which is published every second week in tabloid format.
Kommunen’s readers can be found among decision makers in the Danish society, mainly in the local municipalities (mayors, council members, chief executives, etc).
For the first time in a Danish publication, the new Kommunen design introduces the Guardian Egyptian typeface, designed by Christian Schwartz – in combination with Corpid, designed by Lucas de Groot.
Click here to download a pdf version of the first issue which hit town halls all over Denmark October 1, 2009.
VISUALS AND WORDS: Presentation and quick course
Ole Munk was a speaker at this year’s SND workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 24-26 September 2009. In Ole’s presentation, ”Visual communikation - and miscommunication”, he focused on the important synergetic relationship between visuals and words. If you are interested, you can download the presentation here in PDF format (10.4 Mb).
Effective visual communication is also the subject of Ribergaard & Munk’s three-day quick course “Visuals and words” which will run again 18-20 January 2010.
For more information, please send an e-mail to ole@ribmunk.dk.
Ole Munk reviews website design
The bi-weekly magazine of the Danish Journalists’ Union, Journalisten, is publishing website design reviews, written by Ole Munk. Once a month, Ole Munk reviews a media website, focusing on architecture, design, and functionality.
The latest review, published in Journalisten #18/2009, was about politiken.dk.
If you understand Danish, you can read Ole Munk’s review here.
Gjengangeren is growing
At a time when many newspapers struggle in order to survive, the Norwegian daily Gjengangeren - published in Horten - is enjoying a rise in circulation. Parallel to Maj Ribergaard’s redesign which was introduced to the public in January 2008, Gjengangeren decided to sharpen its news profile and reinforce its relations to the local community. In a recent survey, readers have responded very positively to the changes - and, more important: They are buying the paper. In January 2009, circulation had risen to 6,173 and the number of daily readers was 19,000. Both figures are all-time highs for the 158-year-old local paper.
”There is no doubt that our design cooperation with Ribergaard & Munk has been crucial to our success. The new design lifted the product, gave it a modern look, and communicates our profile - as well as our news content - much more clearly”, says editor-in-chief Jan-Erik Hvidsten. Well, thanks … and congratulations!
Two newspapers - one design
11 February 2009, the two Swedish local dailies Hallandsposten (circ 32,100) and Hallands Nyheter (30,000) launched a new common design, created by Ole Munk, Ingemar Magnusson (HP), and Nisse Nilsson (HN). Hallandsposten, published in Halmstad, and Hallands Nyheter which has two editions, one in Falkenberg and one in Varberg, have been parts of the same newspaper corporation (Stampen) since 2007.
The redesign will facilitate the sharing of material between the two papers. Maintaining their individual distinctiveness has, however, been a parallel aim of the project. Consequently, the visual differences between HP and HN can be found on the navigation level (logos, signage and colour coding) as well as on special pages, such as Editorial, whereas the two papers are now sharing the same headline and body type.
Read more about the redesign process here.
28 February 2009, the two papers launched a common weekend supplement. H … as in Halland was designed by Hanne Groenlund and Ole Munk. Guardian Egyptian is used for all macro typography, and for drop caps, Christian Schwartz created a special logotype initials font, based on Guardian Egyptian Bold Italic.
Design awards for The Christian Daily and Sunnmoersposten
Kristeligt Dagblad (The Christian Daily) received an Award of Excellence for its overall design in the 2009 edition of the Best of Scandinavian News Design contest. The Copenhagen-based broadsheet has won numerous awards since its successful 2004 re-launch which led to a circulation increase by more than 20 percent and made KD the fastest-growing newspaper in Denmark.
The KD design philosophy is to avoid having to redesign the entire paper every five or seven years by gradually changing and introducing new elements - in a continuous cooperation with Ribergaard & Munk.
In the same contest, Sunnmoersposten won a bronze award for its dramatic front page from 27 March 2008. Sunnmoersposten was redesigned by Ribergaard & Munk in 2006, a project which won a silver award in that year’s SND/S contest.
New design projects
Ribergaard & Munk are going to redesign the Danish local daily Horsens Folkeblad (circ 16,300) together with editor Sven Groenborg, the man behind several previous redesigns and responsible for his newspaper’s design for more than a decade. To be launched in early 2010.
Ribergaard & Munk have been chosen as design consultants by the Swedish newspaper Smaalands-Tidningen, based in Eksjö. As one of the very few remaining broadsheet papers on a market dominated by tabloids, SMT has got no plans of changing its format but intends to gradually modernize its design over the next year. With two local editions (Vetlanda-Posten and Tranaas Tidning), Smaalands-Tidningen has a total daily circulation of 31,500 copies.
Ole Munk has been assigned to redesign the Danish newspaper Kommunen which is published every second week in tabloid format. Kommunen’s readers can be found among decision makers in the Danish society, mainly in the local municipalities (mayors, council members, chief executives, etc).
Publication checks at Samvirke and Ugeskrift for Laeger
Ribergaard & Munk have carried out a publication check at the monthly magazine Samvirke, Denmark’s biggest and most widely read magazine, published by FDB (owner of COOP Denmark).
Maj Ribergaard presented the result at Samvirke’s staff conference Tuesday 28 April 2009.
Based on an R&M publication check, the Danish weekly Ugeskrift for Laeger (Journal of The Danish Medical Association) created a brand new front page concept over the first months of 2009 with Ribergaard & Munk as consultants. Now the journal has been launched with a new format and a sharper, more news-oriented editorial profile.
publication check
Newspaper layout quick course celebrates 10-year anniversary
30 March-3 April 2009, Ole Munk carried out the 22nd edition of his newspaper layout quick course for the Danish Journalists’ Further Education, Update.
”Sider der virker” (Pages that work) ran for the first time in September 1999, and since then, more than 300 journalists - mostly copy editors - from Danish newspapers and magazines have been through the intensive one-week program, packed with lectures, discussions, and practical assignments.
2 and 9-10 March 2009, Maj Ribergaard ran a poster design workshop with 64 design students at TEKO, Scandinavia’s largest design and business academy within the fashion and lifestyle industry, in Herning, Denmark.
5-6 March 2009, Ole Munk ran his second newspaper design workshop in Saint Petersburg, Russia, this time gathering 20 participants from papers and magazines all over the northwestern part of this huge country. The seminar was arranged by RPI (the Regional Press Institute), based in Saint Petersburg.
seminars
Norrbottens-Kuriren becomes a tabloid
One of the last Swedish dailies to leave the berliner format, Norrbottens-Kuriren went tabloid Monday 2 February 2009.
“Kuriren” is published in Luleaa, just 100 km south of the Arctic Circle, with a circulation of app 25,000 copies. The redesign was carried out by an in-house project group (Jan-Erik Thelenius, Kicki Linna, and Klas Hallvarez) with Ribergaard & Munk as consultants.
On working days, the new tabloid will be divided into two sections, and every Saturday, an additional weekend supplement will provide Kuriren’s readers with something extra.
The new typography has been based on Guardian Egyptian - used for headlines, body text, and navigation. Kuriren is the second daily in the world to use Guardian Egyptian which Christian Schwartz originally designed for The Guardian of London.
Corpid, a sans serif designed by Lucas de Groot, is used for secondary text.
Kuriren’s new nameplate was designed by Ole Munk.
Read more about the Kuriren redesign project here.
Galleri Sonntag
5 April 2009, Maj Ribergaard opened a new art gallery in the former waiting room of the old Espergaerde railway station.
Galleri Sonntag will be open every Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.
Maj’s intentions with the new gallery are to exhibit contemporary art and present artists from our neighbouring countries.
Galleri Sonntag’s latest exhibition introduced the fabulous German painter and sculptor Dieter Glasmacher, for the first time in Denmark.
In September and October 2009, the Danish artist Tine Hind will fill the room with a collection of works which were inspired by the very special surroundings.
Infographics
Ribmunk Graphics is the name of Ribergaard & Munk’s new infographics service. Contact us on mail@ribmunk.dk.
We produce graphics-while-you-wait (although the bigger the assignment, the longer you’ll have to wait).
Based on our experience from producing graphics at papers such as Politiken, Jyllands-Posten (JP Copenhagen), and Dagens Nyheter, the graphics we will deliver are of the kind which, we believe, have the strongest communicative effect. That means simple - aimed at being immediately understood.
Front page concept for TAENK Penge
Ribergaard & Munk were consultants for the new magazine TAENK Penge (THINK Money) published by Forbrugerraadet (The Danish Consumer Council). The first issue was published in April 2009.
R&M assisted the editorial department on developing the rather unconventional front page concept - and we are also designing the advertisements promoting the new magazine.
”Latte” wins the Swedish Design Award
At the annual awards ceremony of Svenska Designpriset (The Swedish Design Award), 8 October 2008 at Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the gold medal went to Latte, the new weekend supplement of NA (Nerikes Allehanda) and VLT (Vestmanlands Läns Tidning), two Swedish regional papers with a total circulation of 110,000. Latte, which aims mainly at a female 40+ audience, was designed by Hanne Groenlund and Ole Munk together with VLT art director Kenneth Eriksson and feature editors Eva Lindström-Ejdeholt (NA) and Alisa Bosnic (VLT).
Latte’s basic typography is a combination of two typefaces created by young American type designers - Publico, by Christian Schwartz, and Apex, by Chester Jenkins. Caflisch Script is used for navigation.
You can download selected pages from Latte here.
Front page development at Information
Ribergaard & Munk are working with the Danish ”niche” daily, Information, on the development of the front page. Information went tabloid in 2004 and introduced a new, more “magazinish” front page concept, every day focusing on one particular story.
The further development of the visual communication of the front page was initiated with a workshop at Ribergaard & Munk 20 May 2008. Based on our experience from this workshop, Ribergaard & Munk created a series of ”communication templates” on which Information have been basing their front pages since October 2008.
The latest step was taken in January 2009 when Ribergaard & Munk carried out two weeks of real-time consultancy and hotline support for Information’s front page staff.
Information started out as the paper of the resistance movement during the German occupation of Denmark (1940-45) and has become the favourite paper of Danish intellectuals, not least those left of the political center. Since its format change in 2004, Information has managed to grow its circulation by 3 percent and pass the 21,000 mark - on a market which is generally characterized by serious decline.
Book on newspaper layout and editing, 3rd edition
Ole Munk and Maj Ribergårds educational book on newspaper layout and editing has been revised and published in its third edition, including examples of all the latest design developments of the dynamic Danish newspaper industry. To be purchased from Avisen i Undervisningen (but the language is, still, Danish).
Editorial development project
Hamar Arbeiderblad (HA), a 27,000 circ local daily in Hamar, Norway, which was redesigned by Ole Munk in 2003, have initiated an editorial development project, focusing on storytelling, planning, and visual communication, in cooperation with Update, the Danish Center for Professional Development in Journalism.
As part of the development project, Ole Munk worked in the HA editorial department 10-13 March and 6-9 October 2009.
Nordjyske goes tabloid
Thursday 10 April 2008, Nordjyske Stiftstidende - a Danish regional paper with a daily circulation of 69,000 copies - was launched in tabloid format, designed by Ribergaard & Munk together with an in-house project team led by executive editor Joergen laCour-Harbo.
“We are certain that our readers will find the new tabloid handier, more inviting and easier to navigate”, editor-in-chief Lars Jespersen explains to the newsletter of the Danish Newspaper Publishers’ Association, and adds: “Under an umbrella title called ‘Indblik’ (insight), we intend to produce daily double-trucks on which one topic will be presented from different viewpoints. More space will also be devoted to our top stories and in general, our paper is going to appear more strongly prioritized”.
Design-wise, the aim has been creating a new tabloid paper with a credible and classical appearance, and compared to the broadsheet edition, the new Nordjyske looks both lighter and brighter.
Simplicity is another key word of the new design, not least since the Nordjyske corporation is in fact a giant “news machine” with numerous local papers, each and every one of them to be produced within the same basic graphical structure as the main paper. Consequently, the new design builds upon a tight 6-column grid, the use of only two typefaces, fixed headline sizes, and strict rules for the interaction between different graphical elements.
Typographically, Matthew Carter’s typeface Charter is the hub of Nordjyske’s new design, used for both headlines and body text. For secondary text, we chose the sans serif Taz, originally created by Dutch type designer Lucas de Groot for the Berlin daily Die Tageszeitung.
A common design concept for ten Latvian local papers
Hanne Groenlund and Ole Munk have created a common design for the ten papers in the Regionala Prese Diena group. The basis of the new design concept is a five-column grid with 18 horizontal modules which are used to manage advertising formats as well as editorial elements.
Minion has been introduced as the body text of all titles, including Novaja Gazeta which uses the Cyrillic alphabet. The sans serif Aptifer Sans, created by Swedish type designer Maarten Thavenius in 2006, is the headline face of the nine Latvian-language titles while Novaja Gazeta headlines are set with Minion and Europe.
The new design has been very well-received by readers as well as staffers. According to editor-in-chief Nellija Locmele, head of the ten local papers as well as of their ”mother paper”, the national daily Diena (which was also redesigned by Ribergaard & Munk in 2007), the redesign has lifted the publications to a new level of sophistication and, at the same time, facilitated production.
Illustrations
The new Danish eight-issues-a-year magazine for Communication and Language, KOM, makes frequent use of Maj Ribergaard’s illustrations in which she combines photo cutouts, drawing, and typography.
Another user of Maj Ribergaard’s illustrations is Laura, a Swedish women’s monthly magazine which was launched in June 2006.
illustrations
Successful cookbooks
Hanne Groenlund has designed and layouted three cookbooks for the Danish publishers Thaning & Appel. “Kogebog til Laura” (Laura’s Cookbook”) contains recipes by ten Danish star chefs and the target group is people suffering from sclerosis. Mik Schack, known from Danish TV, wrote “Simple retter i verdensklasse” (Simple World Class Dishes) for everybody who appreciates good food. Thaning & Appel already sold out the entire 1st edition of “Kogebog til Laura” and half the first impression of “Simple retter i verdensklasse”. Most recently (October 2008), Thaning & Appel published Andreas Harder’s ”Mine italienske koekkener” (My Italian Kitchens).
publication design
New teachers’ magazine
In January 2007, the Danish Union of Teachers launched a new monthly magazine. Maj Ribergaard designed Undervisere.dk which aims at a wider audience and has a more timeless, analytical content than the well-established weekly Folkeskolen.
The typography is based on Foundry Form Serif and Taz, both extremely versatile typefaces adding variety to the firmly grid-structured magazine.
magazine design
Egedal Kommune (municipality)
With Berit Vedelsby as the anchor person, Ribergaard & Munk have created the visual identity program for the new Egedal Municipality when three Danish local authorities merged into one in January 2007.
corporate identity, web design