The Society for News Design is proud to announce the finalists for World’s Best Designed in its Digital and Print Best of News Design Creative Competitions. This year, judges evaluated nearly 4,500 entries across both competitions and have narrowed the field down to nine finalists. There are also five finalists for the World’s Best Designer honor in the digital competition.
World’s Best Designed winners for both competitions will be announced the week of May 29th.
Best of Digital News Design
World’s Best Designed
A panel of 20 judges from the Society for News Design’s 44th edition creative competition, the Best of Digital News Design, has selected Reuters, Star Tribune, South China Morning Post, The Reporter and The Pudding as finalists for its World’s Best Designed honor.
Reuters
The illustrations are really beautiful, and these are old school infographics at its best. It has a nice retro feel and a consistent style across all the pieces which is nice. There is a beauty in the simplicity, it does not feel like unnecessary digital tricks are used.
On the brink | The cutting edge | Why plants matter | The collapse of insects | The future of biodiversity
Star Tribune
Very polished for the size of the newsroom. The piece brought in emotion with videos – subtle but takes a tremendous amount of time. The photo selection is excellent and they excel at playing with subtlety and helping readers feel emotion. The way they design their pages feels very intimate which is not necessarily easy to do.
Twin Cities’ communities of color hurt most by lack of trees. A tornado made it worse. | WHO THEY WERE | LIFE BEFORE ROE V. WADE | STATE OF WOLVES | BROKEN PROMISES, SHATTERED LIVES
South China Morning Post
This piece stands out for its use of powerful illustrations that effectively convey the metaphor of cages and captivity. The extra effort put into the design shines through, while the exploration of the problem and the human element within the narrative adds depth and relatability. The execution of the basics is nearly flawless, and the art direction with visible paint strokes and a balanced combination of illustrations and photographs humanizes the story. The transitions and animated chart build suspense perfectly, and the excellent use of design and a cohesive color palette guide the reader seamlessly throughout the entire series.
Life in Hong Kong’s shoebox housing | ‘Like a caged animal’: why Hongkongers in city’s notorious subdivided flats say they have no choice | ‘This is not a home’: depression, cockroaches, rats and shame add up to misery for Hongkongers in subdivided flats | Can Hong Kong deliver on 2049 target to wipe out subdivided flats and ‘cage homes’? Resident says ‘I will probably die in one of them’ | Land rush
The Reporter
The scrollytelling in this is exceptional because the visuals and text are always perfectly synchronized, which is crucial for effective video storytelling. The integration of elements, well-thought-out transitions, and outstanding 3D modeling push the boundaries of their newsroom and elevate their work to a medal-worthy level. Despite the language barrier, the impressive range showcased across three different pages leaves a lasting impression, while the strong photography successfully prevents the topic from becoming monotonous.
https://www.twreporter.org/topics/enterprise-wastes-black-market | https://www.twreporter.org/a/enterprise-wastes-black-market-back-to-the-crime-scene | https://www.twreporter.org/a/enterprise-wastes-black-market-satellite-images-find-abandoned-dirt-and-waste |
The Pudding
This is an incredibly varied but incredibly ambitious portfolio. A lot of these pieces push the boundaries of storytelling and keep accessibility features.
It’s difficult to stand out in this platform but their Tiktok content stands out so well. It feels very native in the platform in terms of phasing and tonal range. There’s so much variety in illustrations, videos and photos. They pushed in a way that traditional newsroom can’t.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18043687948401258/ | https://www.tiktok.com/@the_pudding/video/7086153466300747050 | https://www.instagram.com/p/CjQ2pfajsBY/ | https://www.instagram.com/p/ClFCBz-y55h/ | https://www.tiktok.com/@the_pudding/video/7144022069338983726 | HOW ARE YOU DOING? | Hola y bienvenido. | WHY THE SUPER RICH ARE INEVITABLE | On upward mobility | Welcome to words against strangers
World’s Best Digital Designer
A panel of 20 judges from the Society for News Design’s 44th edition creative competition, the Best of Digital News Design, has selected Katherine Lee, Simon Scarr, Emily Wright, Ricard Marfà and Katty Huertas as finalists for its World’s Best Designer honor.
Katherine Lee, Rest of World
It showcases an excellent and wide range of styles. What’s remarkable is that every individual story feels unique, with no two pieces seeming like they came from the same person. It showcases the designer’s versatility and ability to adapt seamlessly. The imaginative nature of each story shines through, with each piece exuding its own distinct personality. It is incredibly rare to witness a designer fluidly transition between such different styles, making this portfolio all the more remarkable.
How Chinese citizens use puns to get past internet censors | Welcome to the Ambaniverse | IN THE DARK | This is what a tech market looks like in Tokyo
Simon Scarr, Reuters
The editing on the pages felt very smart. These are the type of examples you bring back to other publications to tell them you can do brief storytelling. It’s very cohesive but with a hint of variety. The range is there amongst five pieces.
How a night of Halloween revelry turned to disaster in South Korea | Stronger, faster, higher | How big was the Tonga eruption? | The perfect storm | The collapse of insects
Emily Wright, The Washington Post
I thought everything was so well-executed. It’s very fun, every single piece is super smart and visually clear – each of them have a distinct voice. I was pulled in by how beautiful and visually clean the gas and housing piece is.
Pump shock: Why gas prices are so high | Sorry you went viral | How much gas money it takes to drive across America | Rising rent: Why prices are only going higher
Ricard Marfà, ARA
The audio stories in this portfolio are truly delightful. Each piece offers a unique and refreshing experience, showcasing the artist’s ability to explore different narratives. What stands out is the distinct voice that each story possesses, adding depth and personality. The use of various techniques is skillfully integrated to create a cohesive whole.
AL RESCAT DEL PLANETA BLAU | GENERACIÓ COVID | Un futur sense cafè (bo) | OBJECTIU: CATALUNYA VERDA | Barcelona: la tortura del soroll
Katty Huertas, The Washington Post
There’s variety in exploration. I see a real intention to push, to go beyond the idea and try to max out. There’s so much emotion in the work that’s being shown. As well as the humor there’s so much fun and entertaining, and humor in newsroom isn’t easy to do. It’s cool to see an art director bring that into their work. This portfolio is one of the ones where I was smiling consistently.
Quiz: Is there truth behind these 8 travel myths? | Want to escape your family holiday? Plan a trip with this quiz. | Trust me, take a cab in a new city | 2022 Holiday Gift Guide | An illustrated encyclopedia of people at the airport
Best of Print News Design
After three days of discussion, the World’s Best judging panel in the Society for News Design’s Best of Print News Design Creative Competition has selected four finalists in the World’s Best Designed category.
The finalists are:
The New York Times
The New York Times design harnesses a wealth of deep and diverse journalism. The paper has a design approach that enables them to craft solutions for a broad range of storytelling. Their design uses elegant and timeless typography that is instantly recognizable as The New York Times.
Washington Post
This entry demonstrated a clean and inviting design identity throughout the publication. Impactful photo displays, appropriate use of information graphics and a daring use of scale on section fronts commanded attention. Overall, the organization and pacing of the paper was both diverse and engaging.
Weekendavisen
Weekendavisen stands out for its combination of sophisticated typography, attention to detail and skillful use of white space to create pages that are elegant and restrained, yet surprising. Solutions for traditional design challenges—puzzle pages and spreads with multiple short pieces—are achieved using visual hierarchy to guide readers through the content. Decisive photo editing and the interaction between typography and illustration add to the success of this entry’s storytelling.
Die Zeit
Die Zeit’s creativity and cleverness are consistently on display. From their larger typographic illustrations to the tiny illustrative details that adorn their initial caps, Die Zeit never misses an opportunity to delight. The juxtaposition of large amounts of text with judicious white space makes long form stories approachable. The typography, tight photo editing, concise information graphics and a controlled color palette represent an overall wisdom and restraint that allow visuals to shine.