Mark Porter

A new Wall Street Journal site launched today. Read the rest of this entry »

When I first crossed the great divide from print to web, one of the earliest things I tried to do was introduce a flexible multi-column grid (you know, like a magazine). We tried various options, but in the end the most successful was the classic 12-column which has graced so many great magazines from Twen (above) to, well, Guardian Weekend. Read the rest of this entry »

Plagiarism is so much easier in the digital world — if someone wants to steal your design they dont even have to bother recreating it as they do in print, they can just take your code. Guardian.co.uk has its imitators, but this find only takes a gif (and a name) from us. The rest comes from a different source

The last two big sections of guardian.co.uk have been updated — culture and life & style went on to the new platform last night, and I’m starting to feel like a marathon runner who can see the tape after 26 miles.

It’s a strange feeling to see these new sites going up, as they’re based on design decisions we made over two years ago. But now that the end of the massive migration project is almost here, it’s finally to start thinking about making it all better, hooray!

Just got back from a couple of beautifully sunny days at the Crash news design seminar in Copenhagen. Its a really lovable city with a great design culture. I was talking at Arne Jacobsen’s Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, opened in 1960. Jacobsen designed everything down to the door handles; its been made over since then but the lobby is still pretty authentic, and its a great Danish design experience — lots of Egg and Swan chairs, Poul Henningsen lighting, and Vola taps. Read the rest of this entry »

economist.com is previewing its new homepage. Nothing amazing here, but the picture trails at bottom right bear a striking resemblance to a feature of a well-known newspaper site (Via City of Sound)

I’m currently preparing a talk for the Crash 2008 news design seminar in Copenhagen later in the month, and I’m making a real effort to collect and synthesise my thoughts about what editorial design means in the digital world. These ideas have been evolving over the last year or so, and are constantly developing as I read and talk to some of the great designers around the world I’m lucky enough to meet and spend time with. Read the rest of this entry »

Khoi Vinh, web design director at the New York Times, has been answering users’ questions in their “Talk to the Newsroom” slot. He has some nice things to say about me and my team, and gives a fascinating insight into his own views and philosophy, and his role at the Times. Well worth reading

Last week the Sport section of guardian.co.uk migrated to the new platform, and acquired the “new” (18-month-old) look. Just the latest rollout in our redesign and rebuild programme which began with Travel way back in late 2006. A few parts of the network are still in the pipeline, but it’s finally starting to feel like the heavy lifting will soon be over. Read the rest of this entry »

I had a warm welcome from the New York Times last week. The Times and the Guardian have a cordial relationship based on mutual respect. But if we ever got drunk and decided to go to bed togther, the result might look something like this. Only with better typography. And pictures.
(Thanks Marc)