Ninety-five enthusiastic young designers are participating in the eight-day-long event, which aims to provide newspaper design an original perspective and fresh energy.
Speaking at the inaugural speech of the fifth +1T Design Days, Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı said the +1T Design Days are a program held to raise the level of journalism. Stating that it has become very easy in recent years for readers to access the information they are seeking, Dumanlı noted that conveying the background of news stories is the fundamental component of journalism.
“Many people have begun to discuss where journalism is heading in Turkey and the world. It is obvious that dailies will always exist as long as people desire to learn about what is happening in the world; however, these dailies will no longer proceed in the same way and format. They should adopt new perspectives and formats to keep up with the times,” Dumanlı said, underlining that there is therefore always a need for a professional staff.
Zaman News Editor Fatih Uğur also spoke at the event. Noting that it is not possible to think about news without design, Uğur underlined the importance of design for news. “It is a fact that design always contributes to news being easily read easily by the people. For this reason, design is what we call understanding the news,” Uğur said.
The program will include contributions from experts in the field from both Turkey and abroad. Each year, dozens of participants are chosen from among hundreds of applicants, including students from the departments of fine arts and communication. Among the experts and artists to be featured during the event are Hürriyet daily Editor-in-Chief Enis Berberoğlu; internationally acclaimed newspaper designer Mario Garcia; photographer Steve McCurry, who photographed the famous “Afghan Girl”; design software engineer Russel Viers; Media Association head and Sabah daily caricaturist Salih Memecan; Mimar Sinan University professor and designer Bülent Erkmen; publicist Serdar Erener; Milliyet daily Visual Director Ali Acar; Hürriyet Visual Director Reha Erdoğan; Sabah daily Visual Director Ömer Bahar; Zaman Art Director Fevzi Yazıcı; and other Zaman staff.
Adobe Systems Inc. and Eczacıbaşı’s Vitra, a powerful contender in the global bathroom and tile markets, are sponsoring this year’s +1T Design Days, which also feature talks, workshops, screenings of documentaries and exhibitions. The event will conclude on July 5.
