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Charles Apple: The Visual Side of Journalism

 

‘South Africa’ archive

Number of comments in parentheses

March 12: A little South African pop music to brighten your Monday

This morning, I spent an hour or so Skyping a news design class at Stellenbosch University near Cape Town, South Africa. The class is taught on an adjuct basis by my good friend Arlene Prinsloo, with whom I’ve worked so closely during my time in that country. Just last week, Arlene generously sent me a package full of goodies. Among [...]

Feb. 9: What it’s like to sit in on a news meeting held in Afrikaans

From time to time, folks ask me what it was like working for months at a time in South African newspapers. It was a lot like working in U.S. newspapers, really. Except much of the time, everyone spoke Afrikaans. So attending planning meetings can be like going to a meeting in the U.S. in which they’re discussing, say, programming. Or [...]

Dec. 6, 2011: Beeld of Johannesburg, South Africa, redesigns (1)

Beeld — a 73,344-circulation daily based in Johannesburg, South Africa — launched a redesign today. This is the third of three Afrikaans-language dailies owned by the Media24 company to redesign this spring (they’re in the Southern hemisphere, so it’s spring there). On the left is Monday’s front page. On the right is today’s.   I think it’s fair to say [...]

Nov. 22, 2011: South African newspapers observe ‘Black Tuesday’

Tuesday is a huge day for press freedom in my home-away-from-home, South Africa. The nation’s Press Association has asked South Africans to observe a “Black Tuesday” to support freedom of the press by wearing black clothing. Or, at least, a black armband. My good friend Arlene Prinsloo sent me this picture this morning of folks protesting in front of Parliament. [...]

Nov. 21, 2011: Die Burger of Cape Town, South Africa, launches a redesign

Die Burger — a 59,808-circulation Afrikaans-language daily based in Cape Town, South Africa — launched a redesign today. On the left is a front from last January. On the right is today’s launch day front.   As I wrote two weeks ago, all three Media24 Afrikaans-language dailies in South Africa are redesigning this summer (summer for them; winter for us [...]

Nov. 8, 2011: Volksblad of Bloemfontein, South Africa, launches redesign (2)

Volksblad — a 21,025-circulation Afrikaans-language daily based in Bloemfontein, South Africa — launched a redesign today. On the left is Monday’s front page. On the right is today’s launch edition.   Let’s see what I can tell you about the redesign… This redesign was started more than a year ago by Australian-based redesign consultant Peter Ong and then completed by [...]

Sept. 15, 2011: How South African papers prepared for the Rugby World Cup

I’m more than a week late in posting this, so my apologies to any rugby fans out there. But my friends in South Africa have been very, very busy this summer, preparing for the Rugby World Cup, which started last Friday in New Zealand and runs through Oct. 23. Andre Gouws — editor of Graphics24, which supplies infographics to all [...]

Sept. 5, 2011: An ode to the late, great Freddie Mercury

Here’s a couple of facts that may give you a jolt this morning… No. 1: Queen’s Freddie Mercury passed away 20 years ago this coming November. No. 2: Had he not died, Freddie would have turned 65 years old today. Feel ancient yet? The Media24 papers in South Africa — for which I’ve done so much consulting work over the [...]

Sept. 4, 2011: Even in this economy, there is still room for a new product (1)

At least, that’s the case this week in South Africa. The new product: A new weekly news magazine called NewsNow. Its specializes in telling very short, very snappy stories using techniques damned near to what we here in the U.S. might consider alternative story forms. It’s being marketed as a very fast read for people on the go. Lots of [...]

Aug. 2, 2011: This is what newspapers will be competing with for ad dollars (1)

It’s amazing, really, what they’ll slap an ad onto these days. I’ve not seen this here in the U.S. just yet. But it’s just a matter of time before our newspapers are competing with parking lots for advertising dollars. That’s right. Parking lots. These pictures are of the parking deck at Blu Bird, a trendy shopping center in the northern [...]

June 17, 2011: For your consideration… (2)

The big story this week in South Africa is politics. The ruling African National Congress — or ANC — party found its hold on the country slipping in the most recent local election. Political colleagues are starting to point fingers at one another. The leader of the ANC Youth League, Julius Malema — or “JuJu” — gave a speech Thursday [...]

June 8, 2011: Lesson learned: Never piss off a cat lover (2)

Shoe City — a retailer based in Cape Town, South Africa — ran a very interesting advertisement in the May 26 editions of popular South African magazines Huisgenoot, You and Drum. The ad was amusing. But only to people who are not cat lovers, evidently… Idea being that you ran over a cat. Therefore, you need to do something to [...]

June 2, 2011: For your musical enjoyment: South Africa’s fabulous Soap Girls (2)

Call me a typically prudish Southern-born American. Or call me the father of an 18-year-old young woman. But it alarms me just a bit when I see the two sweet little girls I met one chilly day in November 2009 in South Africa’s Hout Bay… …have not only turned into their country’s hottest pop stars. But the Soap Girls have [...]

May 28, 2011: In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion shoots pictures tonight

This happened in South Africa, but that’s not why I’m showing it to you. I’m showing it to you because it’s funny as hell. Photographers Roger and Pat de la Harpe of Africa Imagery — a South African stock agency and publishing house — were in the Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve — in the extreme northern part of the country, [...]

May 22, 2011: Why the Sunday Independent of South Africa needs a copy editor

The Sunday Independent — a 41,464-circulation weekly based in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa — needs a copy editor to look over the promotional posters it prints and then distributes all over town. Because, y’know, this can’t possibly be good for single-copy sales. I know how dummy copy gets into the paper. We’ve all done that before. But [...]

May 18, 2011: Municipal election day coverage from South Africa

Wednesday was a huge, huge day for my friends back in South Africa. The nation held municipal elections today, only its third since the start of real Democracy in 1994. Folks are unhappy with the economy, with repeated scandals among politicians and with the quality of “service delivery” — basic governmental duties that just don’t get taken care of in [...]

May 13, 2011: Wait — is that Meg Lavey-Heaton and Ryan Huddle? Writing in Afrikaans? (3)

You’re accustomed to seeing my stuff appear in Afrikaans in South African newspapers (here and here and here, f’instance). But Meg Lavey-Heaton, of the Harrisburg, Pa., Patriot-News? And Ryan Huddle of the Boston Globe? Writing in Afrikaans? Yes, indeed. Two of my very favorite ontwerpers. Here’s how it came to pass… Johann Maarman — a friend from die Burger, the [...]

May 11, 2011: A little contest horn tootin’ here…

Tuesday night, the folks I’ve been working with in South Africa cleaned up at the 10th annual Mondi Shanduka awards. These are the nation’s highest newspaper industry awards, sponsored by Print Media South Africa, the Newspaper Association of South Africa and the namesake: Mondi Shanduka, a producer of newsprint. Winners were named last night at Turbine Hall in downtown Johannesburg. [...]

April 28, 2011: A couple of cool royal wedding infographics

Yes, it’s already past midnight in London and, therfore, the big day is already at hand. Friday, Prince William — second in line to be king of England — will marry Kate Middleton in what’s been called a storybook wedding. As for myself: Yes, I’m already tired of hearing about this. Not quite as tired as these guys, perhaps, but [...]

April 4, 2011: All home, safe and sound (2)

I wrote you last from a sports bar in Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. My plane for Norfolk departed around 6:30 Dallas time. I didn’t realize until I was aboard that I was flying business class for even the domestic leg of my trip. I could have spent the afternoon in the American Airlines lounge. Sitting next to me was an optometrist [...]

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