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- The newspaper has won 47 international design awards since its relaunch in 2018
RIYADH: Arab News, which today celebrates its 46th anniversary, has added six Indigo Design awards to the 41 honors it has accumulated since the relaunch of the region’s leading English language daily in 2018.
The recent awards — two of each gold, silver and bronze — went to Arab News’ special coverage across its international editions - Arab News en Francais and Arab News Japan.
One gold award went to the promotional launch video of the Arab News French edition which went live on July 14, 2020.
“Selection of the quintessential French song “la foule,” interpreted with Arabic instruments, lent the video a unique element, bringing East and West in beautiful harmony,” Ali Itani, Region Head Japan & France, said of the first place-winning Arab News En Francais promotional video.
Commenting on the Japanese edition, he said: “Japanese and Arabic calligraphy are world renowned for their unique styles.
“Incorporating the two with the rising sun of Arab News Japan was not only appreciated but also presented to the former Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, during his trip to Saudi Arabia.”
The new design was presented by Editor in Chief Faisal J. Abbas and Ali Itani (left) to then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in 2020. (Arab News photo)
Regarding Arab News en Français’s gold win, Indigo judge El Ogorodova told Arab News that “Energy and dimension sparked by a delicate line. ‘Arab News En Français’ combines story, technique and humor wrapped in a swirl of design.”
While also commenting on the Arabic calligraphy deep dive, stating that “It takes skill to create successful depth in animation. Like in a recipe, you need the right formula composed of the right pieces in their right proportions.”
“’Arabic calligraphy: Ancient craft, modern art’ does a great job at picking out a vivid combination of hues and maintaining a warm tone inviting the viewer to listen. The motion is fluidly combined by a mix of parallax movement and subtle character animation, creating a dynamic flow. Fun and informative — the most welcome kind of learning!”
Ever since Arab News announced its new digital transformation strategy in 2016, importance has moved towards design and innovation, with the appointment of the publication’s very first creative director as well as a focus on commissioning award-winning designers around the world to make this happen.
“For Arab News to be recognized with six Indigo Design Awards is a brilliant achievement,” said Creative Director Simon Khalil. “ Winning 47 design awards to date is remarkable and it reinforces the creative vision we have at Arab News.
Arab News Creative Director Simon Khalil.
“Our mission is to inform and delight our readers around the world and these awards will push the whole team to be even more innovative.”
Indigo also took pride, saying in a statement: “We are very proud to have such a big media company as Arab News among our awardees. We are impressed with what they do as a publisher, especially their value-added content that contributes immensely in social change.”
As part of its 46th anniversary announcements, Arab News also today launches a new section on its website which houses all its award-winning special editions, covers and videos in one place to serve as a resource for students, news designers and editors alike. This can be accessed by visiting www.arabnews.com/greatesthits.