Lucie Lacava broke conventions and blazed the trail in newspaper design. She has proven that a newspaper can be elegantly designed using only two colours for Le Devoir. Lucie was the first to use the "L" format in newspaper design when she adopted the concept for La Presse newspaper (Montreal) in 2003. The concept had inspired many publications to do the same. Lucie is a very discreet person; she let’s her work speak for herself.

Her design acumen was recognized when The National was one of the top 10 newspapers to win more awards in The Best of News Design competition on the very same year it was launched.

SND20 pays a humble tribute to Lucie for her incredible work.   
 




Telegraph-journal redesign



What do you think about the future of printed newspapers?

Quality newspapers will survive and continue to deliver a print edition in the future. If they do not revise their business model they will end up with fewer readers, mostly from the business, political, and intellectual elite.

As for the local papers, they will have to be relevant,entertaining, well written, and FREE in order to survive.

I think it is great that in the latest Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry likes to read the morning paper the "Daily Prophet", which is somewhat magic and interactive but still on paper. This sends a strong message to young audiences all over the world.



















"It might be enough to be identified as one of the most honored news designers with work  included ten times among SND’s world’s best-designed newspapers. Or to have created a surprising amount of excitement over an innovation like the widely-adopted “hot L” design for news fronts. But while Lucie’s work has the power to establish trends, it could never be called trendy. And while her approach to publication design is always elegant, it is never mannered to the detriment of the journalism. She and her work have made major contributions to the craft."

Phil Ritzenberg
SND Past President and Publisher

 


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution redesign







"Lucie Lacava is one of the most talented designers in the horizon these days; her work is impeccably elegant, precise, and aesthetically a joy to look at. You can tell a Lucie Lacava project, just like you can a Tiffany diamond. In ten seconds, you know that she touched the page, caressed the typography and made even the most mundane of stories turn into something special on the page."

Mario Garcia
CEO Mario Garcia Media

 

 

Tabloid or Standard/Broadsheet?  

In North America it will be a long time before broadsheets are transformed into tabloids because of the huge cost involved in converting the presses.
What we are seeing is a lot of narrowing of the web width. Some papers are getting very very narrow and tall. Perhaps in the future we will call them "slimsheets" instead of broadsheets!


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The National- United Arab Emirates- Top ten SND Awards winners 2008


Do you have a preference of newspaper format that you feel more comfortable to work with for a graphic project?

I have worked on broadsheets, tabloids and compact or mini-tab, but I have never worked on the Berliner, this is my favorite format.






"Lucie Lacava is a great designer, diplomat and decision maker.
Every day she worked on the The National she dazzled us with her prowess for presenting the news; dodged egos and danced around office politics to win everyone over; and, at the end of the day, studied the bar menu with furrowed brow to select just the right glass of champagne.Her memory is a whole other matter. One night, en route to a well-earned nightcap; Lucie pulled rolling laptop case to the taxi and popped it in the trunk. Half way through our drink she remembered it.Luckily a colleague had befriended the taxi driver and taken his number for future use. The driver was called and the laptop recovered.But Ms. Lacava is also clever.On a recent visit, as we were heading out to catch a taxi, she announced there wouldn't be a repeat of that incident. She popped her new MacBook Air in her teeny tiny bag and rested it on her lap in the taxi.Now, we just have to find a solution for those pesky spectacles …"

Laura Koot
THE NATIONAL - UAE
Manager Editor- Design Director

 

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The National- United Arab Emirates- Top ten SND Awards winners 2008

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What newspaper in the world you would like to redesign and why?

The New York Times, because it is the most prestigious newspaper in the world. I imagine this would be a dream project, an intensely typographic project, where tradition and innovation could merge.

 









"Lucie is a wonderful person and a terrific designer and a special friend to design."

Marshal Mattlock
SND Competition Director
Associate Professor, Syracuse University- NY













"Lucie is a true luminary and leader in the field. Her designs capture what a newspaper can be at the height of simplicity, elegance and information. Her work at papers that span the globe continues to teach us all that less is more, that personality and beauty can set a publication apart and that quality never goes out of style".

Jonathon Berlin
SND Publications Director
Design Director, Chicago Tribune


The National- United Arab Emirates- Top ten SND Awards winners 2008


What’s your advice for someone who is beginning in newspaper design?

Read the story first, design later. Work on text-heavy inside pages, opinion pages, or even classifieds. Develop an appreciation for micro typography and grids. It is always fun and relatively easy to work with white space and make a feature page look good, but as the saying goes, "God is in the details."



The National- United Arab Emirates- Top ten SND Awards winners 2008

What’s your dream in your life? Or do you already have everything you want?

If I look back at my early years I must say that I have exceeded my own expectations. Now I have everything I want but more of it would be better!
I have many dreams. I would love to own a little chateau in the south of Europe where I would live, but also own and publish my own quality newspaper, and I would love to also design fashion, furniture and buildings.









"Lucie is one of the most avant-guarde designers in the world. She has set the benchmark for news design time and again. If you want to know where news design is going, check out her portfolio!"

Cristóbal Edwards
SND Executive committee advisor