10 newspapers we loved in 2023

As we turn the page on another year, we're taking a look back at some of the standout projects that went through our presses in 2023. And after our busiest year yet, we had more newspapers to choose from than ever!

From a 100th birthday surprise to a prop for Puma to large-format landscape photography – peek inside 10 publications that show the many inventive ways you can use newspapers. We hope they'll inspire you to make your own mark in print in 2024!

Visual voyage

Our large format broadsheet captures the magic of medium format film in this visual journey from British photographer Benjamin Story. Featuring stunning images shot on 120 film, the newspaper unfolds into a series of immersive landscapes from the Chamonix Valley to Marrakech.

"I didn’t want to do a book but I wanted my work to last longer than an Instagram post. A newspaper bridges that gap."

“I didn’t want to do a book – they last too long,” says Benjamin. “But I wanted my work to last longer than an Instagram post. A newspaper bridges that gap, plus it’s easy to design and fits my aesthetic perfectly.”

Plot pages

With 113 allotment sites spread across 631 acres, Birmingham has nearly 7,000 more plots than any other local authority in the UK. The Birmingham Allotment Project, an oral history project by General Public, offers an alternative view of the city through this thriving gardening culture.

The tabloids were shared with allotment holders and as part of a major exhibition at the Library of Birmingham. Designer Keith Dodds turned “a vast amount of content into something coherent and magical,” says General Public’s Chris Poolman. “Oral history interviewees are delighted that their stories are featured in something that feels  ‘serious and professional,’ as one plotholder put it.”

Print pick-me-up

It’s hard to resist this zine for the Glasgow Print Fair with its friendly cover illustration by Max Machen. Featuring interviews with artists and sneak peeks of the works for sale, the mini newspaper was distributed around cafes and shops in Glasgow and helped drum up excitement for the annual event - which had its biggest turnout yet!

“We wanted to create something really tactile that represented the print artists we work with,” says organiser Kaye Symington. “We chose the mini as we wanted it to look like a regular flyer, but then be a surprise when people picked it up!”

Century celebration

Live through a whole century and you'll have seen a lot of headlines. But Dr. Peter Emerson had never seen a front page like the one his granddaughter Anna created to surprise him and the guests at his 100th birthday party. "It was a huge success!" she says of the digital tabloid. "He loved it."

Anna used our vintage-themed Canva template to make the newspaper – in fact, this was the very first newspaper using this template that we printed! We loved seeing how Anna transformed the layout into her own unique design for such a special occasion.

Campus comics

SVA Style connects 7,000 aspiring artists studying a wide variety of creative disciplines at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. This issue of the biannual tabloid newspaper celebrates the funny pages, with work by student comic artists alongside sketchbooks and ties to local art culture.

The zine, printed on salmon newsprint, also serves as a recruitment tool for prospective students – they can consult the horoscope section for a preview of their lives at SVA.

"Print has the ability to stand out when it embraces a unique, tactile look and feel."

“We like to have a loose design aesthetic so the publication can evolve between issues, and newsprint offers a defining attribute that can connect them all,” says assistant director Jennifer Liang. “In our digitally dominated age, print has the ability to stand out when it embraces a unique, tactile look and feel.”

Goats and goals

The Art of Football and Puma teamed up this year on a limited-edition collection inspired by football legend Thierry Henry. We were starstruck to see our broadsheets share the spotlight with the headline-making player (plus a couple of goats) in the promotional imagery for the collaboration. 

Shared histories

Produced by artists Quentin Sledge and Angela Burdon of curatorial collective Lungs Project, The Body Remembers is an exploration of "ancestral memory and shared cultural narratives" expressed through conversations and stories collected from their community in Dayton, Ohio.

Quentin and Angela presented the project during a one-day community event filled with performance, portraiture and prose. The tabloid was a gift to the audience as a thank you for sharing their histories and time with the artists.

“We wanted to create an archive of the work as a keepsake, something our audience would hold dear and treasure,” says Angela. “We also used newspaper prints as part of the exhibition and it was so well-received!”

Manager manual

Drawing from over a decade of research and more than 3 million coaching sessions, BetterUp helps businesses and individuals boost workplace performance. As the world's largest mental health and coaching startup, they're distilling their data into a publication neatly printed on our mini newspapers. The first issue, published in October, digs into what makes a successful manager.

"A newspaper really helps us tell our data story in a more compelling way."

“Blog posts and emails are an easy way to pass along information, but they can get lost in a sea of digital detritus,” says content marketing manager Adam Wood. “A newspaper really helps us tell our data story in a more compelling way. It’s also elevated the brand to have a publication that looks so professional.”

Fashion futures

The (Fashion) Minority Report is a learning and career development platform that supports underrepresented talent in the fashion industry. Their newspaper, The Reporter, delivers an annual collection of thought pieces, interviews and reports on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) trends.

“DEI can present difficult conversations,” says founder Daniel Peters. So alongside serious articles on equity, inclusion and culture the broadsheet features tongue-in-cheek pieces such as a "Dear Karen" advice column.

“A newspaper felt like a way to create something tangible and approachable for consumers and industry professionals,” says Daniel. “At the same time, the format won’t alienate people outside the industry who are also passionate about the topic.”

Diaspora dialogues

Launched in 2022, The New Cari.com celebrates stories of Caribbean creatives from across the diaspora. The NYC-based agency and zine has published 4 issues on our mini newspapers so far - most recently on the theme of Style (pictured here), featuring interviews with creatives who are making their marks in the world of fashion.

“We chose a mini newspaper because we wanted something that was easy to flip through with bold colors,” says creative director Andrea K. Castillo. “The 80gsm paper provides a nice crisp page and a luxurious feel.”

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