This was a graphic designers dream. Based on old newspapers, we played with black and white colours, newspaper grids, halftone patterns, black letter typefaces and bold typographic designs to create a new identity about old newspapers.

Reminiscent of newspaper layouts, designs are framed with gridlines to hold the logo, copy and imagery. In animation these lines open up to reveal content and scrolling through headlines and halftone imagery. The Historic Newspapers masthead stands proudly at the top of communications. The blackletter insignia combines the H & N, with the H revealed in negative space.

Swiss Posters, Swiss Time and Swiss Now by Newglyph are the primary fonts of the system with Respira, a fancy blackletter typeface by Sharp Type, adding newsworthy character.

The new cover design system with masthead logo, border devices, halftone imagery and headline typography is perfectly built, much like newspapers themselves, for different content types. By dialling up and down the various design elements, the covers can now be bright and poppy for entertainment themes and muted and more sophisticated for more somber topic areas. Early trials with the new covers had an immediate impact selling 12 months of books in a single month. There were so many orders that at one point their finishing machine couldn’t keep up with the demand.

Photography adds gravitas to the products, with books and newspapers shot on dark, textural surfaces – concrete, wood and bitumen. A cast of characters were assembled for the shoot that would represent the different categories including sports fans, theatre goers, cinema buffs, rockers and pop believers. Borrowing from classic watch adverts, hands give a sense of scale and jewellery, clothing and accessories provide a sense of individuality.

We led the digital design and worked wth development partners and internal teams to implement the complete Shopify site. Users can now select covers, change colours and personalise their books to make incredible gifts. Internally, the team can now make new covers on the fly with imagery on the website automatically updating.


This rebrand marks a new era for Historic Newspapers—that seamlessly blends the richness of the past with the possibilities of the future. With a fresh, dynamic brand identity, enhanced product design, and an immersive digital experience, Historic Newspapers is now poised to captivate an even wider audience, turning history into the ultimate personalised gift. 

www.historic-newspapers.com