Dear Readers
"I HAVE never been aware before how many faces there are. There are quantities of human beings, but there are many more faces, for each person has several." (Rainer Maria Rilke)
Newspapers have faces just like people. Sometimes a paper has an antiquated look but a spirit that is in step with an ever-changing, modern world. Sometimes it's the other way round, and under a lovely face a heavy, outdated character holds sway. Publishers worldwide seek to attract new readers through redesign.
Unifying form and content has been one of the greatest challenges facing newspaper designers for the history of print media.
The 10th anniversary of The Slovak Spectator was an appropriate time to take this challenge, as the paper has been continuously changing and maturing over the past decade.
The next issue of The Slovak Spectator will come packaged in a new look, complemented by several new features and columns reflecting the changes and progress the paper has achieved since its first issue in March 1995.
We hoped to dress the Spectator in an outfit that would be both elegant and traditional, dynamic and true to the well-tested journalistic traditions.
Prophets of the Internet era say that the we have entered the age of the twilight of print media and that the sound of the printing press will go the way of the steam engine.
Until that time, we want to serve people who still appreciate touching newsprint, who enjoy the fresh newspaper scent that mixes with the strong smell of morning coffee, who appreciate being able to hide behind these pages on the train or bus, and who extend their vision to places far beyond the boundaries of the newspaper sheet.
We are not announcing any dramatic changes, just reconfirming the path that the Spectator has been following - and is committed to follow - by being a mature paper for an elite club of readers.
Beata Balogová
Editor-In-Chief
The Slovak Spectator
