Guardian editor resigns

There’s already much coverage and comment everywhere about Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rushbridger’s resignation announcement. In case it gets overlooked in the praise for his many other talents, his support for the best editorial design deserves acknowledgement.

The Guardian has long led British newspaper publishing in this respect, and its reputation for design predates Rushbridger’s appointment as editor, with David Hillman’s work for previous editor Peter Preston. But Rushbridger understood the need to extend and push that reputation, with print, digital and even wayfinding in the newspaper’s new offices considered important. Creative directors Simon Esterson, Mark Porter and now Alex Breuer have been encouraged to develop the newspaper in print and digital, with the 2003 move to the Berliner format under Porter a case study of the complete editorial relaunch. The absolute opposite of the cosmetic revamp, the project involved new printing presses, new sections, new content, new format, new logo, new typefaces and new layout.