Post graphics team wins ‘Pulitzer of news design’ at global awards

Multimedia graphics visualising lightning strikes from dramatic Hong Kong storms just one of several projects this year to be recognised by industry

Infographics

SCMP Reporter

Published: 6:30pm, 4 Apr 2017

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Lightning strikes take place within no more than a split second, but the South China Morning Post made them last by visualising the natural phenomenon from two dramatic Hong Kong storms last summer with a multimedia graphic that captured a “Pulitzer of news design” last month.

Infographic designer Marco Hernandez’s Bolts from the Blue , which won him an award of excellence at the 25th Malofiej Awards in Pamplona, Spain, on March 31 was testament to the Post’s capability and determination to embrace the digital-first mantra.

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This multimedia graphic was among six bronze awards the Post’s graphics team won at the Malofiej Awards, which honour the best in data visualisation, information graphics and visual storytelling from around the world.

By drilling deep into 11,000 strikes of lightning during the two major weather events, Hernandez explored lightning activity in general, and in the process, created a graphic every bit as memorable as the storms that kept many Hongkongers awake that night.

In total, the team won six bronze awards at the Malofiej Awards in Spain. Photo: SCMP

The graphic has also been shortlisted at this year’s Asia Pacific branch of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers and won plaudits in three other competitions.

In Pamplona, Hernandez won a second bronze for his breaking news graphic Moving Out, a schematic map of the UK emphasising how and where the Brexit vote was won and lost.

The public recognition from our peers for our digital offerings is particularly gratifying

Darren Long, Post graphics head

Other awards went to deputy head for graphics and illustration Adolfo Arranz, as well as designers Marcelo Duhalde and Alberto Lucas.

Arranz took bronze for his visualisation marking 50 years since the death of the American animation pioneer, Walt Disney, by allowing readers to tease out their favourite characters.

He and Duhalde snatched another bronze with the full-page infographic When You Have to Go , an explainer on World Toilet Day.

Lucas provided further medals with data visualisations of the Oscars and China’s economic growth.

So far this year, the team has won a total of 30 international design awards from the Society for News Design, Malofiej, and the Hong Kong News Awards.

Head of graphics and magazine design Darren Long expressed hope that there would be “more to come” for the team.

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“The public recognition from our peers for our digital offerings is particularly gratifying,” he said. “We all consume our news by phone today, so our challenge, as designers, is to distil complex ideas into the limited space of a phone screen.”

“These awards are vindication that we’re moving in the right direction.”

To view our award-winning graphics, go to http://www.scmp.com/topics/infographics

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Post graphics team wins a ‘Pulitzer of news design’

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