New Face of ‘Kompas’ 2018

Kompas

Budiman Tanuredjo

For nearly 12 years, Kompas readers have become familiar with the classic and elegant design and face of Kompas. Kompas’s front-page design was made by internationally renowned newspaper designer, Mario F Garcia, the founder of Garcia Media. The design was launched on June 28, 2005, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Kompas.

Today, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, in line with the publication of its 17,731st edition, Kompas has redesigned its front page. The change to Kompas’s front page, which relies on a centralized visual impact with a clean and strong design, along with its digital version, Kompas.ID, is the daily’s response to its readership’s change in the behavior as a result of the digital revolution.

In its 52-year journey, a front-page redesign is a normal thing. The new design, which was developed fully by intern designers, also involved a number of cross-generational Kompas editors, Kompas’s research and development division, focused discussions with readers’ groups and its business division, is based on Kompas’s character as a quality newspaper and retains its main feature of classic and elegant. This basic principle was combined with the current trend that demands a design that is clean and strong.

The digital revolution has changed public behavior and culture in communicating or consuming news. Social media has changed the nature of information to be more personal. Social media is democratization of the media in the true sense. "Kompas White Book 2017: Guidelines in the Digital Era", which was the responsibility of the Kompas internal redesign team, quotes Communication Science Professor Jose Luis Orihuela (2003) of Navarra University, Spain.

Orihuela mentions several new media paradigms in the digital era. The paradigms range from the audience to the user, from media to content, from monomedia to multimedia, from periodicity to real time, from information shortage to overload, from editor-mediated to non-mediated, from distribution to access, from one-way to interactive, from linear to hypertext, and from data to knowledge.

Kompas daily and Kompas.ID are trying to respond to these changes. Both the print and online versions on Kompas.ID fall under a single editorial and business policy in trying to respond to the demand for multimedia, interactivity and real time, the characteristics of digital media. Kompas and Kompas.ID are a single unity to respond to these challenges.

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With the limited space in newspapers, it is impossible for the Kompas daily to give comprehensive information to its readers. As digital media is superior in speed, a newspaper is challenged to improve the quality of its news, provide depth, offer perspective, present accuracy (precision journalism) and give meaning to the news. The editors of Kompas and Kompas.ID are committed to fully become a clearinghouse of information and a warehouse of knowledge amid scattered information.

A new feature offered in the Kompas redesign is a brief summary of news to accommodate readers who have limited time for reading. A navigation banner is provided under the heading to provide readers with a guide to news on other pages that have been deemed interesting and important. The Kompas redesign is expected to enhance the convenience of reading Kompas and provide a fresh look, but remain credible and trustworthy. There is also the Archive column, which has been moved to page 15. The Archive column, featuring past Kompas coverage, has been reinterpreted in the current context.

Even though the typeset and fonts for the Kompas daily heading has been designed to be stronger and more modern, the Kompas daily remains a "polite watchdog". Borrowing a term frequently used by Kompas general chairman Jakob Oetama, the Kompas media style is based on the classic principle of “pleasantly in manner, powerfully in deed” (Fortiter in re, suaviter in modo).

Amid the digital revolution and the democratization of media, which is embodied by social media, it is reasonable if the greatest challenge of a newspaper is to question the raison d\'être of a newspaper in the public eye. Jakob himself in The Kompas Way: Jakob’s Legacy provides an answer by quoting Hal Jurgenmeyer (1931-1995). For Jurgenmeyer, the chairman of mass media at the US’s Knight Ridder group, a newspaper is not an institution that deals entirely with the business of news or information. A newspaper is an institution that deals with the business of influence: Public influence and commercial influence.

Born at the end of President Soekarno’s rule on June 28, 1965, Kompas has worked through the eras of President Soeharto,

Jakob frequently reiterates the need to anticipate digital developments. Kompas stringently follows digital development and has even followed digital development by giving birth to the Kompas.com portal on Sept. 14, 1994 and Kompas.ID in 2017, which is an extension of the Kompas daily. Kompas journalism is not sensationalistic, but is based on substance. Kompas journalism is committed to continuously benefit the public, be a friend to change and contribute to civilization.

Entering its second 50-year phase, Kompas has been a friend of the national journey. Born at the end of President Soekarno’s rule on June 28, 1965, Kompas has worked through the eras of President Soeharto, President BJ Habibie, President KH Abdurrahman Wahid, President Megawati Soekarnoputri, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and now, President Joko Widodo.

Kompas’s journalistic style cannot be separated from the perspective of its founder, Jakob Oetama, on humanity. Humans always have two sides, goodness and weakness. Therefore, Jakob said, “We are no angels”. It is this view that imbues Kompas’s criticism with understanding.

In-depth coverage that is published at the beginning of every week or comprehensive coverage involving expeditions and exploration will be the main features of this daily. Expeditionary coverage is Kompas’s offer to look at Indonesia in a different way. Indonesia cannot be viewed merely from regional autonomy, but also through other ways, such as looking at Indonesia through its rivers (Bengawan Solo Expedition 2007, Ciliwung Expedition 2009, Musi Exploration 2010, Citarum Expedition 2011), seeing Indonesia through the mountains (Ring of Fire Expedition 2011-2012), looking at Indonesia through its foods (Culinary Expedition 2012), and looking at Indonesia from under its seas (Coral Reef Expedition 2017) and Spice Line (2017).

This in-depth journalism will be emphasized amid the changing era. The design may change, but Kompas’s humanitarian vision and commitment will remain. These are actualized and made more relevant in accordance with the era and the needs of its readership. The readers\' needs will always be considered. Its principle of sustainable development, abiding by the code of ethics, loyalty to the principles and rules of journalism, and maintaining editorial independence will continue to be upheld.