Dubai: Within a few short years, traditional printed newspapers will look more like glossy weekly magazines, according to a Polish newspaper designer known for reviving failing titles.

It’s a well-known fact: with the rise of the internet and then social media, fewer and fewer people are buying newspapers.

 
But it’s not all over for print media — although newspapers will have to drastically adapt to survive, an audience of industry professional heard. 

“We have come a full circle,” Jacek Utco said at the Arab Media Forum in Dubai on Tuesday.

“Earlier, newspapers were printed only on weekends, then it gradually became twice a week and finally all seven days. Now, some newspapers are printed once and twice a week. Gradually, it will become a weekend edition.” 

And with a once-a-week publishing date, journalists and layout teams will have plenty of time to get creative — a vital ingredient to success.

“News should become timeless and the layout needs a new approach,” said Utco, speaking of a future that he deemed to be certain.

“For instance, long articles starting with a typical headline, followed by the body and conclusion will not serve right. Getting creative is the need of the hour,” he added.

In more technical terms, this means several things: the conversion text into listings, with numbers, and breaking paragraphs into bite-size pieces with subheads.

Dramatic fonts and surprise elements are other key imperatives would help preserve print media for a longer period.

“The future of print media is in our hands, not on Facebook,” Utco told the audience.