freitag: the daily reference
launch campaign for the reference line by bag manufacturer freitag. the design of the bags was inspired by news messengers on horseback in the 19th century. to emphasise that fact, we produced a letter press printed newspaper for one month by setting up a temporary newsroom and printing facility in zurich (made at raffinerie).
from monday to friday, an editorial team cut out images from daily newspapers, which could then be commented on by everybody via the internet. the best commentaries were typeset and printed on a letterpress from 1842. every evening, people could come by and pick up their personal copy of the daily reference. in addition, paperboys on bikes distributed the newspaper to various cafés and bars in zurich.
the accompanying lecture series hosted three positions about the future of journalism and media. (organised by freitag and swissmiss)
project details
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freitag reference is a product line by swiss bag manufacturer freitag, inspired by the news messengers who travelled on horseback in the 19th century. to bring this historical reference to life, the launch campaign translated the spirit of daily news into an experimental publishing project.
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the idea was to create a newspaper that was produced and distributed every day for one month. a temporary newsroom and printing facility was set up in zurich, transforming the campaign into a live editorial project that invited the public to participate in the production of the news.
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from monday to friday, an editorial team selected and cut out images from daily newspapers. people could comment on these images online, and the most compelling responses were typeset and printed using a letterpress dating back to 1842. the combination of current news, public commentary and traditional printing connected the immediacy of journalism with the tactile qualities of historical print production.
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every evening, visitors could collect their own copy of the daily reference at the temporary newsroom. paperboys on bicycles also distributed the newspaper to cafés and bars throughout zurich. the campaign was accompanied by a lecture series, organised by freitag and swissmiss, featuring three speakers discussing the future of journalism and media: khoi vinh, david rowan and peter hossli.
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a participatory launch campaign that turned the newspaper into both a communication medium and a daily public event. by combining editorial experimentation, online participation, letterpress printing and bicycle distribution, the project brought the historical inspiration behind freitag reference into a contemporary urban context.
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client: freitag
year: 2010
services: concept development, art direction, editorial design, newspaper design, print production, campaign development, temporary newsroom and spatial design
duration: one month
related programme: lecture series on the future of journalism and media, organised by freitag and swissmiss -
made at raffiniere with christian haas & helen pombo
typesetting & printing: buchatelier markus müller, editorial team: daniel & markus freitag, martin lötscher, fosca toth, julia köberlein, interior design: nijo