Newspaper Blog Brings Tabloid Format to the Blogosphere

Newspaper Blog from Six Apart and Movable Type boosts literacy, readability and ease of content management
"Print Screen" doesn't just mean capturing a screenshot anymore. Six Apart's award winning Newspaper Blog adapts the familiar newspaper look to serve the needs of bloggers, educators and more.

Matsuno Lab, a graphic design research team working out of Tokyo's Chuo University, has come up with a familiar-looking blog template that takes "desktop publishing" to its logical conclusion. Matsuno used Movable Type, a design & content management application from San Francisco's Six Apart to create Newspaper Blog.

The old/new design of Newspaper Blog won the Good Design Award from the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization, the first time in the organization's 51-year history that any blog-related product has been so honored.

One of several newspapers built on Movable Type, from Hamagawa Elementary School in Okinawa, Japan

Although Newspaper Blog is primarily aimed at Japanese elementary schools, the familiar, friendly design can be used by most any blogger who desires ease of management for themselves and an appealing new look to present to their readers.

"The idea behind the product is to have students research stories, write their own articles, create a newspaper and in the process develop an appreciation for newspapers," according to Six Apart. "The design and content management capabilities of Movable Type enable the students to easily publish an online or print newspaper while learning valuable computer skills and gaining first-hand experience on how a blog enhances communication."