Graphic Design: Front pages pay tribute to the extraordinary Nelson Mandela

Whatever the future may hold for the printed daily newspaper, there’s still a great deal of interest in how the press marks the death of a figure as significant as Nelson Mandela. On days like today, the old adage that newspapers are the first draft of history really seems to ring true and the designers of the front pages are under pressure to make sure they combine text and imagery in a powerful, respectful and communicative way. The Metro and The Telegraph have both gone for stark, powerful and very sober treatments while The Guardian, The i, The Independent and The Daily Mail carry page one photographs that reflect some of Mandela’s famous good humour with which he tempered his determination and defiance.

The New Yorker’s illustrated cover of Mandela as a young, proud activist sends shivers down the spine, Noma Bar has done an excellent cover for Vrij Nederland and Peter Brookes in The Times has provided what we imagine will be the first of many excellent cartoons on the topic.