One of the most unusual and fun workshops that I have participated in was a tour of four European cities on behalf of the Society of Newspaper Design in 1993. Between May 7 and 15, six designers and editors gave workshops on design, photography, infographics and more to 300 participants from almost 20 different countries. Among the cities visited  by Andrew Chapin, Juan Antonio Giner, Bill Ostendorf, Norvall Skreien, Deborah Withey and myself were Stockholm, Hamburg, Zurich and La Coruna [Spain].  Here’s what Bill wrote for an SND publication:

The EFS, patterned after SND’s suc­cessful Quick Course programs in North America, drew warm and enthusiastic responses from audiences dominated by top editors. Most attendees had never heard of SND before attending one of the workshops, but afterwards many wanted to join, help establish chapters and spon­sor more SND events in their countries.

…

“Everyone was very interested in what SND has to offer. And they were very pleased with our decision to bring our biggest workshop to Europe in 1995,” said Howard Finberg.

He added that now is the ideal time to foster better design in Europe. ”While there are pockets of very good design in Europe, there are also a lot of areas that are just on the verge of the kind of design revolution that swept the U.S. in the ’70s and ’80s. While we were in Germany, you could feel that same sense of excitement when you talked to editors who saw the need for attracting new readers.”

The full article is here.