ADA Newspaper

The Definitive Pillar of My Creative Journey

Joined at its very inception on January 2, 2012, ADA Daily Newspaper – published by media titan Wijeya Newspapers Pvt Ltd -became the single strongest foundation of my career. Serving for over a decade, I evolved alongside the publication as a core architect of its identity, bridging layout mastery, graphic design, photography, and editorial writing.

Evolution of Front-Page Mastery & Layout Engineering

For nearly ten years, the cover page of ADA was sculpted by my hands. Grounded in continuous reader feedback, I spearheaded multiple layout transformations over the eras:

• Dynamic Color Strategy: Experimented across phases – ranging from high-saturation color palettes to minimalist, black-and-white grids where the only color emerged strictly from photographs.
• Massive Image Concept: Pioneered the massive front-page hero image in national news media. Starting with a historic debut issue featuring a prominent bird photograph paired with just three core news stories, this concept evolved into iconic full-half-page spreads for New Year editions, World Cup victories, and multi-image photo collages during national disasters.
• Breaking the Grid Boundaries: Disrupted traditional print architecture by abandoning rigid rectangular news boxes on front and inner news pages. Despite the high-pressure demands of constantly updating news cycles, we successfully engineered fluid, non-traditional geometric layouts long before others attempted it.
• Rule-Breaking Final Era: In my final year, I pushed traditional newspaper design laws to their limits—implementing radical typographic and spatial shifts. (If you wish to explore this design transformation further, feel free to reach out via WhatsApp).

Infographics, Brand Identity & Photography

Beyond front-page design, I conceptualized and executed custom vector art, infographics, logos, and special feature supplements for the newspaper. Simultaneously stepping behind the lens as an official press photographer, I traveled across every corner of Sri Lanka capturing compelling visual stories for national news features.

Automobile Journalism & Feature Writing

My contribution extended beyond visual art into editorial content. As an automotive writer, I authored numerous vehicle reviews and tech articles for ADA, while also contributing regular motoring features to the ‘Drive’ supplement of Lankadeepa Newspaper.