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An editorial graphic that made me chuckle

I saw this on Charles Apple's blog. It gave me a laugh. Here's the NYT's full version.

Above the nameplate: Prime real estate

Mario Garcia tackles the question: Is the space above the nameplate sacred? He writes:

"It can be controversial, and I usually get asked that question at least twice a week somewhere in the world: How effective is it to lower the newspaper's nameplate to put something at the very top?

My response is always similar: very effective. The moment you put a promo, a photo, a story or even a variety of elements above the nameplate, those items will command great attention. It is the editor's way of saying:

Look at this. It is special."

News of the future: electronic ink

Here's a story from the New York Times that's getting some eyes:

New E-Newspaper Reader Echoes Look of the Paper

Check it out.

Nice work Lewiston

It's always a nice surprise when I'm browsing Newseum thumbnails and I click on something striking to get a better look -- and it turns out to be a newspaper I'm familiar with. Having gone to school in Pullman, Wash., Lewiston was practically down the road 40 minutes. I've see the inside of their newsroom. And I was pleased to see this gorgeous play of such an eye-catching photo.

Rolling Stone is changing shape

Rolling Stone Magazine is cutting down from it's approximately 10" by 12" to a more standard 8.5" by 11". In a refreshing twist, it's not a cost-cutting measure. They are going to heavier paper with a glossy finish, adding 16 to 20 pages and changing from a saddle-stitched binding to a glued perfect bound format.

Why?

The New York Times reports that magazines are becoming increasingly standardized and Rolling Stone's shape doesn't fit in standard racks. It gets pushed up, down or off to the side of displays -- away from eye level. Also, advertisers have to revise ads to fit the format, and insert ads, with scent samples for example, are especially troublesome.

Word is, the new shape with come with a redesign.

SunSentinal gets radical overhaul

Charles Apple has more images from the redesign.

He also made a funny, "Yes, that’s one word: SunSentinel. Looks like Tribune company cutbacks have finally affected punctuation. The folks in Fort Lauderdale laid off a hyphen."

this is too much

Comic Sans is an unlikely hero in this CollegeHumor original: Font Conference.

My favorite character is Futura. What's yours?

A nice 'one year later' page

Sacramento to launch redesign

Here's a peek at the new look. And here, is what the editor has to say about it.

Late page of the week

I loved this Fresno page from July 8, but failed to post it until now. But here it is:

Newspaper cuts: a visual representation

Erica Smith, an excellent news designer at the St. Louis Dispatch has mapped 2008 newspaper cuts, totally nearly 6,000 layoffs and buyouts. CHECK IT OUT

This is a grim report, but it has a lot more impact than listing buyout and layoff announcements one at a time. It appears she updates the map ... well, frequently.

As Andrew Zahler of the Spokesman-Review points out:

"First, this map is more affecting than the daily reports on Romanesko or a simple number. Which is another example of why multimedia just makes information crackle."

Train yourself

I recommend downloading these free handouts on design from SND. There's 17 worksheets available for what they are calling a limited time. So get them while the getting is good here.

And now for some white space

Here's my page of the week:

Oh great, now anyone can create a Comic Sans

New York Times tech writer Peter Wayner published this article "Down with Helvetica, design your own font" this week.

"Before the personal computer, most people were oblivious to fonts. Some may have recognized Courier and Elite on the I.B.M. Selectric typewriter ball. Then word processing programs offered a hundred or more fonts, from Arial to Wingdings. More were offered in software packages and on the Internet. Now, many people can recognize fonts by name. Indeed, a documentary about typography and one of the most familiar typefaces, “Helvetica,” played to sellout crowds at film festivals."

He also writes about this cool Web site, fontstruct where anyone can try their hand at font-ography.

Black is the new black in Orlando's redesign

Everyone in the design world is buzzing about Orlando Sentinel's redesign.

• Watch this flash presentation on their site showing what has changed and why.
• Charles Apple shares his thoughts.
• The Wall Street Journal discusses the business side of the Tribune Co.'s plan to rollout redesigns of all it's newspapers.
• Redesign consultant Alan Jacobson from Brass Tacks is not pleased.
• Redesign consultant Mario Garcia says black is the new black on the nameplate.
  
• And of course Orland's alt. weekly, aptly named Orlando Weekly, took a punch at the redesign comparing it to USA Today.

And for those of you who just want to look at the pictures. Here's some of the section fronts from Sunday's launch.

Looking good, Rocky Mountain News

McClatchy slashes 1,400 jobs in cost-cutting drive

By SETH SUTEL

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Newspaper publisher McClatchy Co. is slashing 1,400 jobs, or 10 percent of its work force, as part of an accelerating drive to cut costs as advertising revenues dwindle, the company announced Monday. see the full story

paper is money

Rick Edmonds has a bleak report on the increasing cost of newsprint on Poynter's The Biz blog.

Higher Newsprint Prices Are Up Next

"NEW YORK -- The big picture for newspaper economics has been grim for some time, but this week's bi-annual meeting with investors and analysts highlighted a nasty mini-trend in the offing. After several years of stability, newsprint prices are headed up sharply, probably by about 10 perfect."

Dallas Morning News launches free Briefing

It's free, condensed version of the news aimed at non-subscribers called Briefing. Here's the story.

readers really just want the weather

Scott Carp of Publishing 2.0 wrote What Newspapers Still Don't Understand about the Web.

It's an interesting read, arguing that newspapers Web sites fail to serve readers with easily navigable local news. The biggest drawback is that he uses Washington Post to make his point. The Washington Post isn't really a local newspaper, but a national news source. Either way, his argument is a discussion starter.

these economic times

Here's my page of the week. I'm not a huge fan of boxy screens and the L design of papers like the Kansas City Star, but that's my own personal design taste. Despite all that, the economy was a huge story for today with oil prices, the jobless rate and the Dow drop. Of all the papers that had a front page economy presence, the KC Star was easy to scan and easy to digest why Friday marked a troubling day for the economy.

My only criticism: A rollercoaster wrapped with downward-economy news? Bad juxtaposition.

Buried in work

OK, that was probably in poor taste, since I'm talking about a man's last wishes, but I couldn't help it.

Dr. Fredric J. Baur the Proctor & Gamble designer expressed that upon death he would like to be cremated and buried in his favorite packaging design: The Pringles can. The Associated Press reports:

"Baur's children said they honored his request to bury him in one of the cans by placing part of his cremated remains in a Pringles container in his grave in suburban Springfield Township. The rest of his remains were placed in an urn buried along with the can, with some placed in another urn and given to a grandson, said Baur's daughter, Linda Baur of Diamondhead, Miss."

I think this is fabulous. Rest in peace Dr. Baur.

'Ask a designer'

Designer Andy Rutledge wrote a stiff critique of Poynter's 2007 Eyetrack Survey findings.

He says the results are flawed because of a flawed survey process.

"Context matters. Content matters. Design matters. Poynter ... can’t be bothered by these trivial facts."

He smacks down Poynter's own look.

"In fact, if you have any doubts about whether or not Poynter understands design, you need look no further than their own website. The chaotic and psychedelic experience you’re presented with there is clear indication of their grasp of design.

And finally:

"In short, if you want to know how a reader will consume a page of content in a specific context, don’t ask a journalism study coordinator; ask a competent designer."

Read Rutledge's "Poynter's Eye-tracking Follies" and decide for yourself.

nice edit

This is a bold photo edit covering an issue that polarizes many. I like it. I know more than one editor that would have not allowed this photo to run front and center.

'slutbucks'

From the Star Tribune: Group finds Starbucks logo too hot to handle

Seems that one person's smut is another person's morning latte.

A Christian group based in San Diego found grounds for outrage over the new retro-style logo for Starbucks Coffee.

The Resistance says the new image "has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute," Mark Dice, founder of the group, said in a news release. "Need I say more? It's extremely poor taste, and the company might as well call themselves Slutbucks."

Don't worry. Unbeige reports that Starbucks brought the brown throwback logo up just for the spring. We'll be seeing a g-rated green version at the drive thru shortly after all of our stimulus checks have arrived.

This one caugh my eye

I like the marionette/big brother feeling this illustration has.

Do you know your Optima from your Adobe Calson Pro?

Play this game to find out! It's 34 multiple choice font recognition questions. And it's randomly resorted each time.

I scored 27/34 after a practice round.

Borrowing from or perhaps 'bloggerizing' my friends

My friend Lisa posted this headline last week from the New York Times Web site. This is no ordinary headline.
MTV launched a new reality show Monday called "The Paper." It's about a high school journalism class and the four students bidding for editor.

A proud moment

I'm taking a moment to feel humbled that I work with such amazing people.

Published at IdahoStatesman.com: Idaho Statesman a 2008 Pulitzer finalist for breaking news

The Idaho Statesman was named a 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist in Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of the Larry Craig scandal that began with his arrest and guilty plea in an airport restroom last August.

This is the first time the Statesman has been a finalist in its 141-year history. The McClatchy Co. has won more than 50 of journalism's most prestigious prize.

The Washington Post won the 2008 Breaking News Reporting award for its coverage of the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. The New York Times was also named a Pulitzer finalist in this category. Read the full story.

Free Photoshop?

Adobe launched Photoshop Express a free online version of Photoshop.

It comes with 2 GB of space to upload and share you photos, kind of like Flickr and Photobucket. And a free version of the program you can use online with Adobe Flash Player 9.

I saw this and though: Oh crap! Why did I buy the $700+ version last fall when I invested in the Creative Suite?

But then I took the Test Drive.

It's great for someone who wants to brush up the family digitals before printing them on a home photo printer or add some cheezy filter to their MySpace default ... but it is clearly not a designer's tool. It has options such as "sharpen image" in which you can select from about six values of sharpness. Kind of you run-of-the-mill photo touch-up program. But it will give Grandpa a free way to crop and rotate and share the renunion pics.

"the most ubiquitous of all typefaces"

So in Boston I got to see the much anticipated 50 Years of Helvetica exhibit at New York's MoMA! (Yes, I used an exclaimation point and I never use those silly puctuation marks.)

Actually, it was much more glamorous in my head and much more like a corner in a huge museum in reality. But it was a fine tribute to a revolutionary factor in modern design nonetheless.

It had a wall (printed in Helvetica obviously) explaining the exhibit. You can find the same info here.

There were subway signs, Beattles T-shirts and Swedish posters all printed in Helvetica, and a full set of led Helvetica typeset.

The photo is all the people crowding around to see it. Also, "Helvetica" the movie was playing silently on a flatscreen. The giftshop was sold out of the film, but apparently it's available at Barnes & Noble now. I'll pick it up next time I'm there -- expect a full review.

Merry NCAA-ing

In light of the March Madness in the air, here's my page of the week, straight from Omaha, Nebraska is the World-Herald:
























The scoreboard treatment is clever, but not too cute. The "out of reach" word play works. The photos have good crops and the typography is nicely done. There's a nice mix of stories and promos.

Chlorine in Tacoma, Metro news and typographical birthdays

I'm in Boston so there may not be page of the week.

But since I'm traveling I've been able to pick up several different newspapers. Sunday's Tacoma News Tribune had a very compelling treatment for their story invesigating a chlorine leak that occured in mid-February. There was no dominate art above the fold, but I saw the typography and thought: I must buy this paper and read that story. Unfortunately my traveling preventing me from snagging a PDF off Newseum.

I've also been reading the Boston Globe and the NYT out here. And some crappy "Metro" tab that's free when you --surprise -- ride the Metro.

Also, I'll be in New York this weekend. I will have a full review of the Museum of Modern Art's exhibit 50 Years of Helvetica and Design and the Elastic Mind.

I'm hoping to snag a copy of "Helvetica" the movie while at MOMA.

Long live print ... ?

Small circ magazines No Depression and Resonance are have announced they will fold under financial pressures.

It seems newspapers aren't the only ones feeling the pinch in the day of the Internet.

Ed Ward, Berlin Bites blogger, and magazine writer wrote last week about the two small magazines and, in part blames a restructuing of the second-class postage system approved last year:

"The new rates, though, were bizarre: the more magazines you shipped, the less each unit cost, and smaller-circulation magazines were burdened with unreasonably higher per-unit costs, instead of everyone paying the same rate. But that's what happens when you allow big business to write the laws."

Although I've never heard of these publications, I subscribe to a couple hardly known periodicals myself. And it doesn't look good for my seldom-discussed hope to one day start up a magazine of my own ...

Albuquerque Tribune signs off

The Albuquerque Tribune published it's last issue on Saturday.

E.W. Scripps Co. tried to sell the afternoon paper for 6 months after deciding the market for the paper was no longer there.

ABOUT THE ALBQUERQUE TRIB:

• Circulation hit 9,600 in January, it had been 42,000 in 1988.
• Worked under a JOA with the Albuquerque Journal
• Won a Pulitzer in 1994 for "The Plutonium Experiment"
• NewDesigner.com said "The Trib long had a fine reputation as a visual paper."

As for the last one, I had no idea what they looked like. So, I hunted down this recent front page on Wendi Wilkerson's News Page Designer portfolio:

The big cheese

What will they think of next?

Winner, winner, winners

SND has announced four World's Best-Designed Newspapers. None of them are in the U.S.
• Akzia in Moscow, daily, circulation 200,000
• Expresso in Paco de Arcos, Portugal, daily, circulation 140,000
• Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in Frankfurt, Germany, weekly, circulation 320,000
• The Guardian in London, daily, circulation 355,750

See why the judges chose them:


SND29: The 2007 World's Best-Designed Newspapers from Society for News Design on Vimeo.

Get the full lowdown here.

Castro on the cover

Breezing, through today's West Coast newspapers dominated by headlines -- on beef recall, Pakistan elections, the Clinton/Obama race and what's up in Kosovo -- you wouldn't know the biggest story of the day: Fidel Castro handed the reins over to little brother Raul in the middle of the night.

Unless of course, you were reading one of these papers:


Kudos to the Pacific Time Zone papers that made what must have been a very late deadline switch. You can see major Northwest newspapers here.

It must be noted that the Seattle P-I got in a summary-refer in its front page rail, as well.

I'll be looking forward to seeing how other newspapers treat the retirement of Cuba's president after nearly half a century in power.

Hold your breath

SND judges running around Syracuse University are announcing the World's Best-Designed Newspapers tomorrow at 2 p.m. EST.

Who will it be? Don't worry, I'll post the list as soon as I know.

Until then, here's a 8-minute video from our friends at SND in which the judges explain makes a world's best-designed newspaper:


SND29: What makes a World's Best? from Society for News Design on Vimeo.

Keeping in clean in Chicago

I'll be picking a standout page of the week from my daily visits to the many sites where designers display their stuff.

This week:
The Chicago Tribune.

I like the stark clean look of this page today. There's nothing fancy. Just an amazing photo, with a great crop. Those eyes are all I need to enter this page and carry me into the content. That and that excellent hierarchy of headlines. No fancy sidebars, alt presentation of glitzy extras: just good, clean design.

The Chicago Tribune has gotten cleaner and simpler with fresh new flag on Jan. 14, when they ditched the 25-year-old white on blue nameplate, according to the SND Update blog. Here's a clip from a Q&A with the paper's AME of design and architect of the new masthead:

"What was the thinking behind changing the blue background to white in the Tribune's flag?
Joe Knowles: "We felt it was time to update it. Our world has changed quite a bit since we introduced the white-on-blue version 25 years ago. Color was a relatively new thing on Page 1 back then. We knew the blue bar had become a powerful brand identifier for the Tribune... it was originally developed to stand out and be distinctive and it certainly did its job. But it had become overpowering in a way. It was a difficult visual element to overcome on the page. The new one lets the content come forward. That's how we want to distinguish ourselves now."

I couldn't agree more. The page above is a perfect example of how the Tribune is putting content first.

Fasten your seatbelts

Ladies and gentlemen, if you direct your attention to the left side of the screen you'll find links to some (Web) sites to see, blogs I check for inspiration and blogs of my fellow journalism cronies.

Enjoy!

Also, I apologize for my lack of updates in early 2008. Good thing I didn't make a New Year's resolution of it. I've actually been quite busy recovering from a severe allergic reaction to a type of penicillin. But now I'm back and I have plenty of trick up my sleeve for future updates. So check back often.

Dance Party Friday

This has absoloutely nothing to do with design whatsoever.

Cincinnati's Channel 12 news has a segment they've dubbed "Dance Party Friday."

Watch this, and I trust you'll see why I was compelled to link to it:

C-M-Y-K!

What better way to welcome 2008 that look back at one of 2007's classier products of design in-jokes: Design gangster rap courtesy Kyle T. Webster.