It is my pleasure to announce Denise M. Reagan as the president of the Society for News Design Foundation effective immediately — she takes on a three-year term that involves leading the Foundation’s efforts in research and education, as well as coordinating the Foundation’s board of trustees.
“I am so excited to take on this new challenge,” said Denise. “I have always been a huge supporter of SNDF’s mission, and I can’t wait to help boost its profile. I want to let people know how the Foundation’s money has helped so many people, from the yearly student travel grants to the scholarship recipients to the free Web Design Boot Camp registrations for unemployed journalists and many more.”
“I have a lot of ideas for new and creative ways to raise money for SNDF’s important programs, and I’ll need help from all of SND’s members and anyone who is interested in supporting the future of our changing industry. Please e-mail me at denisereagan@mac.com if you want to get involved.”
Denise is the Assistant Managing Editor for Visuals at The Florida Times-Union and Jacksonville.com. She leads all aspects of visual communication, including: newspaper design, Web design, photography, video, information graphics, illustration and copy editing. Since early 2006, she has rapidly built The Times-Union’s reputation for hiring bright, young talented designers and artists and putting that talent to use. As the Society for News Design’s Education and Training Director since 2005, she’s stressed the use of non-traditional story forms and high
utility. She also helped revitalize the SND Quick Course curriculum to train more in multimedia and online design.
“I’m thrilled that Denise will be taking on this new role”, said SND President Kris Viesselman. “She has served the Society in countless ways. Her dedication –- and enthusiasm for training –- will make her a passionate advocate in this position.”
Denise has been a judge for SND’s Best of Newspaper Design competition, as well the society’s Best of Multimedia Design contest. She offers training at SND Quick Courses, the Poynter Institute and other journalism gatherings on all areas of visual journalism. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.
Before moving to Jacksonville, Denise spent about a year-and-a-half as news design editor of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, and, before that, another year-and-a-half as the media planning editor at the Savannah Morning News. Denise also worked at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Detroit Free Press and the Fort Wayne, Ind., News-Sentinel. She has also collaborated, as a consultant, with MG Redesign on such projects as the redesign of The Spokesman Review in Spokane, Wash. A 1990 graduate of the University of Florida, Denise
studied journalism, design and theater. That last one comes as no surprise to any of us who have enjoyed the skits Denise has performed at various SND functions.
The Society will immediately seek Denise’s successor in the Education and Training Director role. Please contact Kris, Stephen Komives or myself if you are interested or know someone who might be.
The SND-Foundation
The Society for News Design Foundation, created in 1992, is the nonprofit education and research effort of SND.
With support from donations and matching grants, the Foundation provides training grants for out-of-work visual journalists (apply here), university-level scholarships, travel grants for students to the Annual Workshop & Exhibition, grants to the student designers of the year and outreach to minority journalists and journalism students at universities with large minority enrollments.
The Foundation also provides research grants for projects on the future of journalism developed in partnership with other journalism organizations.
In 2008, SND received a Challenge Grant from the Challenge Fund for Journalism and opened an endowment campaign for its two scholarship programs.
Supporters contribute to the Foundation through direct donations, sponsorship of Foundation fund-raising events, and by donating or purchasing items and services at the Silent Auction held in conjunction with the Annual Workshop & Exhibition.
Contributions to the SND Foundation are generally tax deductible (in the United States) as charitable donations. To make a donation, please click here.
— Steve Dorsey
SND vice president
SND-Foundation chairman
The Gannett Foundation has just made it a lot easier for SND members to get the training they need to transition to careers in online journalism.
Gannett has awarded the Society a $10,800 grant to pay registration fees for 36 journalists to attend the two-day Web-training Quick Courses in 2010.
The schedule and sites for the courses will be posted soon on SND’s website.
SND Executive Director Elise Burroughs worked with the Gannett Foundation in the fall to secure the grant.
“You are making an important contribution to our community, and we are proud to be able to assist with these effort,” said Pat Lyle, manager of the Gannett Foundation, in a letter to SND.
SND’s Web Boot Camps made their debut in 2009, with seminars in Nashville, Las Vegas and Chicago. These hands-on seminars teach editors and designers the essential building blocks of the Web 2.0 toolbox: HTML/CSS (the foundation of the Web) and how to integrate widgets from Google, Twitter, Flickr and more.
Seminars were limited to 20-25 students and each one filled up quickly.
By the end of the two days attendees can build a compelling, news-driven package from scratch. The course is a good fit for anyone at the beginner and intermediate levels.
Check back in January for more information about the 2010 Web Boot Camps and how the grant funds will be allocated.
Hello, SND members. I hope this note finds you all in full holiday swing, heading into your best year ever. As 2009 draws to a close, I wanted to update you one last time on where we are.
First, let me commend the board of directors for their leadership is in ensuring that SND remains the largest and most dynamic organization for visual journalists in the world. Serving on this board is a labor of love, and the time and talent they expend is tremendous. It’s a testament to their vision and dedication that SND has been able to deliver so much in such a difficult year. We hosted informal meetups and intensive digital training across the United States. We saw the World’s Best Designed Newspapers on display at the Guttenberg. We staged successful workshops in China,Austria,Finland, Spain and — of course — the incomparable Argentina.
SND is committed to forging the partnerships and reimagining the programming that will keep members on the cutting edge, and you’ll be hearing a lot of exciting ideas from the 2010 team in coming days. Here’s where SND stands heading into the new year:
MEMBERSHIP: As companies continue to cut back on sponsored dues, this remains a sobering headline. In a little more than a year, SND has lost 814 members, or 39% of its membership. The most dramatic drop came between the fall board meeting in 2008, when we had 2,042 members and the spring board meeting in 2009, when we had 1,592. We had 1,371 members at the time of the Buenos Aires election and have lost 143 members since. The 2010 team will be working hard to reverse this trend. Thanks so much to SND leaders who gave them a head start by donating a membership this month.
FINANCIALS: We began the year with $189,328 in our reserve fund. Today it is at $129,451 (a 2009 deficit of $59,877, just over the $50k loss projected at the spring board meeting). I’m pleased to leave SND with a 2010 budget that calls for shoring up the reserve fund instead of depleting it to cover operating costs, as has been recent practice. The board needs to be diligent on this front: SND policy is to maintain a reserve fund equal to 25% of budgeted expenses. Even after realizing significant savings in office overhead, the reserve fund is only 22% of 2010’s budgeted expenses of $598,662. If SND programs perform as expected in 2010, the reserve fund will be restored to where it needs to be.
Closing this gap was made possible in large part by shuttering the Rhode Island office and requiring the new executive director to perform the duties of two full-time staffers. That difficult decision means Membership Manager Susan Santoro’s position will be eliminated at the end of the year.
Susan has agreed to remain with SND through Feb. 26 on a contract basis to assist with the competition. Susan has been a magnificent support to every SND activity for the past decade, and I have an impossible time imagining the organization without her. Please join me in thanking her for being the glue that has held the office together for so many years.
OFFICE MOVE: After a grueling four-day trek through one of the East Coast’s worst snowstorms on record, new Executive Director Stephen Komives has relocated the contents of the Rhode Island office to Orlando (he made the move himself to save SND about $8,000).
Stephen’s been working around the clock to get equipment up and running, arrange a remote working relationship with Susan, transfer SND’s banking and familiarize himself with the accounting protocol. He is now managing all SND operations from a virtual office, checking in with the executive committee weekly.
I hope you’ll take a moment to thank departing Executive Director Elise Burroughs for her leadership as she leaves SND this week after five years. Elise has been a consummate pro through our best and worst, and she is directly responsible for the growth and stability SND has seen in its membership outside the U.S. Thank you, Elise. SND owes you and Susan so much.
SNDF: Susan Mango Curtis has done a tremendous job overseeing SND’s educational and research activities for the past six months. It’s been wonderful having her energy and passion for academic advocacy in the conversation, and I wish I could persuade her to extend her term that ends Dec. 31. The search for our next SNDF President will be Steve Dorsey’s responsibility as SNDF Chair. Until that appointment is made, Steve will take the point on Foundation matters, dealing with the immediate issues of reaching out to design and J-schools regarding our new resource center for educators, organizing the fundraiser at the Syracuse judging and raising the $10k needed for the Edmund Arnold scholarship. SNDF is healthy with just over $73,000 in the bank. The preliminary budget, which Steve will shepherd through, shows a break-even year for 2010.
It is my great pleasure as SNDF Chair to announce news we received from the Gannett Foundation just today, that SND has been awarded a $10,800 grant to support our web design boot camps. Many thanks to Elise for pursuing this funding, and to Education and Training Director Denise Reagan for spearheading this program. SND also owes a great debt to two men who invented our information design tracks more than a decade ago, Don Wittekind and Jeff Goertzen, who both stepped away from the board this year. Thank you, Don and Jeff, for the vision, energy and evangelism that has trained hundreds of visual journalists all over the globe.
HEARTFELT THANKS: My eight years on the board have taken me places I never imagined I’d go, introduced me to people I never dreamed I’d meet, created memories I’ll always cherish and shaped me in ways for which I’ll always be grateful. This opportunity has been very special to me. I’ve felt privileged and humbled to represent SND in several roles — conducting quick courses from Idaho to Toronto, organizing the annual workshop in Orlando, judging the competition at Syracuse, awarding commendations in Buenos Aires. I’ve been professionally and personally inspired by the close association with you.
I’d especially like to offer a standing ovation for my fellow officers, Gayle Grin and Steve Dorsey, for their intelligence, sensitivity and wise counsel. They’ve both carried an inordinate amount of water for SND this year, and I can’t thank them enough.
Finally, a toast to you, the members. My family and I were thrust into SND’s summer tornado during an agonizing time in our personal life, and we are forever grateful for the extraordinary expressions of kindness that came to us from SND colleagues around the world. While I wish things had played out differently in many ways, the events of 2009 have reinforced something I’ve always believed about SND: That more than an organization, it’s also a family.
I’m sending my best wishes for happiness and success in the year ahead.
The beginning of a new year also marks a transition for SND: The end of Elise Burroughs’ service as executive director.
Over the past five years Elise has worked tirelessly to strengthen the Society on many fronts, helping find new avenues for fund-raising, spread the Society’s footprint around the globe and countless interactions with members. Elise is a dedicated professional who immerses herself in every challenge. In anticipation of our workshop this fall in Buenos Aires, she even began learning Spanish.
Elise was kind enough to share some of her thoughts on SND, design and the state of the industry.
Question: What were the highlights of your time with the Society for News Design?
Answer: Any time that I was able to meet members face to face — Workshops, judgings, Quick Courses, hotel site visits, board meetings – was always a highlight. It has been a privilege to work with such smart, creative, dedicated journalists – and a lot of fun. I might never have seen Stockholm or Buenos Aires if SND business had not taken me there.
I took satisfaction in helping the directors complete many of the jobs they handed me when I arrived: creating a mission statement, developing a code of ethical standards, adopting a conflict of interest policy, increasing activity outside the United States and, this year, rolling out a draft strategic plan.
But from our office in Rhode Island, Susan Santoro and I had some long-distance highlights, too. Helping regional directors and educators hold successful events in the hinterlands of the United States, and assisting directors overseas find speakers for new training seminars in Germany, France, Jordan, Egypt and China made our jobs worthwhile.
Remote technology is great for some things, but sometimes you just need to sit down with colleagues over a drink or a cup of coffee. Those occasions were some of my SND highlights.
Question: What did you learn about design and designers that most surprised you?
Answer:Great designers look at a world without boundaries. No matter where they are, or what their native language, they can pick up a newspaper, open a magazine or click on a Web site and envision new, better ways to communicate information.
When I came to SND, I ”got” visual storytelling at the movies (director William Wyler almost never needed dialogue). I’m still “getting” visual storytelling when it comes to journalism.
I also learned that good designers are never satisfied. No matter what level they’re working at, novice or veteran, or how little their employers give them to work with, they are constantly looking for new and better ways to tell the same old stories, for new technology and skills that will lead them to new audiences, for new insights and inspiration.
Working with designers has taught me to never be satisfied with the status quo.
Question: Do you find that you read a newspaper or look at news Web sites differently after your time with SND?
Answer: Maybe it comes from five years of proofing columns by Rolf Rehe (who almost never makes a mistake!) but I notice typography now. I even rented (and enjoyed) the movie, “Helvetica.”
And I look forward to the day when SND develops and promotes better principles for online news site design, as it has for print design. Am I the only person who hates online photos signaling a news story that keep dissolving and changing? By the time that I process, “I want to read that!” the story is gone and I have to stare at the screen until it pops up again and pounce. Very annoying!
Question: How has SND changed since you came to the helm as Executive Director?
Answer: I’m tired of the euphemism “challenging.” These are hard, dispiriting times to be a journalist, and SND has had a hard, dispiriting time dealing with changes in the news profession.
When I arrived, SND had been operating a successful financial model for years: Revenue from memberships, the Annual Workshop, the competitions, the Quick Courses and product sales funded the book, the magazine, the newsletter, the Web site, the staff, and modest outreach to students and international designers.
Then the Internet volcano exploded and the advertising drought commenced.
In this new, awful climate, designers are trying to figure out what they need to learn or do that will allow them to pursue the profession they love. SND’s leaders are trying to identify the resources – financial, technical, educational and inspirational – that will allow the Society to meet those member needs.
One positive change: SND has increasingly welcomed input and ideas from designers outside the United States. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how someone who does not even speak your language can teach you anything about your job. But I think the 30th edition of “The Best of Newspaper Design™” will show that designers around the world face common issues, and there is a lot to learn from how they resolve them.
Question: Do you have anything to suggest to the members?
Answer: When I interviewed for this job more than five years, ago, I was given the SND bylaws. I was surprised to see that aside from the officers, all the directors are appointed. I don’t know of another journalism organization that operates that way.
I think this system is at the root of many of SND’s current leadership challenges. Some appointed directors have performed magnificently, devoting countless hours of their time to create wonderful projects that not only benefitted members and the industry, but also generated revenue to support education and outreach. Other appointed directors have contributed much less.
Now, in this time of rapid change, I think SND needs to get closer to its members and their needs, and to focus on what members really want from the organization. I think some or all of the directorships should be elected positions.
Asking directors to step forward and articulate what they would do for the organization, and then getting the members to endorse those views, is the quickest way to get SND’s activities aligned with what members really need.
Whenever I tell other people about all the SND projects that are handled by dedicated volunteers – the competitions, the judgings, the Quick Courses, the Annual Workshops – they are amazed. That volunteer energy is what created SND and sustained it through 30 turbulent years. Tapping that energy is what will propel the organization into the future.
***
SND’s new executive director, Stephen Komives, takes over on Jan. 1
***
Gayle Grin is a past president of SND and Managing Editor/ Design & Graphics, National Post. You can reach her at ggrin@nationalpost.com
It’s the season of giving, and the SND leadership team would like to give you a way to bring your friends into the Society in the year ahead.
We’re happy to announce that the first 30 nonmembers who join SND between now and Jan. 31 will receive a complimentary 12-month membership for a nonmember friend – generously donated by SND’s board of directors.
Already an SND member? Renew by Jan. 31 and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a free registration to SND Denver, compliments of the Orlando Sentinel.
Last year SNDS upgraded the online news design competition. This year SNDS takes a further step into the online media business and will include the judging of mobile media.
“Mobile media is a growing platform widely used by news media. It is therefore natural for Best of Scandinavian News Design to include this platform into the annual news design competition,” says Flemming Hvidtfeldt, chairman of Best of Scandinavian News Design competition.
SND’s fourth annual cover competition for the 31st edition of The Best of News Design™ is under way.
A panel of 12 judges will begin reviewing cover entries soon after the competition’s Dec. 18 deadline.
“We began the cover competition as a way to get more design concepts for the annual book cover and it’s been so successful we’ve continued this way to generate excellent covers,” says Competition Director Marshall Matlock. He says the Competition Committee received 42 entries for the 30th Edition book, which is now being sold by the SND office.
The 31st edition book’s name will change to The Best of News Design™ to more accurately represent the book’s content, according to Matlock. The name change is being made because the book’s content pertains to more than newspapers. For the first time SND will accept entries from non-newspaper magazines. In past years only magazines published and distributed with a newspaper were accepted.
With the addition of magazine entries, the international competition will have more than 125 categories and sub-categories.
The deadline for e-mailing cover designs to Matlock is Dec. 18. Judges are expected to begin their cover reviews by Dec. 20 with the winner selected in early January 2010, Matlock says.
The winning cover will appear on the book that showcases winners from the 2009 publishing year.
Covers concepts must be 9 inches wide x 12 inches. An additional .25-inch is required for any side that will bleed beyond the trim size.
Designers are asked to submit high-resolution (300 dpi at full size) jpg, tiff or PDF files.
It’s recommended that the name of the book - The Best of News Design™ - appears on the cover as well as the name of the organizations, which may appear near the bottom of the cover, at the designer’s discretion. Also the book’s edition number has appeared on most past covers. The cover is normally printed in full color.
Send entries to Matlock at cmm@dreamscape.com. Please include the word “Cover” in the e-mail’s subject line along with the designer’s last name. If more than one e-mail is sent, please number beginning with #1.
Include each full-size cover as an e-mail attachment. In the e-mail’s text includes the designer’s name, publication, if applicable; job title, full business address, phone number and preferred e-mail address.
There is no limit to the number of covers a designer may enter but it is suggested that only one cover be attached to each e-mail sent. Covers may be stuffed if needed to save disk space. All submissions will be quickly acknowledged.
Entries become the property of the Society for News Design. At the discretion of judges, SND reserves the right to have no winning cover. Past cover entries are ineligible.
With the addition of non-newspaper magazine categories the competition will include a broader spectrum of print design work, said Matlock. “We’d like the cover to represent the book’s content of excellent print designs,” he says.
Send questions and cover entries to cmm@dreamscape.com.
SND’s new executive director, Stephen Komives, has completed an intense week onsite in Rhode Island, leading the transition of SND’s headquarters from an office park in North Kingstown, R.I. to a virtual office that will be based in Orlando, Fl. Stephen, Executive Director Elise Burroughs and Membership Manager Susan Santoro are immersed in the process of establishing new bank accounts, incorporating SND in Florida and moving equipment to ensure a smooth transition.
We may be offline for a few days at the end of the month while we reconfigure the server, and we appreciate your patience. Stephen is in close communication with the executive committee and will prepare a monthly snapshot of where we are on membership, financial reserves and major initiatives.
Stephen’s direct SND email address is skomives@snd.org. He’ll have a new office phone number soon, in the meantime feel free to call Rhode Island with any questions. SND’s new mailing address is:
424 E. Central Blvd. Suite 406 Orlando, FL 32801
Stephen reports:
“We made a lot of progress last week in transitioning the office, and Elise and Susan were great about taking me through the paces of the office operations. They have put me in excellent position going forward and I cannot thank them enough. SND and SNDF are now incorporated in Florida, and we have established banking operations and new merchant services.
“The most valuable object of the office, a G5 file server containing our databases, is in transit right now. I hope to have it up and running here by early next week, with remote access for Elise and Susan from Rhode Island. The remainder of the office - its other office equipment, membership files and financial books, in addition to 120 boxes of annuals - should be here by mid-December. Elise, Susan and I are determined to making this transition as seamless as possible.
“We’re also trying to realize as many efficiencies as possible as we move forward. Our new credit card processing agreement, for example, will save SND upwards of $5,000 in fees each year.
“Right now I’m in the process of transcribing all the notes I took in Rhode Island. It’s a lot. I was most impressed with the membership database that has been built over the past decade. While our membership currently stands at 1270, the database contains the names and contact info of more than 8,000 people who have crossed paths with SND and will be a valuable tool as we make a membership push.
“I’ll keep everyone posted as the transition proceeds. And once it’s complete, I will send weekly office updates on membership, finances and upcoming events.”
Ever wonder what SND HQ looks like?
Here’s a peek inside the operation of the current office:
This is the entry office, with a work station used by the temps and an auditor. Aside from the fax/copy machine and the high-speed printer, everything here will be boxed for storage or disposed of.
This is the shipping-storage area. SND plans to stop selling items from our website, so these items will be disposed of. A postage meter and G5 server not shown here will travel with Stephen to Florida.
This is the current Executive Director’s office. Several filing cabinets will travel to Florida, along with decades of catalogued slides, Design Journals dating back to the 1980s and the SND exhibition booth.
Going forward, Stephen will conduct most SND business in a digital environment.
We are starting to make plans for an exciting 2010. We’d like to invite everyone to help reboot SND.
Thanks to all who have contributed ideas for improving our organization. We have the opportunity to start acting on these ideas. Please e-mail volunteers@snd.org by December 10 if you’d like to volunteer. Let us know which of these areas most interests you:
Membership (adding value, broadening our base)
Publications/communication
Training/programming
Fundraising
Soon, we’ll be making a number of appointments and assembling some task forces.
We understand that it is difficult to find time to volunteer. But, this is a critical year for SND. If everyone can give a little bit, the sum of those collective efforts will be great.
Thank you,
2010 officers:
Kris Viesselman
Steve Dorsey
Jonathon Berlin
Stephen Komives, Executive Director
You’re invited to a meetup in North Carolina Dec. 12!
Join us for a Saturday of presentations AND conversations, Dec. 12, 2009 from 9:30 until 1:30 at the Hickory Daily Record, 1100 Park Place, Hickory, N.C. 28603. An optional, informal lunch will follow with plenty of time for more conversation, networking and Q&A.
Learn “How People Learn In Different Ways.”
Learn “The Three E’s of the New Media Landscape: Embrace, Engage and Expand.”
Learn: “Multimedia on the Cheap,” low-cost, easy ways to add rich content to web sites.
Learn: “Five ideas that anyone can use for visualizing information in print and online.”
All of this is aimed at helping small to medium-size media markets. Presenters include Baltimore Sun Editor Monty Cook, UNC-Chapel Hill Journalism Professor Don Wittekind, Charlotte Observer artist William Pitzer and Richard Curtis, retired USA TODAY founder and managing editor/design.
SND membership is not required. Attendance is free but because of space limitations at the meet up site, it is limited to the first 30 who sign up. Please contact John Josey, Managing Editor, Lenoir News-Topic, jjosey@newstopic.com, or Richard Curtis at lakehouse2@cox.net.
Stephen Komives named SND Executive Director
Stephen Komives has been design editor at the Orlando Sentinel for the past five years.
The Society for News Design has named veteran board member and industry leader Stephen Komives as its executive director.
Komives, Design Editor at the Orlando Sentinel in Orlando, Fla. for the past five years, has also directed the Society’s quick course design workshops since 2007. In his eight years on SND’s board of directors, he has also served as SND Diversity Director and organized two annual SND conventions — 2006 in Orlando and 2002 in Savannah, Ga. His first day as SND executive director will be Nov. 16.
Komives was chosen through an international search process coordinated by 12 SND leaders in five countries and was confirmed unanimously by the board of directors today. He succeeds Elise Burroughs, SND’s executive director since 2004, who is leaving the organization at the end of the year to explore new options.
In making its selection, the search committee lauded Komives for his deep understanding of the issues facing SND, his strong ideas about driving membership and participation, his fortitude in handling big change and his passionate, optimistic leadership style. Komives, who is fluent in Spanish, also has an impressive international background that will facilitate the Society’s global outreach efforts.
SND founder and former SND President Richard Curtis, who anchored the search committee, said Komives typifies all that SND was looking for in a successful candidate: a mastery of his craft, in-depth knowledge of the industry, a commitment to inclusion and diversity, and above all, talent.
“Stephen is articulate, thoughtful, obviously very, very bright,” said Curtis, a founding editor of USA Today. “He has a level-headed assessment of what the job entails, what the job can do, and what success will look like. His answers to our questions were succinct, engaging and illuminating. I have trouble even imagining a superior candidate.”
At the Orlando Sentinel, Komives oversaw the organization’s visual report, developing a team of information designers in print and digital media. He successfully led that team through several challenging transitions, including multiple redesigns and staff reorganizations; the launch of new sections; corporate-level content sharing initiatives; and the creation of a digital-first newsroom.
Prior to joining the Sentinel, he was at the Savannah Morning News in Savannah, Ga., for nine years, the last seven as a planning editor for daily coverage and long-term projects. He also held editing and design jobs at the Santa Fe New Mexican and The Advocate in Stamford, Conn.
“SND has always been about transitions, whether for members moving on to new roles, or news organizations grappling with new ventures,” said Komives. “At every key transition point in my career — learning to design, learning to lead others, learning to lead change — SND has had immense value to me. That’s why I’m excited to take on this role and help give back.”
Komives is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
The 30-year-old Society for News Design represents 1,300 visual journalists in more than 50 countries. As executive director, Komives will be responsible for both the long-term and day-to-day management of the society and its enterprises, including member services, publications, educational direction, design competitions and annual conventions. He will represent SND to other organizations around the world and will work closely with the president of the SND Foundation, the nonprofit education and research effort of SND.
Members of the search committee were:
• SND President-elect Kris Viesselman, Director of Digital Product Development for National Geographic Maps
• Vice President Bonita Burton, Visuals Editor at the Orlando Sentinel
• Secretary/Treasurer Steve Dorsey, Deputy Managing Editor for Innovation at the Detroit Free Press
• Immediate Past President Gayle Grin, Managing Editor for Design and Graphics at the National Post
• International Director Hans Peter Janisch, a consultant with Zeitungs-und Kommunikationsdesign in Grossenlueder, Germany
• Competition and Judging Director C. Marshall Matlock, Emeritus Professor at Syracuse University
• Region 3 Director Melissa Angle; Senior Designer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Education and Training Director Denise Reagan, Assistant Managing Editor for Visual Journalism at the Florida Times-Union
• Executive Committee Advisor Cristobal Edwards, Professor of Visual Journalism at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago
• SNDS member Anna Thurfjell, Design Director at Svenska Dagbladet in Stockholm
• SND Past President Nanette Bisher, former Creative Director of the San Francisco Chronicle
• SND Founder and Past President Richard Curtis, retired Managing Editor for Photo and Graphics at USA Today
If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to expand your print design skills to the Web, look no further. SND’s acclaimed, two-day introduction to the essential building blocks is coming to Columbia College in Chicago. In this weekend course we’ll demystify the Web 2.0 toolbox and help you build a compelling, news-driven package from scratch. We’ll focus on HTML/CSS (the foundation of the Web) and how to integrate widgets from Google, Twitter, Flickr and more.
See the details, including hotel and travel information, here. Then register for theWeb Design Boot Camp — space is limited!
Help us pick topics for SND Webinars on News University
SND and News University, the online training project of The Poynter Institute, are partnering up to offer a series of Webinars in a variety of areas: journalism, design and technical.
These will be offered at a steep discount to SND members.
Now we need you to help us decide what topics to cover in these Webinars. What are you looking for?
Software skills: Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, 3D, etc.?
How-tos?
Design philosophy?
Transition from print to digital?
Ethics?
Alternative story forms?
Web design?
Data visualization?
Please post your ideas in the comments below. Your suggestions will directly translate into the Webinars we offer on News University.
SND and Youth Times are presenting an Asian Boot Camp on News Page Design in Hangzhou, China on Nov. 6-9. Steve Dorsey, SND vice president-elect and Detroit Free Press deputy managing editor for presentation and innovation, and Denise M. Reagan, SND education and training director and assistant managing editor for visuals at The Florida Times-Union and jacksonville.com.
Below is a sampling of what will be covered over those four days.
You can learn more and register for this event here.
NOV. 6
Best of Newspaper Design: We’ll explore who’s leading the World’s Best Designed categories and why. A look behind the scenes at the annual SND competition, we’ll listen to what judges are looking for and rewarding. Denise and Steve are both long-time assistants and judges of the SND competition and similar events.
The art of grids: The organization of space is the fundamental core of design work. We’ll explore why they matter, how they work and what value they serve to readers and editors.
Designing with ads in mind: Advertisements find their way into everything (we hope) and we have to work with and around them. We’ll look at top strategies for living with them and key errors to avoid.
Student projects: Exercise assigned for the week
NOV. 7
Color theory in publication design: A survey of why color theory matters and how it can shape a publication into an award-winning masterpiece. Colors change seasonally and even geographically, we’ll explore the impact and reasons behind it.
Photo use and editing: The very best pictures can be poorly used, the worst pictures can be assisted – it’s all in the editing and cropping. The best publications know how to use photos for dramatic impact in large and small situations.
News and sports front design: The big game and the big news have a lot in common and serve as a collection point for some of the best in powerful design – strong visuals, great cropping, dynamic typography and compelling stories all come together on these pages.
Black and white and inside page design: Most of the pages of a publication and INSIDE but we spend the least time on those designs. Why? Inside and B&W pages can have impact and should tell compelling stories. Ten tips on making your inside pages perform better.
NOV. 8
Planning for big events: Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Big events will happen – so why aren’t you ready? We’ll help you prepare.
Alternative story forms: When space and time are tight, but the news doesn’t stop, we turn to new ways of telling stories. Alternative forms help us convey information quickly and directly. We’ll look at 5 major types and discuss how to deliver them on deadline.
Student projects: Sharing and discussing class exercises
NOV. 9
Designing for the e-reader: Beyond print and web pages new frontiers of design are ready for our attention. E-readers will offer a unique, new experience to readers — not entirely like print and not entirely like online. We’ll review the state of the industry, key concerns and examples from various R+D leaders in the field (Steve has been deeply involved in Gannett’s and the Detroit Media Partnership’s work with Plastic Logic, a new e-reader set to debut in Q1 2010).
Special project design: Working on extended series and special reports is not the same as day-to-day design work. It requires different kinds of planning and coordination. We’ll look at some of the best and distill 5 keys to making your special projects stronger.
Print and multimedia design integration: Making the transformation from print designer to multimedia designer.
CANCELED: We’re sorry to report that the SND Quick Course scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10 in East Lansing, Mich., at MSU, has been canceled. Pre-paid registrations will be refunded through the SND main office.
Here are my Vice President remarks from the 2009 annual business luncheon Sept. 26 in Buenos Aires.
Good afternoon and welcome to the 2009 annual business meeting of the Society for News Design. I hope you’ve been enjoying the workshop as much as I have, a workshop that has exceeded all expectations. How about a round of applause for our hosts, Gustavo Lo Valvo and the tremendous supporters at Clarin!
During this meeting we want to tell you about some important matters coming up for SND, to update you on SND’s financial health and to announce the results of this year’s election. But first, there are a few special people in the crowd I’d like to acknowledge.
First, please welcome Brian Schlansky, a senior studying visual journalism at the University of Miami School of Communication. Bryan is this year’s recipient of the SND Foundation Scholarship. Brian works for the university’s Knight Center for International Media and serves as Webmaster for Miami’s student newspaper, The Miami Hurricane. Brian, stand up and wave hello!
Now, please join me in welcoming this year’s 18 travel grant winners, also supported by SND’s Foundation. Please stand and wave hello:
Cristián Bego
María Briones
Alejandro Bruna
Andreina Fernandes
Lionel Fernández Roca
Lauren Frohne
Aderlani Furlanetto
Valentina Gangotena
Federico Gómez
Adam Griffiths
Maria Jesus Lopez
Gabriela Lorenz
Militza Moya
Katherine Myrick
Aaron Olson
María Luján Pereiro
Sahar Vahidi
and Andrea Zagata
This week the Foundation — under the leadership of its president, Susan Mango-Curtis and its education director, Jennifer George Palilonis — launched an exciting new resource for educators to share ideas, course descriptions, syllabi and research. And coming soon to sndeducators.org: An intense mentoring program to connect promising students with seasoned professionals.
These are your donations to the Foundation hard at work. You are the key to helping us develop the next generation of visual journalists, so please, give generously.
And now, a few words about where SND is headed.
It’s been a tough summer for the organization, and I want to commend the board of directors to you for their devotion and selfless service to SND. Two leaders in particular have displayed tremendous dedication and provided constant counsel to me after the resignation of President Matt Mansfield in June: my fellow officers Past President Gayle Grin and Secretary/Treasurer Steve Dorsey.
Gayle and Steve both bring an impressive degree of courage, intelligence, sensitivity and vision to any conversation. They are the level heads, the volunteers for the most thankless tasks, and often the very glue that holds SND together. Executive Director Elise Burroughs has also been magnificent in overseeing the society’s day-to-day operations during such a turbulent time. Please join me in thanking them for outstanding leadership.
We’ve been working our way through a few important processes together, most notably the decision about who our next executive director will be upon Elise’s departure at the end of the year, and where they will be headquartered. Let me tell you where we are with that.
A search committee of 12 SND leaders in 5 countries, including two past presidents, has reviewed the 75 applications we received. They have narrowed the pool to three finalists who will interview with the committee in two weeks. In the meantime, we’ve been exploring alternative headquarter locations after the initial plan to relocate to the University of North Carolina fell apart. The most likely scenario now is that instead of working out of an office park in Rhode Island, our new executive director will be working out of a virtual office in a location of their choosing.
The board also made some other decisions when we met on Wednesday that I want to tell you about.
First, we have decided to expand the Best of News Design competition to include magazines as well as newspapers, starting now.
Secondly, we are redrawing the regional boundaries of the United States to better reflect the geographic breakdown of our membership, reducing the number of U.S. regional directors from eight to four. Here’s how the old and new regions compare:
Finally, we want to clarify our election process for selecting SND officers and to codify this process by way of bylaws amendment. You’ll be hearing more about that in coming weeks since a vote of approval from the members is required to make this change. We anticipate calling a special meeting of the members for this purpose in connection with the spring board meeting in Denver. The board also decided that the position of Past President will remain vacant for 2010, given that we are closing 2009 with a vacancy in the presidency. The 2011 ballot — which is the responsibility of the Past President — will be crafted by the executive committee as a body.
The most pressing matters before the board remain solving the issues of declining revenue and membership. I’m going to turn the time over to our secretary/treasurer in a minute to tell you more about that.
But first, I want to thank you all for the pleasure and privilege it has been to serve as your vice president, to serve alongside some of the most inspirational people I know.
In its more than 30-year-history, SND has faced many tough transitions. We’ve celebrated the triumphs and weathered the struggles of the industry, and we will continue in that tradition as we continue to help members invent their own futures. SND is still the largest and most dynamic organization representing visual journalists in the world. There is so much more to do. I am pulling with you, and look forward to helping you move that effort along in any way I can.
All day today and tomorrow we’ll be updating with synopses of workshop sessions, with video and photos. Check back for updates on sessions you’re interested in!
Ole Munk, “Visual communication and miscommunication”
5:00 p.m.
Round-table: “Newspaper evolution,” with Eduardo Danilo, Javier Errea, Rodrigo Fino, Lucie Lacava, Iñaki Palacios, Ally Palmer and moderator Ricardo Kirschbaum, executive editor of Clarín
Round-up of Friday sessions at SND BA
Pablo Corral, “Photography as a Tool for Dialog.” LAUREN FROHNE
All day today and tomorrow we’ll be updating with synopses of workshop sessions, with video and photos. Check back for updates on sessions you’re interested in!
Updated: 1:47 a.m. Many entries, lots more photos and entries to come later tonight and tomorrow. Hope you enjoy them! —WM
Each year it is the privilege of the SND president to bestow special recognition on volunteers whose service has lasting impact on the society. This year, at the opening receptionn in Buenos Aires, it was my great pleasure to present President Awards for excellence in volunteerism to three men who have made outstanding contributions to SND. Congratulations and deepest thanks!
GUSTAVO LO VALVO
For making the deferred dream of a Buenos Aires workshop come true. Seven years after the plan for an Argentine event had to be abandoned because of an economic collapse, Gustavo orchestrated one of the most dynamic, international gatherings SND has ever seen. SNDBUE was made possible only by his tremendous dedication.
Por hacer realidad el sueño de la realizar conferencia en Buenos Aires siete años después de que el plan original para la ésta fuera abandonado debido a la sitaución económica que vivía el país, Gustavo ha orquestado una de ls reuniones más dinámicas que la SND ha tenido nunca. SND Buenos Aires fue posible gracias a su tremenda dedicación
CRISTOBAL EDWARDS
For his indefatigable evangelism of SND around the globe, particularly in Mexico, Central & South America. Cristobal’s energy and enthusiasm are infectious, fueling an impressive membership surge in those regions. His magnetic optimism and can-do spirit exemplify the very best that citizens of the Society can be.
Por su incansable promoción de la SND alrededor del mundo, paricularmente en México, América Central y Sudamérica. Su energía contagiosa y entusiasmo, fomentaron un incremento en las membresías de la SND en esas regiones. Su optimismo y su espíritu de lucha ejemplifican lo mejor que un miembro de la Sociedad puede ser.
DON WITTEKIND
For his innovative leadership as creator and director of SND’s popular hands-on multimedia training. Through a decade of tireless service, he gave hundreds of journalists the skills they need to survive in a changing media market and invent their own future. Don’s legacy of vision, courage and integrity is an inspiration to all who would one day lead SND.
Por su liderazgo inovador como creador y director del popular entrenámiento práctico de multimedia. A través de su incansable dedicación, ha dado a cientos de periodistas las habilidades necesarias para sobrevivir en un ambiente como el de hoy día e invertir en el futuro. Su legado de visión, entrega e integridad son una inspiración para todos los que algún día dirijan la SND.
Learn the latest tips and tricks at SND’s Digital Media Quick Course
SND has a great day of digital media training planned for Saturday, Oct. 10, at Michigan State University. You’ll learn about the best ideas for Web site design, free online tools, the Detroit Free Press’ new e-reader platform and hands-on techniques for using social media, mobile and other internet tools to bring your online content to life. All this for a low price of $50 for everyone — professionals, students and faculty.
CALL FOR SPEAKERS: TELL US WHAT YOU’RE UP TO!
We’ve lined up four terrific speakers for you at our Quick Course at Michigan State University, but we’d like to hear from YOU too. If you’re doing something innovative and cool that you believe might be something everyone could benefit from, let us know and you may be chosen to give a 15 minute talk about it at the MSU Quick Course. Please send Karl Gude at gudek@msu.edu a short description of what you’re up to and the Quick Course committee will choose six to eight of you to give a talk.
DIGITAL MEDIA QUICK COURSE
When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 10, 2009
Where: Michigan State University, School of Journalism, 305 Comm. Arts Bldg., East Lansing, Mich.
Tips for good and flexible news Web sites: Nancy Hanus, a 25-year veteran of the news industry, walks you through the brainstorming and redesign of a Web site, based on her experiences at The Detroit News’ detnews.com. Hanus led a 2008 effort at detnews.com that earned an EPpy Award for best designed news Web site with more than 1 million unique visitors per month.
WHERE THE TOOLS ARE
Michigan State student John Allison presents overviews of four free, downloadable drawing and photo manipulation softwares that mimic the big guys:
Google SketchUp: A quick and easy introduction to 3D, SketchUp can be used for time-sensitive projects. It can be paired with a growing number of 3rd Party rendering programs to create high-quality graphics.
Blender: This program rivals Maya and Lightwave with its full publishing interface. Advanced animation, modeling and texturing techniques supported by the Python scripting language allow for complex visualizations and superb detail.
GIMP: The GNU Imaging Manipulation Program is the free alternative to Adobe Photoshop, great for photo-manipulation, image composition and image authoring.
Inkscape: This vector-based application takes the place of Adobe Illustrator. It features a similar toolset, complex path operations and the ever-important pen tool.
WHERE THE READERS ARE
Steve Dorsey of the Detroit Free Press introduces you to the Free Press’ e-reader platform for Platic Logic set to debut publicly in Jan. 2010.
WHERE THE CONNECTIONS ARE
Your content has hit the web. Now what? Bring all your social media, mobile and internet questions. Learn the steps Shawn Smith took to establish MLive.com as one of the leading news organizations in Michigan when it comes to internet presence - and get hands-on techniques for replicating those tricks with your organization. Time is short for this session, so have your questions ready. We’ll give you as much actionable items as you can take down in 60 minutes.
THE SPEAKERS
NANCY HANUS
Nancy is a 25-year veteran of the news industry, having spent most of those years with The Detroit News as an editor in various departments. She left The News in August 2008 to teach journalism at Michigan State University, where she is a visiting new media editor in residence. This fall, Hanus is launching a “virtual newsroom” course that is expected to eventually be the capstone course to a revised journalism curriculum emphasizing multimedia, multiplatform journalism for the new era.
JOHN ALLISON
John is a journalism senior at Michigan State University, and studies visual multimedia under Newsweek’s former graphics editor Karl Gude. Specializing in 3D publishing and animation, he gave a seminar at SND Vegas last year on SketchUp, a free 3D program created by Google. He has created animations for the MSU Cyclotron and is currently animating and producing a documentary on the City Center II project, a massive urban development in downtown East Lansing. John has trained himself on many of the free creative applications available.
STEVE DORSEY
Steve is the deputy managing editor/presentation + innovation at the Detroit Free Press, the secretary/treasurer of the Society for News Design, and a design consultant. He’s been involved in user-centered information design research for many years, as well as the www.revenuetwopointzero.com efforts more recently. He’s been a speaker at conferences and workshops internationally, a visiting professor at Syracuse University, a recurring visiting faculty member at The Poynter Institute, and a frequent speaker and coach at numerous newsrooms.
SHAWN SMITH
Shawn runs the internet marketing group OptimalWebworks.com - but he’ll always be a journalist at heart. Training for a career in journalism, Shawn found his niche in traffic generation and social media while working with MLive.com. As senior producer for the site, Shawn helped build its internet presence through social media, SEO, newsletters and more.
SND’s the Best of Multimedia Design competition uses the volunteered services of nine judges from top multimedia design backgrounds. With a goal of honoring high-quality journalistic multimedia design, the judges work through the year to evaluate entries, providing confidential feedback to each entrant. This weekend they completed the evaluations of more than 170 quarterly project winners and recognized projects worthy of finalist status. After deliberation over four award levels — gold, silver, bronze and award of excellence — they selected the medalists that will be announced at SND’s Annual Workshop and Exhibition Sept. 24-26 in Buenos Aires.
Video by Team UNC bloggers: Carly Brantmeyer, Chris Carmichael, Phil Daquila, Lauren Frohne, Bethany Nuechterlein, Brent Williams, Reiley Wooten
Jeff Goertzen, Kris Viesselman lead slate of SND candidates
The Nominations Committee of the Society for News Design, chaired by immediate past-president Gayle Grin, has announced six SND members as candidates for the upcoming 2009 election.
THE BALLOT
President • Jeff Goertzen
• Kris Viesselman
Vice president • Patricia Cox
• Steve Dorsey
Secretary/treasurer • Jonathon Berlin
• Lily Lu
When: Ballots will go out to current SND members around September 1 and voting will take place online.
The Nominations Committee of the Society for News Design, chaired by immediate past-president Gayle Grin, has announced six SND members as candidates for the upcoming 2009 election.
The candidates for president are Jeff Goertzen, graphics editor of The Denver Post and SND director for Region 5, and Kristine Viesselman, director of digital product development for National Geographic Maps.
The candidates for vice president are Patricia Cox, managing editor/presentation at the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times and Steve Dorsey, deputy managing editor for presentation and innovation at the Detroit Free Press and SND secretary/treasurer.
The candidates for secretary/treasurer are Jonathon Berlin, graphics editor of the Chicago Tribune and SND publications director, and Lily Lu, consultant at L5 Communications and director of SND Chinese.
Members also will be able to write in candidates on the ballots.
The SND publications team plans to post candidate statements online at www.snd.org. Candidates also may post information on their own Web sites.
Ballots will go out to current SND members around September 1 and voting will take place online. Members current as of September 11 will receive ballots. The election ends at 12 a.m. Sat., Sept. 26, Buenos Aires time. The results will be announced at the SND Annual Meeting in Buenos Aires at lunch September 26.
The elected officers will begin their terms Jan. 1, 2010.
Grin invited all SND members to nominate candidates, and the Nominations Committee selected from among those receiving multiple nominations.
The members of the Nominations Committee are: SND Vice President Bonita Burton, visuals editor of the Orlando Sentinel; Grin, managing editor for design and graphics at the National Post in Toronto; Dorsey; C. Marshall Matlock, emeritus professor at Syracuse University and SND competition & judging director; Melissa Angle, senior designer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and SND Region 3 director; Hans-Peter Janisch, a consultant with Zeitungs- und Kommunikationsdesign in Grossenlueder, Germany, and SND international director; Cristobal Edwards, professor of visual journalism at Pontificia Univerdidad Católica de Chile in Santiago; and Kenneth F. Irby, visual journalism/group leader at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla.
In light of Vice President Bonita Burton’s decision to remove herself from the ladder for president, the SND board is seeking nominations from members for president and vice president. Nominations for the position of secretary/treasurer were received last week, and we are in the process of confirming candidates for that spot. At least two candidates will be presented on the ballot, as well as a write-in option, for each officer position. Kris Viesselman, who launched a campaign for the presidency last week has been confirmed as a candidate for president. Secretary/treasurer Steve Dorsey, who has asked to be considered for the vice presidency, will also appear on the ballot.
The deadline for nominations is tight — SND’s fall election is right around the corner. Nominations must be received by 6 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 19, to ensure that we can get ballots to all members in a timely manner.
Candidates for office must be active, committed and passionate SND members. Officers must be willing to attend annual spring and fall board meetings and be able to travel internationally on SND business throughout the year. For a description of Vice President and President responsibilities, click here. To nominate someone (or yourself), send an e-mail containing the candidate’s contact information and a paragraph about their qualifications to ggrin@nationalpost.com.
We want to hear from you about who should help lead the organization into the future. Thank you for your participation in this process, your voices make the difference.
Gayle Grin
Managing Editor/ Design & Graphics, National Post
SND Immediate Past President
University of Miami’s Brian Schlansky wins SNDF 2009 scholarship
Brian A. Schlansky, a senior studying visual journalism at the University of Miami School of Communication, is the 2009 recipient of the Society for News Design Foundation Scholarship, a $2,000 award.
Schlansky became interested in visual journalism as a college freshman when he participated in a photo camp sponsored by National Geographic. The Web site he created for that project won an award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Best of the Web competition.
Next he was tapped to work for the university’s startup Knight Center for International Media. Chris Delboni, new media coordinator for the Knight Center, said in recommending Schlansky, “He is always ready to answer a call, make commitments he won’t miss and multi-task with the speed and attention seldom seen in today’s fast-paced, low attention-span world.”
Schlansky also serves as Webmaster for Miami’s student newspaper, The Miami Hurricane. He spent one summer switching the Hurricane site to a new content management platform, rebuilding it, and successfully importing the seven-year archive.
Susan Mango Curtis, assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and president of the SND Foundation, described Schlansky as “a smart online designer with all the skills of a digital journalist, someone you would want to have on your team.” In reviewing his design work and his essays, she praised his focus on usability.
The scholarship application requires a resume, a character reference from a professor or advisor, two essays and eight-to-12 examples of page designs, photos, typography, illustrations, graphics, multimedia projects and/or interactive design. Schlansky’s portfolio may be seen at www.brianschlansky.com
Curtis led the 2009 SNDF review committee, which included: Bonita Burton, visuals editor of the Orlando Sentinel and chair of the Society for News Design Foundation; Steve Dorsey, DME/Presentation + Innovation at the Detroit Free Press and Foundation treasurer; Jennifer George-Palilonis, journalism graphics sequence coordinator at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., and education director of the Society for News Design; Ed Kohorst, president and CEO of Value Works, Inc. in Rockwall, Texas; and Sara Quinn, a member of the visual journalism faculty at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Founded in 1992, the SND Foundation was organized to enhance the quality and availability of news graphics and design education; to contribute, through education and research, to the news design and graphics profession; and to develop and improve, through education, the capabilities of those who have an interest in careers in the news design and graphics profession. Donation may be made at https://www.snd.org/about/fnd_order.lasso.
For more information, contact Elise Burroughs, secretary of the SND Foundation and executive director of SND, 1130 Ten Rod Road, E 202, North Kingstown, RI 02852; (401) 294-5233; snd@snd.org; http://www.snd.org/about/found.html.
I’m writing to tell you that I have made the decision to not pursue the 2010 presidency.
I will complete my term as vice president, but I do not intend to counter the campaign launched today by Kris Viesselman. I’ve devoted enormous energy to righting SND since departure of President Matt Mansfield, and that has come at great personal cost to my reputation, my family life and my physical well being. It has been all-consuming, and I can’t further neglect these aspects of my life to embroil SND in another public battle over its leadership.
SND is an organization I love and to which I owe much of my career. It was through the Society that I learned the principles of strong design, got my first professional break and met caring coaches who still serve as my mentors today. I am deeply indebted and deeply committed to her success. More contention is exactly what SND does not need right now.
I have tremendous respect for Kris and her supporters, which include some board members. I’ve had the privilege of working for her twice in my career: At the Orange County Register, where I won my first SND awards under her direction, and again at the San Jose Mercury News, where she continued to take my good work and make it great. I have always admired Kris, who taught me a lot about conceptual thinking, and even more about how to nurture talent with care and sensitivity. She is a visionary leader who is well connected in the industry around the world. I learned a great deal working for her, and I know the board of directors would, too. The society needs to unify behind a trusted leader and continue moving forward. Kris will have my vote, and I hope yours.
Secretary/Treasurer Steve Dorsey and I spoke this afternoon, and he will remain a candidate for vice president. Steve has been masterfully helming our strategic planning task force over the summer, and I know he will provide the same forward-looking perspective and wise counsel to our next president that he has to me.
Past President Gayle Grin is confirming candidates for secretary/treasurer over the next few days and we expect to publish the ballot soon thereafter. We are also proceeding forward with the executive director search, and expect to select the finalists by the end of the month.
On a last note, I want to thank the board of directors — especially Steve, Gayle and Executive Director Elise Burroughs — for working so hard to hold SND together over the summer and position it for the future. SND is a powerful engine for innovation that helps visual journalists find their voice, refine their ideas, channel their passions and invent their own future. Kris and Steve would be excellent partners in moving that message forward, and I hope they will have all our members’ support in next month’s election.
Bonita Burton is Visuals Editor at the Orlando Sentinel and the vice president of SND
SND’s fall election is right around the corner, and we want to hear from you about who should help lead the organization into the future.
SND’s strength has always been as a member-to member organization, and we want our election process to reflect that. We’re seeking your nominations for the 2010 secretary/treasurer office, vacated by Steve Dorsey who moves up the leadership ladder to become a candidate for vice president. Dorsey joins Bonita Burton, candidate for president, on the ballot, which includes a write-in option for all three offices.
Candidates for office must be active SND members with a strong record of organizational leadership. Officers must be willing to commit four years to the officer ladder (subsequently serving as vice president, president and past president), attend an annual spring and fall board meeting and be able to travel internationally on SND business throughout the year. For a description of secretary/treasurer responsibilities, click here.
To nominate someone (or yourself), send an email containing the candidate’s contact information and a paragraph about their qualifications to Past President Gaye Grin at ggrin@nationalpost.com. Nominations must be received by Aug. 10.
In accordance with SND’s bylaws, Grin will make the final ballot selection in consultation with a nominations committee. If you have questions, please email her or Executive Director Elise Burroughs at eliseb@snd.org. We look forward to your submissions.
SND board members gathered in Orlando over the weekend to work through key issues facing the Society, ranging from membership and budget concerns to larger strategic and organizational topics. The group, joined by past presidents Tony Majeri and Randy Stano, also heard updates from task forces formed after the resignations of President Matt Mansfield and three board members last month. The goal was to push ahead on many topics before the regularly scheduled fall board meeting at the Buenos Aires Workshop.
The highlights:
*STRATEGY TASK FORCE:
Contact Steve Dorsey: steve.dorsey@gmail.com
The day began with a discussion about the intersection of our ambitions and resources. SND is determined to provide excellent value to members, even as it feels the economic strain facing all organizations. The group agreed on the need to expand the reach of our competitions, offer more low-cost, high-end training and pursue price breaks on membership dues. Executive Director Elise Burroughs walked us through an enlightening report on the top 50 U.S. foundations awarding grants for media and communications. While the competition for grants is fierce, we were encouraged to learn there may be sources of funding for many of our core activities and strategic goals. The most promising areas are already central to SND: Innovation, diversity and global outreach.
*EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/HQ MOVE TASK FORCE
Contact Bonita Burton: bburton@orlandosentinel.com
* The search committee received about 75 applications for the position and are reviewing them now. We expect to have our short list compiled in the next few weeks and determine how finalists will be interviewed. A recommendation for the board’s approval is expected before Buenos Aires. UNC has affirmed its interest in resuming talks about our headquarter move as soon as this decision has been made. At this weekend’s summit, it was decided that we would also circle back with universities queried two years ago to ensure all the HQ options have been reconsidered.
(The search committee is comprised of board members Bonita Burton, Steve Dorsey, Gayle Grin, Hans Peter Janisch, Marshall Matlock, Denise Reagan and Melissa Angle; past presidents Richard Curtis and Nanette Bisher; and members Cristobal Edwards and Anna Thurfjell)
* RULES & REGULATIONS TASK FORCE
Contact Marshall Matlock: mmatlock@dreamscape.com
This group was asked to examine the standing rules governing SND, in the wake of the president’s resignation, when we found many unforeseen gaps in the governing documents. It determined that questions about leadership transition can be resolved as matters of policy (documented in a leadership book provided to each board member). This team expects to have recommendations for the board in the next few weeks on how such transitions should occur, how the elections for new officers should be conducted and how the elected/appointed board should interface with the paid office staff.
*BOARD STRCUTURE TASK FORCE
Contact Hans Peter Janisch: Janisch@pressedesign.de or Gayle Grin: GGrin@nationalpost.com
We had thoughtful conversation about making sure we have the right people in the right place to get the job done. There’s a strong desire to bring back a board position for membership & marketing; to increase international representation; to strike a better board balance between digital and print expertise; and to expand our committees to create more “entry level” opportunities to groom the future leaders of SND.
We need YOU! By now you can see how our September agenda is already taking shape. We need your help to keep the conversation moving forward — let us know what you’d like to see SND become, and how you can help us get there. If you can meet us in Buenos Aires, the first drink is on us!
About the summer summit: The Board of Directors meets twice a year, once in the spring and once at the annual fall workshop. The summits began under SND President Scott Goldman in 2007 as a way to touch base on key initiatives between board meetings. Attending this weekend’s summit:
Elise Burroughs, executive director
Bonita Burton, SND vice president
Steve Dorsey, treasurer/secretary
Denise Reagan, education and training director
Marshall Matlock, competition director
Javier Torres, diversity director
Melissa Angle, regional director (region 3)
Lee Steele, regional director (region 1)
Tony Majeri, past president
Randy Stano, past president
(Joining by phone):
Susan Mango Curtis, SND foundation president
Chris Courtney, regional director (region 4)
By Bonita Burton and Steve Dorsey.Bonita is Visuals Editor at the Orlando Sentinel and the vice president of SND. Steve is the DME for presentation and innovation at the Detroit Free Press and the treasurer/secretary for the Society.
Dispatch from SND DACH’s annual meeting in Austria
Quality design and independent and audacious journalism will continue to guarantee circulation and advertising revenue during a difficult era for newspapers. This is the conclusion of Joseph Dreier, co-organizer of the Annual Meeting of the Society for News Design, Region 16/DACH, on June 26/27 in Linz, Austria.
During the two-day event, some 40 designers, photographers, and journalists, enjoyed presentations about quality design. Speakers came from London,
Vienna, Hamburg and Berlin. The gathering provided an opportunity for inspiration and for lively discussions with colleagues from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Andrew Timmins, chief artist at the German magazine Stern, explained a four-day research project for a graphic on a suicide shooting in Southern Germany. Wolfgang Ammer, internationally active cartoonist from Vienna, showed samples of his work, but lamented the trend toward oversimplified cartoons. Photographer Maurizio Gambarini from the German news agency DPA reported on the challenges and opportunities in his work. Possibilities and limitations of online design for the new platform of the ‘Guardian’ was one of the topics of Mark Porter, creative director of the London paper.
A roundtable discussion Friday evening with media experts from Austria addressed the theme, “With design out of the crisis”. It was agreed that good design and good content are not contradictions but must complement each other. Interesting articles, exciting photos, and explanatory graphics, when presented well, are welcomed by a still large, anticipatory and curious readership, so the conclusion. Rolf F. Rehe, co-founder of SND and one of the
symposium organizers, emphasized, “Newspapers are most of all a typographic medium. Maximal legibility of text must be a major consideration.”
Friday evening, the participants and lecturers came together as dinner guests of the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten. The event, at the historic Schlössl (castle) restaurant atop a hill overlooking the city, offered participants an opportunity to mingle, talk, and enjoy the flavorful cuisine and tasty wines of the region.
The symposium continued on Saturday morning and ended with a digital presentation of the winners of ‘The World’s Best Designed Newspapers’.
Audience response to the meeting was not only good, but enthusiastic. “It was one of the best conferences we ever had,” observed Daniel Braun, graphics
director of the Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich and a Region 16 member.
The event was supported by the daily Oberösterreichische Nachrichten in Linz and by the Upper Austria Press Club. The German national daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, as a sponsor, provided financial funding.
Michael Rice has been named the 31st Edition Coordinator for the Society’s international creative news design competition for the 2009 judging year, according to Competition Director Marshall Matlock. Rice is visual team leader for design & graphics at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson.
“This was not a hard appointment to make,” Matlock says. “In the past six years that Mike has been involved in the judging he has been easy to work with and has respect for the judging’s rules and guidelines. Mike can make tough decisions while under pressure and that’s vital for a person in the Coordinator’s position.”
Rice said, “The weekend of the general competition is always a highlight for me. The chance to work with some of the world’s best news designers is always a treat. Being given the opportunity to lead that team is an honor.”
“Over the years, Rice said, “SND has provided many opportunities for me and I’m happy to have this chance to give something back to the organization.”
Rice has made six trips to snowy Syracuse, N.Y., in February, twice as a facilitator (assistant) and three times as a judging team captain.
“It’s imperative that we have the best facilitators with an outstanding mix of international judges for each competition,” Matlock said. “Rice fits perfectly into that scenario.”
This is Rice’s second year on the Competition Committee, an advisory group that is both a sounding board for the competition director as well as the group that selects judges for each competition. Judge selections should be complete by the end of September.
Anyone may nominate colleagues to be added to the potential judges’ list. Nominations sent to snd@snd.org should include each potential judge’s name, affiliation, job title, e-mail address, business address and a couple of sentences as to why you think the person is qualified to judge his or her peer’s work. There is no limit to the number of nominations that one can make.
The competition judging will take place at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse (N.Y.) beginning Feb. 6, 2010. Judging will end in time for the announcement of the World’s Best-Designed™ Newspapers Feb. 16, 2010.
U.S. entries must arrive in Syracuse by or on Jan. 13. 2010. Non-U.S. entries must arrive in Syracuse on or before Feb. 20, 2010.
SU has hosted and co-sponsored the competition for 20 years.
New Regional Directors in New England, Central America
Two visual leaders have joined SND’s board as regional directors. Lee Steele, of the Connecticut Post, will represent New England, Region 1.Norma Ramierez of the Altamirano Editorial Group in El Salvador will represent Central America, Region 11.
Steele, is the design editor at the Connecticut Post in Bridgeport, CT, and he coordinates the design of four daily newspapers for the Hearst Corp. A Rowan University graduate who studied art at Wesleyan University’s Graduate Studies program in Middletown, CT, he’s worked as an illustrator, cartoonist, reporter and copy editor at various newspapers since 1987. He is also an adjunct professor at Southern Connecticut State University, where he teaches news design. He can be reached at LSteele@ctpost.com
Ramirez is the art director for the newspapers, magazines and web site of Altamirano Editorial Group in El Salvador. Her career began in 1990 in Monterrey’s El Norte newspaper, where she worked as graphics editor of the Business and Finances Sections. She also worked as art director at Danilo Black Mexico, where she headed several projects creating and conceptualizing newspaper designs in Mexico and Central and South America. From 1997 to 2000, Norma worked as art director for El Diario de Hoy in El Salvador City, El Salvador, where she was in charge of the design team. She also launched a youth edition and a special edition about El Salvador history. From 2004 to 2005, she worked as art and design coordinator in Rumbo Newspapers, at San Antonio, Texas. Norma has also done independent design work for newspapers and magazines in Panama, Mexico, Singapore and Peru. She can be reached at norma.drc@gmail.com
Jump-start your week with a peek at the SND Region 20 blog
Have some fun this week! Take a look at the terrific, just revamped SND Region 20 blog.
Regional Director Douglas Okasaki is based in the Middle East but he has scoured the world to post links to news articles, work samples, page roundups and even a “how to” on creating information graphics. It’s fun and enlightening!
Two visual journalism educators who need no introduction to SND members have agreed to fill the open advisory seats on the executive committee.
Kenny Irby, Visual Journalism Group Leader & Director of Diversity at The Poynter Institute and Cristóbal Edwards, visual journalism professor at Universidad Católica de Chile, will serve one and two-year terms respectively. Kenny and Chris both bring broad perspective and a finely-tuned radar to the needs of the rising generation. They have a long history of service to SND, and we are grateful to them for volunteering even more time and energy in our behalf.
The executive committee is an advisory group within the SND board that helps the officers set the agenda. It is comprised of:
Officers:Bonita Burton, Vice President; Steve Dorsey, Treasurer/Secretary; Gayle Grin, Immediate Past President
Regional director representative: Melissa Angle, Region 3 Director
Program director representative: Marshall Matlock, Best of News Design Competition Director
Three directors from the media/journalism community at large: Hans Peter Janisch,SND International Relations Director; Kenny Irby, Visual Journalism Group Leader and Diversity Director at the Punter Institute; Cristóbal Edwards, visual journalism professor at Universidad Católica de Chile
About Kenny Irby: Kenny is Poynter’s Visual Journalism Group Leader and Director of Diversity. He is an integral figure in visual journalism education, known for his insightful knowledge of photographic storytelling, innovative management ideas, and steadfast ethical thinking. During his 14-year tenure at Poynter, Kenny has traveled to Nigeria, Amsterdam, Denmark, Canada, Jamaica, Singapore, South Africa and Russia preaching excellence in photojournalism. He chaired the 2007 Pulitzer Prize (photography categories), lectured at the World Press Photos buddy training program, the International Center Of Photography, is a member of the Eddie Adams Workshop board, presented on the 2003 Flying Short Course, served as photo manager at two USA Olympic Games (‘96 and ‘02), chaired the Unity ‘99 Visual Task Force and is Poynter’s representative and a founding member of The Best of Photojournalism (BOP) Committee. Kenny contributed as a photo editor to three Pulitzer Prize-winning projects while at Newsday. He is a recipient of numerous NPPA awards, including the 2007 Sprague Award (the organization’s highest honor), 2002 President’s Award, 1999 Joseph Costa Award and others. He has been a juror for SND, the American Society of Newspaper Editor’s Community Service Photojournalism Awards, Annual Pictures of the Year Competition, White House News Photographers’ Competition, and the Scripps Howard National Journalism Awards.
About Cristóbal Edwards:
Cristóbal, from Santiago, Chile, is a visual journalism professor at Universidad Católica de Chile. He teaches news design, infographics and investigative reporting. As a photographer and writer, he freelances for US, UK and Chilean publications. He has had several photo exhibitions in Chile and one in Norway. He joined SND in 1999, and has been co-director of the education committee, director for Region 12 (South American), and SND Foundation trustee. He also translates SND’s Best of Newspaper Design book into
Spanish. Currently he is an assistant to the organization of the SND workshop in Buenos Aires this September.
Let there be light: SNDScandinavia’s annual workshop
Photo by Lars Pryds Oulu Finland was the site of SNDScandinavia’s annual workshop - Oulu24 from May 14 to 16. Why the 24? A whole lot of sun! It was light almost around the clock. Oulu is located in the northern part of Finland, about 75 miles south of the polar Circle. Oulu is also the northern biggest town in the Nordic Countries with 140,000 inhabitants. The town is well known as a Technology Center, with a well reputed Technical University, and Nokia has a also a big developing center in the town.
In mid-May the sun is up almost 20 hours a day, lending a strange feeling with bright light almost the entire day through. That also meant that many of the 160 attendees didn’t sleep much during the workshop, although we got black blinders to use in case of a nap.
The schedule was packed with inspiring lectures, many issues related to the future in our business. Additionally, the best shouting choir in the world took the stage on Thursday May 22. That was Mieskou Huutajat – The Shouting Men’s Choir.
A whole lot of fun! A kind of wonderful and very Finnish melancholic, and little black humor, embedded the workshop this weekend.
Among all the speakers and topics many of them were looking to the future. Here’s a selection, that shows the breadth of themes:
Tony Manninen, The Game Man, CEO and Lead Designer at Ludo Craft, was speaking about computer game design and how art challenges technology and technology inspires art. A recipe for good content.
Martin Gee, art director at Oregon Business Magazine, gave a very inspiring session under the headline A Kick in The Pants. And he gave a whole lot of hands on tips on how to be continuous creative in the daily work. He also showed many examples of what he’s being inspired of.
Creativity in news and feature design was the topic for Ari Kinnari, Art Director at The Finnish newspaper Amulehti, who has been rewarded several times at SND:s and SNDScandinavias News Design Awards.
New narrative techniques and tools was the name of Javier Errea’s lecture. Javier Errea is head of Errea Communication and also regional director of SND/Spain.
Lily Lu,regional director of SND Chinese, showed many examples of good design from chinese speaking newspapers. “The crisis in not a limitation, it is an opportunity”, she said, and showed that the chinese sign for crisis is the same as for opportunity.
Color palettes in South American and European newspapers was the name on Cristóbal Edwards’ lecture. Cristóbal also invited everyone in Oulu to come to SND:s annual workshop in Buenos Aires September 22–24.
Anna Thurfjell, AD at Svenska Dagbladet, was talking about how “Standing still is going backwards”. She also showed some examples from the present redesign of the newspaper, that is going to be launched this fall.
Melanie Shah, Business development manager at Ifra, spoked about “How to build the newsrooms of the future.”
And then of course there was the highlight: The Big Gala Dinner when the Best of Scandinavian News Design Awards were given out.
The final results were 70 Awards this year: 1 Gold, 16 Silver, 17 Bronze and 36 Awards of Excellence. The total number of participating media houses was 71, and that’s more than the year before. Total number of entries was 807.
The only Gold Medal went to Dagens Nyheter for the redesign of it’s weekend supplement “På Stan” in a new miniformat.
For the first time The Online Competition presented a completley new concept with a range of new categories. It was a succes, the number of entries in the Online competition was three times more than last year.
And a tips for all collegues in Europe: SND Scandinavia also has a competition since a few years back that you can attend: Best European Front Pages and Best European Feature Pages.
Next year’s SNDScandinavia workshop will be in Oslo, Norway. The hosting newspaper is Aftenposten – the second biggest in Norway. The theme is Opera, to salute the new fantastic Opera House in The Norwegian Capital. We are going to stay at Hotel Opera, just a stone’s throw from The blending white marbled house at the waterfront.
You are of course very welcome to join us April 22 to 24, 2010.
You can also see the Opera House in the marvelous promotion video, a true thriller, at: www.snds.org
Carrie Hoover and Martin Gee in deep concentration. Photo by Jukka-Pekka Moilanen.
Javier Errea talking about New narrative techniques and tools. Photo by Jukka-Pekka Moilanen.
Lotta Ek, AD at Dagens Nyheter, won the only Gold Medal this year: For the redesign of “På Stan.” In the background: the chairman of Best of Scandinavian News Design competition: Flemming Hvidtfeldt. Photo by Jukka-Pekka Moilanen.
Lilly Liu presenting on design trends in China. Photo by Jukka-Pekka Moilanen.
The Theater Group Minimi gave an oddysey over Finlands history. Photo by Jukka-Pekka Moilanen.
Mieskou Huutajat – The faboulus Shouting Men’s Choir – gave a fantastic show at Oulu City Theathre. Photo by Jukka-Pekka Moilanen.Anders Tapola is the President Society for News Design Scandinavia
SND board seeks member comments, feedback
We need your help to plan the future of SND training
We’ve heard from many of you about the importance that training plays in terms of SND’s tangible worth to you.
We’ve made some important changes over the last two years to transform the kinds of training SND offers.
We put out a survey to ask you what kinds of training you were looking for.
We launched two-day, hands-on, computer lab courses to teach real skills that could be immediately put to work. Among the topics:
Editing video and audio
Using Photoshop and Illustrator tools like the pros
Writing, editing and designing alternative story forms
Constructing 3-D graphics in Lightwave
This year we added a Web Design Boot Camp to help print designers translate their skills through HTML and CSS. The second one is scheduled for July 11-12 in Las Vegas. It’s not too late to sign up!
We also created a $50 day-long Quick Course in Orlando on April 17 that featured some of the major innovations happening at news organizations today. We are planning another low-cost event at Michigan State University in East Lansing this October.
And we started the free meet-ups that took place in Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago — with several more to come this year, including one in San Francisco on July 18.
Now we have some more ideas, and we’d like to get your input.
Live chats: We are going to schedule several live chats on topics that are at the top of our collective agendas such as changing careers, building Web audience, using social media to extend brand and audience, the role of video on news Web sites, etc. If you have ideas for topics or featured guests on these chats, please comment below or send me an e-mail. We’d love to have your ideas.
BarCamp: BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants. These usually take place at bars and can feature a variety of topics, many relating to the digital landscape. We are interested in organizing or joining some of these events. Are you involved with this group? Do you have a topic you’d like to present or one you’d like to hear more about in this kind of setting? Let us know.
Ignite: Ignite is a style of presentation where participants are given five minutes to speak on a subject accompanied by 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds, and slides are automatically advanced. We are interested in organizing or joining some of these events. Are you involved with this group? Let us know.
Other organizations and events: We’re interested in partnering with other groups out there, either by adding some programming to one of their events, or by co-sponsoring an event. Who should we be talking to? What events should we be looking at?
Online tutorials: We would like to create a series of short skills-based videos for members using screencasting software. Is there a specific skill, effect, tool, script you want to know more about? Or something that you can share with our members? Please let me know if you’d like to participate.
Meet-ups: We want to encourage as many of these casual events as possible. A meet-up can be as simple as inviting a group of people to share drinks at a local pub or as ambitious as scheduling one or more speakers at an auditorium. The only requirements are that it should be free and open to anyone, reach out to a broad spectrum of people (Web developers, print and digital designers, artists, photographers, students, etc.) and help SND extend its message. All we ask is that you let us know when and where it will be so that we can help you promote it — we might even be able to supply limited free swag! If you need help getting something like this off the ground, send me an e-mail.
Thoughts? We want to hear from you. Please comment below this story or send your thoughts to the e-mail address below.
SND’s German-language affiliate, DACH, representing visual journalists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, holds its annual meeting June 26-27 in Linz, Austria.
Sessions explore design, photography, information graphics, typography, illustration and more. World’s Best-Designed Newspapers™ will be on display. Speakers include Mark Porter, Wolfgang Beinert, Wolfgang Ammer, Andrew Timmins, Daniel Becker and Mauricio Gambarini.
New appointments are effective immediately; Society seeks volunteers for other positions
SND names Foundation president, publications director
Society for News Design Vice President Bonita Burton and the SND Executive Committee are pleased to announce the appointment of Susan Mango Curtis and Jonathon Berlin to key positions. We’re still seeking volunteers for several other positions.
Susan Mango Curtis, an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and an SND past president, has been appointed president of SND’s Foundation, filling the vacancy created by Bill Gaspard’s resignation last week. Curtis will serve through the remainder of Gaspard’s term, Dec. 31, 2009.
The Foundation is SND’s nonprofit education and research arm. With support from donations and matching grants, the Foundation provides training grants for out-of-work visual journalists, university-level scholarships, travel grants for students to the Annual Workshop & Exhibition, grants to the student designers of the year, and outreach to minority journalists and journalism students at universities with large minority enrollments. The Foundation also provides research grants for projects on the future of journalism developed in partnership with other journalism organizations.
Curtis is an educator, designer and consultant. Before coming to Medill, she worked as an assistant managing editor for the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, where in 1991 she spearheaded a complete redesign and won multiple SND awards. Three years later, she was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize gold medal for a series titled “The Question of Color.” In 1996 she received the Garth C. Reeve chair in journalism and took a sabbatical to teach visual journalism at Florida A&M University.
Prior to joining the Beacon Journal staff, Curtis was a designer at the Journal newspapers in suburban Washington, D.C. She also has worked as an artist for the Washington Post Sunday magazine and as art director for the National Rifle Association. Curtis operates a design consulting business that caters to publications and organizations both in the United States and abroad.
She was SND President in 2004 and has been the adviser of Medill’s SND student chapter for 12 years. She has also chaired the visual task force for NABJ’s annual workshop and Unity convention.
Jonathon Berlin, design director at the Chicago Tribune and editor of SND’s Design magazine, has been appointed Publications Director, filling the vacancy created by Tyson Evans’ resignation last week. Berlin will serve through the remainder of Evans’ term, Dec. 31, 2009.
Berlin says his top priorities are getting a regular HTML newsletter up and running; coordinating a steady flow of SND business content and thought-leading material at snd.org; wrapping up the next edition of Design magazine for publication in the next three months; and working to get more member voices in the mix.
At the Tribune, Berlin supervises the graphic artists and is responsible for the general look and feel of the paper. He helped lead the team of editors and designers behind September’s award-winning redesign.
Prior to joining the Tribune, he was the senior editor for design and graphics at the San Jose Mercury News, leading the paper’s design and graphics departments to a record number of SND awards. He also worked in a previous stint as A1 and special projects designer for the paper during the year it won “World’s Best-Designed Newspaper™” distinction from SND. Berlin also has worked as assistant design director at the Rocky Mountain News; as a graphics editor and features designer at the Times of Northwest Indiana; and as design director for YourHub.com.
Have you ever wanted to become more active in SND? Have you ever wanted to increase your contacts with visual journalists, and learn more about design trends globally? Have you ever wondered how to organize a Quick Course or meetup in your area?
SND is now seeking enthusiastic visual journalists to assist with SND activities in three regions:
• Region 2 — East Coast Metro Region
Delaware, DC, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia
(vacated by the resignation of Regional Director Jon Wile last week, term runs through 2010)
• Region 6 -– Plains Region
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
(vacant since 2008, term runs through 2010)
• Region 11— Mexico–Central America–Caribbean Region
(vacant since 2008, term runs through 2009)
If you are interested in volunteering to help SND, please contact SND Vice President Bonita Burton, bburton@orlandosentinel.com.
Don’t forget about the Society’s upcoming events, which include:
• Signing up on July 1, 2009, to serve as a facilitator at the judging for the 31st Best of Newspaper Design Creative Competition, Feb. 5-9, 2010, at the University of Syracuse. Link.
You have heard a lot of information tossed out during the last few days on how your elected officers and appointed board have handled two significant issues that collided: a search for a new executive director and a possible move of the Society’s offices to a university campus.
You have also heard that some members of the board believe I was not as forthcoming as I should have been. I have already apologized to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for not letting them know of a change in direction. In my zeal to try to accomplish a lot, I moved too fast and was caught in the crossfire of several people who have differing versions of essentially the same story. I regret those decisions and am on record as saying it was an error in judgment.
In an effort to put this all to rest and end the acrimony on the board, I agreed to the timeline. As with so many things like this, there are many more details and mitigating factors, a litany of people with opinions on the correct course of action and some who put pressure on me in ways too odd to imagine. They aren’t worth discussing much anymore.
I know that, as long as I have been a volunteer for SND, I have been working for the good of this organization’s members. I hope you all will continue to be SND members and do what’s right to help the Society move forward.
My advice for SND:
Clarify and communicate what SND does: A lot of people need to know what SND stands for and how they can help. We have seen an outpouring of people out there who want to be engaged. The Society’s leaders have to let members define what the organization will be and that probably includes reaching out to find new people who would see themselves in SND if given the chance to shape that definition — and to extend it beyond the scope of its history.
Stop the turf wars on the board: They are not helping anything. Talk to each other and come to amicable solutions. The energy devoted to a mess like this has exhausted too many of us at a time when we should be working hard to confront the challenges of the industry.
Communicate, communicate, communicate: My other big mistake was not telling everyone everything I knew up front. I feared this would close the door for something good for SND at UNC and that weighed heavily in my decision to step down. I also listened to Bonita Burton, the vice president, when she implored me and Steve Dorsey, the secretary/treasurer, not to be more open in communications after I resigned. Bonita was adamant that our FAQ and live chat focus on the future, which is the right step forward. What we failed to see was that we had to talk enough about the past to give that future context.
Look ahead and be transparent: The Society, obviously, needs to get better at posting minutes, being more open about what’s going on, and generally keeping members clued in more. A flood of information would be a good thing, in my opinion. And that has to extend to a full and frank discussion of SND’s financial health. SND had a loss of about $29,000 last year, and the gap is bigger so far this year. The only way SND stays afloat is by dipping into its reserve accounts and investments.
Look outward for success stories: Find the other organizations out there that are doing smart things. Then steal like crazy. There’s so much to learn by stepping outside of your usual way of thinking. And find some new revenue streams in that process. SND’s three main source of income are member dues, which are in trouble as fewer and fewer people have the money to spend, the annual print competition, which saw far fewer entries this year, and the annual workshop. For sustainable growth, new models are needed.
Hire a new executive director who has experience fund raising; bonus points, if that person has digital skills:Robb Montgomery wrote about this today on his site. I agree with his assessment, so here it is: “Raising money is the main function of any non-profit’s paid boss and staff. Fund raising takes the pressure off of members having to support all initiatives that cost money. This exec doesn’t need to be a digerati to lead in this area. BUT they do need to know and adopt the best practices of other non-profits that have had great success in using social media. This Harvard Business article “Why Non-Profits Are So Good at Social Media” details this issue wonderfully.”
Invite new people into the process: SND’s in bad need of new blood. There’s been a lot of work done this year on that front with the meetups, but there’s much more to do. Being welcoming cannot just be talk. It has to be action. So dispel the elitist perception (because, as Damon Cain says, perception is reality) and be genuine in active participation in SND.
Do more pioneering programming than ever: Members want and need SND’s help, so find ways to do meaningful training. That has to include online training modules and other forms of distance learning. SND lags badly behind here. Poynter does a great job with NewsU. Partner with them. Look for other partners. Seek out what members find valuable and then deliver in ways that make it easy for training.
Keep growing internationally: The growth of news design globally, and the insights gained from sharing all that we all know, are another way of being open and transparent. The Society’s amazing affiliates around the world are helping chart exciting new innovations. North Americans who don’t take note do this at their own peril.
Thanks again for electing me and giving me the opportunity to help set an agenda. When I announced I was stepping down, I cited some things that are worth repeating as hallmarks of how SND has been pressing ahead this year.
Be industry leaders: The Revenue 2.0 project identified strategies for funding journalism as we put design thinking to work by demonstrating new revenue models for news companies while considering audience as never before. The work we began was just carried forward in another major report and has been noted widely in the press. My hope is that the Society will continue this kind of thought leadership because it’s needed now more than ever.
Change with the times: Training and development for members, especially those who must quickly gain digital skills, has also been at the forefront this year. We have offered successful Web design boot camps, multimedia training, and courses on alternative storytelling forms. More are planned for the coming months.
Connect, connect, connect: A series of meetups have helped members (and non members) in New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C. forge new relationships and talk about our expansive craft. The local initiatives have been amazing. More are planned this year, with the next one this summer in San Francisco. This free training, at a time when so many members (as well as their news organizations) cannot afford tuition, has been a hallmark of how we hoped to see outreach working for the Society. Talented professionals have been generously giving their time in these efforts: I cannot thank Nigel Holmes, Joe Hutchinson, Roger Black, Sarah Slobin, Matthew Ericson, Shan Carter, Cyrus Highsmith, Tyson Evans, Jon Wile, Adrian Holovaty, Jim Coudal, Bill Adee, Tracy Schmidt, Daniel Honigman, Chris Courtney and Jonathon Berlin enough for their assistance in lifting these from idea to reality.
See the whole world of news design: This fall, the Society will host its first international workshop of the decade: SND’s annual gathering will be in Buenos Aires and I have every confidence it will be a wonderful event. Tireless organizers Gustavo Lo Valvo and Chris Edwards have spanned the world to plan a program squarely aimed at confronting the biggest issues facing visual journalism, with an eye on how that global exchange of ideas has relevance for innovation. It’s a summit especially essential for our time.
Finally, I have been overwhelmed by how many of you in recent days have asked me to stay on. I am convinced that walking away remains the best course of action. But you have proven to me what I had lost sight of in the recent distractions: SND members are the best sounding board out there. We should have talked this out sooner and moved on faster.
Thank you again for electing me. Please help SND thrive.
Matt Mansfield will be president of the Society for News Design through today. After that, he’ll still be an associate professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and co-director of its Washington program.
UPDATED: A chronology of events that led to SND board resignations
Members have called for an explanation of the events that led to SND President Matt Mansfield’s resignation, as well as the resignations of SND Foundation President Bill Gaspard, Publications Director Tyson Evans, and East Coast Metro Regional Director Jon Wile. We submit this with the hope that we can answer calls for transparency and move forward.
On April 17, SND’s president, in agreement with the executive committee, decided not to renew the contract of executive director Elise Burroughs. The director was not removed for cause. The president and the majority of the executive committee decided it was time for a new direction in one of SND’s two paid positions. (The issue of whether or not to extend the executive director’s contract is a personnel matter that cannot be discussed outside SND’s executive committee. This is language that is stated in the executive director’s contract.)
At the April 19 board meeting, Don Wittekind, a member of the executive committee and professor the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, presented SND with an offer to move the SND headquarters to their campus with a wide array of financial and strategic benefits.
These two issues became entangled when the parties at UNC, including two SND board members, became uneasy with the timing of the executive director search and potential move to UNC. Wittekind the first learned of the executive director search at the April 17 meeting. On April 18, he suggested to the president holding off on the UNC proposal until an executive director had been seated. Mansfield gave a verbal assurance to Wittekind and fellow UNC professor Laura Ruel that the existing executive director’s contract would be extended so the deal could go forward immediately.
On May 7, Mansfield had a phone call with the executive committee about whether the executive director search should go forward (Vice President Burton was unable to dial in) and they agreed that it should.
On May 8, Burroughs, Burton and Treasurer/Secretary Steve Dorsey toured the campus and reported back to the board. While touring the campus, Burroughs asked Burton if a decision had been made on her contract. Burton, who said she had been told by Mansfield that both Burroughs and UNC had been apprised of the decision to search for a new executive director, referred the question to the president.
On May 11, during the discussion on the UNC vote, a regional director raised the question of office staffing. In response, Mansfield sent a note to the board saying that the issue of office staffing, including the contract of the executive director, had not been resolved. He invited the board members to a phone call to discuss the issue. No one asked for the group call.
Later that week, the board unanimously approved the UNC proposal.
While the contract between UNC and SND was being written, the decision to move ahead on a new executive director was not disclosed to UNC, despite Wittekind’s position that the university would not enter into a six-year contract without an executive director in place. Mansfield acknowledges he should have told UNC immediately of the reversal.
On May 15, Burton submitted an executive director job description to the officers.
Wittekind learned of the change in direction in a thank-you note from Burroughs that mentioned the status of her contract was uncertain. In follow-up conversations with Mansfield and Burroughs, Wittekind and Ruel received conflicting accounts about the timing of the executive director decision. Burroughs asked for a call with Mansfield to resolve whether he was going to renew her contract or not.
On May 20, the executive committee met by phone to discuss the conversation Burroughs and Mansfield was to have the following day. The timing of the two announcements were discussed, and it was decided that the executive director search would not be publicly discussed until the deal with UNC was announced.
On May 21, Mansfield and Burton informed Burroughs that there would be no future negotiations for her contract beyond Dec. 31, and they discussed preliminary details of the search.
On May 26, Past President Gayle Grin learned in an unrelated conversation with Ruel that the school had not been told of the change in direction on the executive director until the day before. She apologized, telling Ruel that Matt had asked her to keep that information from them until the headquarters move was announced. That same day Mansfield sent a message to the executive committee saying he believed the UNC deal was in jeopardy.
On May 29, UNC sent an email to Mansfield raising concerns that his statements did not match up with those of other board members. He responded with an apology for the turmoil and expressed his desire to move forward with the deal. Later that day the board received a memo signed by UNC Dean Jean Folkerts stating that the offer had been suspended, citing a breach of trust. The memo asked the board to address this issue before resuming negotiations.
On June 1, Regional Directors Jeff Goertzen and Gordon Preece sent an e-mail calling for the president’s resignation, citing SND’s code of ethics. A slew of e-mails and phone calls went back and forth as board members debated whether Mansfield’s resignation would be the best course of action for the society.
On June 3, Burton called Wittekind to discuss the situation. She then confronted Mansfield with concerns he had been untruthful with her, deceived UNC and unduly strung Burroughs along. She stated that the professional relationship with UNC had been severely impaired; that the UNC professors who run SND’s multimedia programming were questioning their ability to remain on the board; that the 2010 workshop could be at risk and that his relationship with Burroughs had disintegrated to an unacceptable level. When asked her opinion on the call for his resignation, Burton said that if the matter came to a board vote, she did not believe Mansfield would have the votes. They weighed the impact of both outcomes to the society and Burton encouraged Mansfield to strongly consider stepping down.
On June 4, at Burton’s and Grin’s urging, Mansfield contacted Wittekind to set up a phone call to apologize. Grin also encouraged a heartfelt apology to all involved and asked that her signature be removed from executive committee emails affirming unwavering support for Mansfield. Mansfield, after speaking with Wittekind who also urged him to step down, sent his resignation to the board, effective June 18. Six board members sent e-mails promising their resignations if the president was not persuaded to return to office: Steve Dorsey, treasurer/secretary; Bill Gaspard, foundation president; Tyson Evans, publications director; Denise Reagan, education & training director; Jon Wile, regional director; Melissa Angle, regional director. Several more suggested Mansfield not step down while others maintained his resignation should stand. After a board call to discuss the matter, a motion came forward asking Matt to reconsider, and affirming the board’s support for his leadership. A vote on the motion was set for June 13.
On June 11, Mansfield and the officers discussed the implications of his resignation in a phone call with 13 past presidents.
On June 12, the day before the board was to vote on the motion of support, Matt reaffirmed his decision to resign, citing a desire to put the matter to rest.
On June 16, Foundation President (and past president) Bill Gaspard, Publications Director Tyson Evans, and East Coast Metro Regional Director Jon Wile resigned from the board. The three board members were among those who’d said earlier they would resign if the discussion ended in Matt’s departure from the board.
On June 18, Mansfield sent a letter to UNC taking full responsibility and asking the university to consider reopening negotiations with SND further down the line.
All, as we were preparing the statement to be posted here, it was prematurely released yesterday as it was still being edited. It’s difficult to derive a group statement from any large group as you can imagine. We’re also trying very hard to react in near-real time to a topic we all consider very important. Thanks for your patience.
Last week President Matt Mansfield announced he is resigning, effective Thursday. Several members had questions about what this means for the future of the Society. Here are a few answers…
Q: What does that mean for SND, and where do we go from here?
A: The Society for News Design, the largest and most dynamic journalism organization representing visual journalists, has been around for more than 30 years. With the leadership of our 22 founders in 1979, through 29 presidents and many executive directors, SND has weathered the triumphs and struggles of the industry, and come through even stronger. We will continue in that tradition as we work through this latest challenge.
Q: Matt laid down some pretty ambitious goals in his six months as president. Will they continue?
A: Absolutely. SND continues to be focused on providing members the skills and opportunities to invent their own futures. We continue to provide expert training for both print and digital designers; host networking opportunities from regional meetups to the fall workshop in Buenos Aires; support the academic efforts of students and educators; increase our international outreach; create a roadmap for the future of the media business and recognize our industry’s standard-bearers through our prestigious competitions.
Q: What happens next with the office of president?
A: Our bylaws, which were adopted more than 25 years ago, are not as specific on that point. Nevertheless, here’s what they say:
“It shall be the duty of the Vice President, in the absence or inability of the President to act, to exercise all the powers and discharge all the duties of the President.” (Article VII, Section 4)
So yes, according to our bylaws, in the event of the president leaving office, the vice president, in this case, Bonita Burton, will discharge all the duties of the president for the remainder of the term, which ends on Dec. 31. She will become president on Jan. 1 if she is elected by the membership during the regular fall election
Q: How is a new president elected, and who is in charge of selecting the candidates?
A: The ballot will be distributed at least three weeks before the Sept. 24 workshop in Buenos Aires. Members can vote online, by mail, or onsite at the workshop. According to our bylaws, candidates for elected office are recommended by a nominating committee led by the immediate past president, currently Gayle Grin.
Q: How does the search for a new executive director factor in?
A: Elise Burroughs has had an significant impact on SND, and she leaves big shoes to fill. Elise’s contract runs through Dec. 31, 2009. As you know, the executive director is responsible for both the long-term and day-to-day management of the Society, and this person plays an influential role in charting our long-term strategies. Earlier this year, the president asked the vice president to organize and lead a search committee, and we’ve begun the process of identifying candidates. If the timeline unfolds as planned, the board will have appointed a new executive director in time to ensure a smooth transition before Elise’s contract runs out.
Q: What’s being done between now and the fall election to ensure a smooth transition?
A: The officers are in close communication with each other and the board of directors to identify key steps. An advisory panel of 20 past presidents of SND has been asked to advise and offer their wisdom during the transition. You may have received their first email from founder and former president Richard Curtis earlier this week. The other presidents who are helping out include:
* Phil Ritzenberg
* Richard Curtis
* Marty Petty
* Phil Nesbitt
* Tony Majeri
* Rob Covey
* Nanette Bisher
* Randy Stano
* Deborah Withey
* Jim Jennings
* Neal Pattison
* Ed Kohorst
* Svenake Bostrom
* Lucie Lacava
* Warren Watson
* Susan Mango-Curtis
* Bill Gaspard
* Christine McNeal
* Scott Goldman
* Gayle Grin
Q: What else is being done?
A: Task forces are being formed to focus updating of our bylaws and other key issues, and we’re hoping for high member participation (let us know if you want to be on one of the committees). Task force chairs will report back during a summer summit of the board on July 11 in Orlando. We should have a lot of progress to report before the fall board meeting in Buenos Aires.
Q: How does SND plan to spend its resources to respond to the changing nature of the business?
A: Discussions at SND board meetings and among our members of the society mirror those taking place in newsrooms around the world. Our program chairs are constantly recalibrating our training, our competition focus, our educational efforts to reflect industry shifts.
Q: What is SND doing to communicate with members through this transition? How can members get involved?
A: Check the Update blog for for progress reports on the leadership transition and information about all SND activities. Send thoughts or questions directly to Vice President Bonita Burton bburton@orlandosentinel.com or Treasurer/Secretary Steve Dorsey at stevedorsey@gmail.com
Let’s chat: A conversation on SND’s future at 3:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday
Matt Mansfield, SND’s president, and Bonita Burton, vice president, will answer questions about Mansfield’s resignation, the future of the Society, and steps being taken to ensure there’s a smooth transition. They will also talk about the Society’s ambitious agenda moving forward. We know you have questions. We have answers. Please join us at 3:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. Please drop questions on this post and we will do our best to answer them on the chat, which will be archived so all members can see what was said even if they were not able to join live.
A note to SND members from the past presidents of the Society
To: Society for News Design members
From: Past Presidents
Matt Mansfield, the current SND president, has resigned, effective June 18. The reasons for his resignation are not altogether clear to those of us who do not sit on the board of directors, but I — and at least 13 other founders and past presidents of SND who participated Thursday in a lengthy teleconference that discussed the resignation and its ramifications — are convinced that Matt did resign in the interest of the Society.
In the phone conference, we fully acknowledged Matt’s worth to the Society and his many and valuable contributions over many years. We tried to dissuade him from resigning, but he was steadfast.
Where does that leave the Society, and more important, what does it mean to you, as a dues-paying member?
One, the Society is more than one person. Let’s remember that the Society is made up of true believers, or as Mario Garcia put it, “fools with enthusiasm.” That spirit cannot be dampened. This is just a temporary, albeit serious, setback to an organization that is essential to the future of journalism.
Two, know that the Society and its programs will continue. The Buenos Aires workshop will take place this September; the design contest in 2010 and its subsequent awards book will continue; Design magazine will be published as will SND Update; and regional workshops and Quick Courses will continue as scheduled.
Three, since this resignation caught everyone by surprise, in the coming weeks and months the remaining officers and board members will take whatever steps necessary and appropriate to address this challenge. You may be called on to volunteer; if so, we hope you’ll step up to the plate and take your strongest swing.
Current Vice-President Bonita Burton, now presumed president, has asked the past presidents to act as an advisory group to her and the board as she and others plot the Society’s immediate and long-term strategy; the past presidents have agreed. That’s a lot of firepower to bring to bear on whatever challenges she might face. Bonita and SND have our full support.
We hope you, too, will continue to support your Society through these rough times and to contribute in any way possible.
Thank you.
Richard Curtis An SND founder and past president, 1982-’83
I’m resigning as president of the Society for News Design.
It’s not a choice I make lightly, especially because I was elected by you to serve your interests in this organization — and because I love SND.
But it’s recently become clear to me that I should move on because of an internal dispute on the Society’s board — and so that I can spend time focusing on my new career as a university professor. I trust that, in all my actions on behalf of members, I have done what’s best for SND.
I’d never want to be a distraction for the Society’s board, though, so I’ve decided to step aside. We’re working through transition issues now and I expect to exit on June 18.
The Society’s vice president, Bonita Burton of the Orlando Sentinel, will discharge the duties of the president for the remainder of my term, which was to end on Dec. 31.
Bonita, however, will not be your president until she’s elected. Only members can choose the president, according to our bylaws, so Bonita will stand for election this fall so you can make your choice on how to proceed.
When the other officers and I started the year we had an ambitious vision for how the Society could help members, as well as the troubled news industry, by confronting the issues of how our craft and design thinking could be part of the solution for steps forward.
We have made major strides:
The Revenue 2.0 project identified strategies for funding journalism as we put design thinking to work by demonstrating new revenue models for news companies while considering audience as never before. The work we began was just carried forward in another major report and has been noted widely in the press. My hope is that the Society will continue this kind of thought leadership because it’s needed now more than ever.
Training and development for members, especially those who must quickly gain digital skills, has also been at the forefront this year. We have offered successful Web design boot camps, multimedia training, and courses on alternative storytelling forms. More are planned for the coming months.
A series of meetups have helped members connect in New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C. More are planned this year, with the next one this summer in San Francisco. This free training, at a time when so many members (as well as their news organizations) cannot afford tuition, has been a hallmark of how we hoped to see outreach working for the Society. Talented professionals have been generously giving their time in these efforts: I cannot thank Nigel Holmes, Joe Hutchinson, Roger Black, Sarah Slobin, Matthew Ericson, Shan Carter, Cyrus Highsmith, Tyson Evans, Jon Wile, Adrian Holovaty, Jim Coudal, Bill Adee, Tracy Schmidt, Daniel Honigman, Chris Courtney and Jonathon Berlin enough for their assistance in lifting these from idea to reality.
This fall, the Society will host its first international workshop of the decade: SND’s annual gathering will be in Buenos Aires and I have every confidence it will be a wonderful event. Tireless organizers Gustavo Lo Valvo and Chris Edwards have spanned the world to plan a program squarely aimed at confronting the biggest issues facing visual journalism, with an eye on how that global exchange of ideas has relevance for innovation. It’s a summit especially essential for our time.
Finally, the push ahead by the Society in identifying new leadership for the future remains on track. The Society recently announced it will seek a new executive director. That new leader will help the Society’s elected officers and board of directors chart the course for the future. Please share your ideas with the remaining elected officers on the skills that new director will need to help SND pioneer at this pivotal point for rethinking how journalism, as well as journalism organizations, should work.
With all that started, I have every hope that the Society has a bright future. There’s much more work to be done, of course, and I trust that the volunteer spirit that has made SND one of the world’s leading voices for news design will continue. I’m certain this smart membership would not have it any other way.
The other officers and I have been in contact with the Society’s past presidents, who have pledged to help SND move forward as needed.
Thank you all very much for the opportunity to work with you. It’s been my pleasure.
Matt Mansfield will be president of the Society for News Design through Thursday. After that, he’ll still be an associate professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and co-director of its Washington program.
Elise Burroughs, executive director of the Society for News Design since July 2004, is leaving the position to explore new options.
The Society is an international nonprofit membership organization of visual journalists in more than 50 countries. When Burroughs arrived in 2004, the Board of Directors had an ambitious agenda for change. During the last five years, the Society accomplished many of those objectives. They included:
revamping the Web site to better publicize SND activities
adopting a Mission Statement, a Code of Ethical Standards and a Conflict of Interest Policy
establishing two new overseas affiliates
forming new partnerships with other journalism organizations
expanding visual journalism training outside the United States
increasing international participation in SND activities
having officers assume more financial oversight, with regular review of financial statements
creating policies for board procedures that made board meetings more efficient and productive
adopting a formal strategic plan
securing a $15,000 Challenge Grant for the SND Foundation.
Burroughs said, “Working with incredibly dedicated SND volunteers, I helped support five Annual Workshops, five Creative Competitions and five editions of ‘The Best of Newspaper Design™.’
“Working with the incredibly dedicated Membership Manager, Susan Santoro, I helped support upgrades to the SND databases that opened new marketing opportunities and improved our record-keeping.
“I thoroughly enjoyed virtually every day of work and all my interactions with the directors, committee chairs and SND’s talented, creative members.
“I would like to thank all the members for the privilege of having served as their executive director. It has been a wonderful experience.”
Immediate Past President Gayle Grin, ME/Design & Graphics at the National Post in Toronto, said, “SND is extremely grateful to Elise for her tremendous service, especially in the support she’s provided to our elected leadership. She has strengthened the organization on many fronts: finding new avenues for fundraising, assisting with the founding of a Chinese affiliate and initiating a deep exploration of our strategic plan.
“Elise is a dedicated professional who immerses herself in every challenge. In anticipation of our Annual Workshop this fall in Buenos Aires, she even began learning Spanish. It has been a great pleasure to work with someone of her caliber, and SND is better for her vision and leadership.”
Burroughs’ contract states that she will leave no later than December 31, 2009. “I hope to help SND make a smooth transition to the next executive director,” she said.
SND Vice President Bonita Burton will lead the search committee. She will announce details shortly.
UPDATED: Foundation offering grants for Web Design Bootcamp in Vegas
The Society for News Design Foundation is offering grants to select SND Quick Courses to current and former members who have lost their job in the economic upheaval.
The grants cover the $300-400 registration fee for upcoming Quick Courses that the Society is offering in Web/interactive training. Apply now at http://tr.im/sndgrant
We will choose three applicants for each of the Quick Courses. If three or fewer eligible applicants apply, all will be able to go. If more than three apply by the deadline, all eligible applicants will be placed in a random drawing with three names chosen.
We are currently offering grants for the following course(s):
Current members of SND or former members who were on the rolls at some point since January 1, 2008 qualify if:
They lost their job due to economic circumstances since January 1, 2008.
Have not been able to find another job in visual journalism since and/or are currently self-employed.
Are still interested in some form of journalism as a career.
Are able and willing to pay their own expenses (i.e. travel/hotel) to attend the Quick Course. (Please be fairly sure you can make it if you apply. We’d hate for a seat to go empty.)
You can only apply for one Quick Course at a time. And you can only get one grant. If you apply but do not receive a grant, you can re-apply for a later Quick Course.
The deadline for the Web Design Boot Camp is 8 p.m. Eastern U.S. Friday, June 19. Recipients will be notified on Monday, June 22.
We appreciate your help in using your networks to spread the word about this program for current and former Society members.
Bill Gaspard is president of the SND Foundation and deputy managing editor at the Las Vegas Sun
Great reviews from just about all of our classmates on Tyson Evans and Dave Wright, who are great at simplifying the building blocks of the Web into understandable chunks.
Tyson likes to make the analogy that he himself is a Web page and talk about how he himself is coded. Yesterday:
today:
>
If you want a good start at learning the Web, watch SND’s calendar page and start with this course.
Quick course instructors Tyson Evans and Dave Wright answer five frequently asked questions from print designers looking toward the Web. Sign up for their Web Design Boot Camp in Chicago, November 7-8, to learn more.
1) Do I have to be a geek to build a web page?
Yes — but merely a different type of geek than you already are. Print designers have learned some relatively arcane systems (CCI, anyone?), this is just a different type of geekery. The learning curve is a bit steeper, but certainly not insurmountable — particularly considering the wealth of frameworks and help available on the Web now. Pixels will seem like a breeze if you’re used to doing your math in increments of 1/6th of an inch. The plus: These skills are applicable to any industry. The same HTML/CSS skills you learn to build a newspaper Web site could get you a job at Facebook or Google.
2) Everyone says I have to learn Dreamweaver. Is that true?
Nope. In fact, you should stay away from Dreamweaver at all costs.
If you want to learn to build great Web sites, you have to understand the fundamentals of CSS and HTML. Dreamweaver and other ‘What You See Is What You Get’ editors try to help you by automatically writing code that is probably over complicated and is never exactly what you want. Writing your own code with a text-based editor means you have precise control over what you’re making. And those explicit decisions are the best learning mechanism there is. At the end of the day, this is the only way to get exactly what you want and satisfy the OCD tendencies we know you all have.
3) I feel like I’m hopelessly behind in my understanding of technology? Are there ANY print skills that will translate?
Absolutely, and the asset that will most easily translate: Your eye. There’s a whole legion of computer scientists who know how to code but are clueless when it comes to color, typography, visual hierarchies, user experience and a ton of other skills you’ve honed as a print designer. Web design has borrowed a lot from print design, including a fairly widespread reliance on grid systems.
4) The IT department says I can’t touch our templates, so what’s the point?
There’s a whole lot of Web beyond your main site that’s ripe for invention and improvement. Maybe you can build internal tools (like a Wiki, blog or database reporting tool). Or, maybe you can build a prototype or stand-alone site that doesn’t live on your main site (for special events or breaking news). Not to mention all the personal or freelance work available (design your portfolio, or volunteer to rebuild a non-profit’s Web site). And, if nothing else, you’ll at least have the vocabulary and mindset to have smarter conversations with the people who can change your publication’s Web site. Prove yourself on the small projects and you’ll accumulate trust to tackle the big ones.
5) Isn’t Flash what all the cool kids are learning these days?
Depending on the context, Flash can be the perfect tool. But it’s not a silver bullet, and it’s often misused or overused. Interactive graphics, bold data visualization, timelines, slideshows, video players… these are all prime candidates for Flash (and, by Flash, we really mean ActionScript). But HTML, CSS and JavaScript are the bread and butter of the Web. These tools are standardized, open source, ubiquitous, ripe for Google and incredibly flexible. Sites built with HTML also translate easily to other platforms like mobile phones.
Tyson Evans is an interface engineer at The New York Times. Dave Wright is a senior interactive designer at NPR. Denise M. Reagan is SND’s education and training director and assistant managing editor for visuals at The Florida Times-Union and jacksonville.com.
SND Buenos Aires student program
El poder de las infografías está por venir [Spanish]
Iniciando las charlas del segundo día, John Grimwade dejó la vara alta para los siguientes expositores que le seguirían. Y es que el británico entregó una cátedra de infografías y su futuro a las cerca de 100 personas que disfrutaron de los consejos del experimentado.
“El diseño de información se hace cada vez más importante considerando la explosión informativa”, fueron los primeros dichos de Grimwade refiriéndose a la época que viven los periódicos y otros medios que a su modo están muriendo. Fue así como el expositor le dio énfasis a que las infografías son y serán importantes, debido a que son las únicas las capaces de abarcar tanta información.
Tal como dice el británico la sociedad vive en una época interesante, pero el mundo depende mucho de nosotros. “Nos encontramos en una transición de información en que las infografías deben tener prioridad”, mencionó el expositor.
Dentro de la hora de exposición Grimwade contó de qué manera descubrió sus intereses por realizar diseños infográficos, mostrando imágenes entretenidas que cautivaron a los espectadores. Además, mostró como se hace un proyecto, con sus respectivos bosquejos y dio algunos ejemplos de buenas infografías.
Con una mirada a la actual escena de las infografías Grimwade demostró por qué actualmente es uno de los directores de infografía más importantes y respetados del mundo. La ovación luego de concluir la charla fue evidente, quienes esperan algún día repetir esta experiencia.
Keep it simple, keep it clean
Photo from Tango Night at the Tango Palace by LAUREN FROHNE via Flickr
By Alejandro Bruna, Universidad Católica de Chile/SND
The Centro Cultural Borges is now less flooded by foreigners speaking English. Sure, there’s the odd tourist here and there, but nothing compared to the massive flow of “americanos” who were there from September 24-26. And sure, the 2009 workshop is over and done with, but there’s still plenty to think about and a lot to apply to one’s work.
How can you sum up three days of visual and graphic information? The whole experience was exhaustive and inspirational, with top designers, journalists and photographers giving you an inside perspective of the industry. However, it would be pointless to synthesize what they said, and not because what they said was useless. All of it was a priceless and valuable lesson to all the students who attended the student program, and to all the South Americans who were finally able to be physically in one of the SND seminars. It was, in fact, all very useful, but the key lesson is not what they said, but what we will apply to what we do and how we do it.
Nigel Holmes said it, and plenty of other information designers said it as well: keep it simple, keep it clean. “Simplification means getting rid of the unnecessary and letting the necessary speak”, explained Holmes in his opening conference. And that’s true, sure enough, but it’s not the eye opening mantra for most designers. Let’s face it: most of us already have that line in our heads. Karl Gude said it, Alberto Cairo implied it, James de Vries and John Grimwade showed it to us. They all did, and it wasn’t a critical seminar, but an inspirational one.
It’s much more than white space and dealing with simplification. It’s about the future and adapting to change, understanding the numbers of the industry and realizing that simplicity, cleanliness comes from going back to the primal way of design: the hand. The sketchbook. It means taking simple chances and keeping a clean and forward way of thinking on the matter.
Pablo Corral said it best: the technology is there, sure enough, but there’s something deeper. Corral was, of course, linking everything to photography, but design also has a language and poetry that must be dealt with subtlety, simplicity and, of course, cleanliness. All of this in order to achieve balance, to have a neat design. One must keep it simple, not only on paper for information’s sake. You see, even after all that these amazing designers have done, there’s still simplicity at heart. They believe in what they do, they inspire us, students, professionals, teachers, to do better. They keep it simple. They keep it clean; that’s how they do it, and how we should do it. Keep it simple. Keep it clean.
Diseño es para que se vean [Spanish]
Las portadas de TIME en formata que propuso Hayman en su rediseño del periódico venerable. MARIA LUJAN PEREIRO, via [Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/luji_lu/).
By María Luján Pereiro, Universidad de Palermo/SND
Luke Hayman comparte en su charla, los trabajos a lo largo de su experiencia en el diseño editorial. Se pudo apreciar diseños de revistas reconocidas internacionalmente como es el caso de la revista TIME y I.D., como así también puestas en página, rediseños, ilustraciones, gráficos, etc., de Brill’s Content, Travel + Leisure y New York.
¿Qué se puede hacer en la web que no se pueda hacer en una revista? Más detalle, más detalles técnicos. Se puede extender el contenido, videos, películas, todo el material que no entre en la revista, puede ser subido a la web.
Sobre su llegada a TIME, dijo: “Como consultor, uno llega a un lugar y dice: ¿qué hace esta gente? ¿Por qué es tan inconsitente? ¿Qué pasa aca?”
Lo chistoso
“Muchas gracias por volar con Luke Hayman, y bienvenidos a bordo”
Sobre su trabajo en rediseñar TIME: “Todo lo que está mal es merito de ellos, y lo bueno es mérito mio”
By Andreina Fernandes, Universidad Central de Venezuela/SND
Léo Tavejnhansky durante su charla “O Globo a todo color” dio a los presentes un paseo por los 14 años del diario desde que se implemento el proyecto gráfico de Milton Glaser. Este proyecto le significó al diario y a su equipo de trabajo decenas de premios a nivel nacional e internacional.
Tavejnhansky expuso como el éxito del diario brasilero ha estado basado en propuestas gráficas impactantes, que significaron cambios visuales importantes dentro del periódico. Un éxito que se centró tanto en el diseño inteligente de sus portadas, como en los suplementos especiales, un uso inteligente de la fotografía y la continúa presencia de la ilustración.
Entre las páginas premias de O Globo, Léo Tavejnhansky compartió con los presentes como el uso de blancos en las portadas del diario marcó un momento decisivo en la historia gráfica del periódico y permitió, además, que se creara un modelo de diagramación conceptual.
Tavejnhansky charla sobre la historia gráfica del periódico. Fotos por ANDREINA FERNANDES via Flickr
Igualmente, se usaron grandes fotografías para apoyar las noticias más resaltantes. Un ejemplo representativo fue previo a la llegada del nuevo milenio. O Globo, por primera vez en su historia, usó un recurso que suele ser común en periódico de menores dimensiones y fue la de presentar la foto a doble página, uniendo la portada y la contraportada.
O Globo presentó una foto usando la portada y la contraportada, por primera vez en su historia, para la llegada del nuevo milenio.
Las ilustraciones tambien ocupan un lugar importante en la historia del diario. Desde la primera edición, en 1925, O Globo comenzó una tradición que perdura hasta el día de hoy y es la de presentar en su primera página una caricatura de corte político. En la actualidad la caricatura de Chico puede ocupar cualquier posición dentro de la página y en ocasiones puede hasta convertirse en la imagen principal de la portada del diario.
Lo cierto es que Léo Tavejnhansky enseñó a los presentes como se pueden hacer propuesta gráficas arriesgadas, que comuniquen al lector de forma eficaz y que le han proporcionado al periódico más de 40 premios a nivel mundial por el notable trabajo que han realizado a nivel de prensa escrita.
There are more than 200 festivals celebrating photography in France, and most were born with the same goal in mind — to promote photography and photographers, and legitimize their form of art and interpretation.
PhotoEspaña is of of the more important festivals in the world, says Claude Bussac, festival director, because it recognizes all classes and aspects of photography. It increases public understanding and appreciation of photography as both an art form and a means of visual communication.
The festival, she says, truly celebrates the work of not only photo journalism, but many different styles and approaches. The festival also promotes artists who are not yet well known, and gives them opportunities to take workshops, show portfolios, and network in the world of photography.
Bussac says the root of the festival’s success lies in its design — Photo España would not be successful if its organizers did not know how to display an image. Through the use of exhibitions, catalogs, and magazines, the people of Photo España create striking displays that bring the art of photography to the forefront of public awareness.
The program also reaches across artistic and cultural boundaries, never choosing one style of photography over another. Being open to different styles is important, she says, because it creates an opportunity for everyone to learn from the work of others and see what else is being done in the world.
PhotoEspaña welcomes submissions from photographers all over the world, and holds smaller-scale festivals in South America, as well as many other places.
In a time when the art of visual communication is constantly changing, says Bussac, it is important that those doing the work stay in touch with one another and are aware of how all styles and approaches are continuing to evolve.
Provide information, attract and surprise, and create emotion
Citing super heros that made his mother smile, to monsters that almost made her commit him, Luiz Iria showed that creativity is at the root of all art, even the most realistic.
Now the director of Editora Abril’s infographics department, Iria says the best information graphics should preform three main functions: They provide information quickly and accurately, attract and surprise through striking images, and create emotion a reader can connect to.
The best graphics, Iria says, are those firmly grounded in reality. The more realistic the setting of the graphic, the easier it is for the reader to dive in and connect to the information.
Iria strongly emphasizes detail, especially texture. To create the most accurate textures possible, he utilizes photoshop frequently. This allows him to render anything from dinosaur skin to the bricks in the Great Wall of China.
To maintain accuracy, he does extensive research for every story, keeping in touch with the reporter throughout the process of each graphic. Iria shows the “non-visual” people what he plans to do with rough sketches and drafts. This way they can see where the project is going and gather information specifically for the flow of the design. If graphic artists make an effort to keep the reporter involved, he says, the piece will be a success.
Some may argue that super-realistic graphics are visually overwhelming, but Iria says a graphic should be placed in a way which helps the reader understand the context. His realistic style is inspired by the great artists of the Prado in Madrid.
Especially when showing something that it is impossible to photograph, such as dinosaurs or microscopic human biology, he says, a graphic should be an adventure. It should have motion, emotion, and help the reader understand something in a unique, but still precise way. “I was a creativity factory (as a child),” Iria says, “and that evolved into professional work.”
SND Buenos Aires student program
Dos maneras de aprender a hacer infografías
Alberto Cairo en la apertura de su conferencia sobre infografismo.
By Gabriela Lorenz, Universidad Nacional de La Plata/SND
El sábado 26 a las 10 am Alberto Cairo dictó su segunda conferencia en el congreso. Ésta estuvo enmarcada dentro de las conferencias gratuitas para estudiantes que la SND incluyó en el programa oficial.
Actualmente Alberto Cairo es Profesor de la cátedra James H. Schumaker de Infografía y Periodismo Multimedial de la Universidad de North Carolina en Chapel Hill. Comenzó su trabajo como infografista en 1997 en el Diario La Voz de Galicia como pasante, y luego trabajó en el Diario 16 (dejó de editarse en 2001). Entre 2000 y 2005 trabajó para el diario El Mundo (España) en el departamento de infografía multimedial. En 2005 se trasladó a EEUU.
En su conferencia Alberto Cairo expuso dos maneras de capacitarse en infografía. Una es siguiendo una carrera universitaria, y la otra, de una forma autodidacta, que es el camino que él siguió.
Desde que dejó de trabajar en el acelerado ritmo que imponen las redacciones de diarios y empezó a dictar clases en la universidad, ha tenido tiempo de reflexionar sobre las maneras de capacitarse en el diseño de infografías. Observó que no existen manuales específicos sobre infografía, y en cambio el único material relacionado cn este área son enormes catálogos de infografías, que pueden ser muy útiles al momento de conocer las últimas tendencias en cuanto a gráficos, o para ver ejemplos de buenas resoluciones gráficas, pero que no explican cómo hacer buenas infografías. Dada esta falta de desarrollo teórico específico, propone que la mejor manera de capacitarse en el área de la infografía es estudiando los desarrollos teóricos de disciplinas que nutren a la infografía, que están relacionadas no directa, sino indirectamente con el diseño de infografías.
Es así que considera fundamental estudiar sobre:
Cartografía
Psicología cognitiva
* Periodismo
Visualización estadística
Multimedia
El tiempo fue tirano y estos temas no pudieron ser tratados con la profundidad en que los trató en su conferencia del día anterior. La exposición tuvo que quedar sin terminar para no atrasar el resto del programa.
Sin embargo, uno de los mensajes más importantes que creo que Alberto Cairo dejó a todos los asisentes a su conferencia es la importancia de capacitarse no sólo en la tarea específica que como profesionales pretendamos desarrollar (en este caso en el diseño de infografías) sino también la importancia que tiene capacitarse en disciplinas que toquen tangencialmente a la nuestra, que la nutran, que la enriquezcan. Sólo aprendiendo sobre las disciplinas con las que está relacionada una tarea es como se logran los mejores resultados en ésta.
El diseño de infografías es un acto de la comunicación. El objetivo de éstas es comunicar un mensaje no sólo a través de las palabras, sino combinando éstas con gráficos, ilusraciones y esquemas. Dado que este área se inscribe dentro del ámbito de la comunicación, es importantísimo conocer sobre otras disciplinas que también tienen que ver con el proceso de comunicación. Y esto es persisamente lo que Cairo expuso en su conferencia.
SND Buenos Aires student program
La metodología de Goertzen para el diseño de infografías
By María de los Ángeles Briones, Universidad Católica de Chile/SND
Al enfrentarse a la creación de una infografía, el equipo que estará detrás de ella debe organizar una gran cantidad de información, encausarla por un foco correcto y tangibilizarla sobre un soporte. Jeff Goertzen —quien dirige el departamento de infografía de The Denver Post, teniendo una extensa carrera en el diseño de infografías, y quien fue candidato a la presidencia de la SND— comienza su primera conferencia en esta versión 09 de la SND con la pregunta de cómo y cuáles son los pasos en el proceso de trabajo de una infografía. La pregunta incorpora al reconocimiento e importancia de las partes del equipo y su interdisciplinaridad. Goertzen así, comienza a enumerar una serie de elementos que son vitales para la creación de buenos infográficos:
El equipo: editores gráficos, ilustradores, modelador de 3d, periodista visual… cada una de las partes debe tener un rol claro.
Investigación en terreno: Goertzen reconoce a Internet como un elemento de investigación y no la fuente en sí. Asume la investigación en terreno como la más completa y directa de las fuentes. Se debe realizar siempre que uno se enfrente al proceso de diseño de infografías.
Boceto y esquemas: Goertzen descarta tajantemente la posibilidad de que un infografísta no sepa dibujar. La herramienta primordial que todo periodista visual o infografísta debe tener es la habilidad de transmitir sus ideas de forma visual. Aquel que no sepa dibujar, simplemente no podría ser un verdadero infógrafo.
El diseño: el primer paso es concebir la idea visual por medio de los primeros croquis, y la diferencia con la etapa de diseño estaría en que esta define por completo los elementos en el espacio, su distribución, organización y jerarquía considerando su importancia y forma de lectura según un foco específico.
Luego de mencionar este punto, la presentación de Jeff tiene problemas de reproducción por la poca batería que quedaba en su computador. El asistente técnico viene en su ayuda y la presentación continúa.
Edición del gráfico: las correcciones y ediciones del gráfico deberán ser siempre sobre el croquis, siendo la manera más efectiva para no olvidar ningún detalle o tener que trabajar dos veces sobre los mismos errores. Es el documento transversal para que el equipo acuerde como continuar luego de la revisión de su trabajo.
Estilo: una vez definido los contenidos, su distribución y jerarquía en el soporte, se debe definir su estilo gráfico: 3d, ilustración, fotografía…
Cada elemento del infográfico respondería a un estilo que ayudará al mejor entendimiento de su función para la comprensión total de la pieza gráfica.
Mientras Goertzen exponía esta último punto, su computador finalmente se apaga y queda sin batería. No es posible continuar la presentación y el tiempo también estaba sacando a Jeff de la sala.
En una entrevista posterior, es posible ahondar con Jeff sobre la importancia del dibujo en el proceso de diseño de las infografías. Él aconseja que aquellos que no tienen habilidades para ello, sí deben tratar de ejercitarse y formar un pensamiento visual en lo posible. También da la sugerencia que aquel que no sabe dibujar debe anticiparse a ello y buscar otras técnicas que remplacen la carencia, como el uso de fotos, collage, 3d entre otras. Con esto reconoce que la belleza o impacto visual que una infografía puede tener es clave para atraer al lector y compenetrarlo con los contenidos. “Quiero que la gente vea mi gráfica, y que estás sean tan bonitas que arrastren. Que la gente las saque y cuelgue en su pared”, afirma sobre esto.
Al presentar a Luis Chumpitaz sólo es suficiente decir que cambió la infografía de Dubai. Uno de los grandes méritos de Chumpitaz es realizar sus infografías en árabe e inglés. Este expositor define como necesario aprovechar el crecimiento emergente de Dubai y los recursos económicos de esta gran ciudad para desarrollar el periodismo infográfico. Para su suerte, no se utilizaba en la prensa de Dubai, ni siquiera se usaban fotos en los diarios. “Los diarios parecían unos manuscritos, con una tipografía brillante, pero faltaba la imagen”, dice Luis.
El gran desafío del infógrafo peruano, en un principio fue entender el idioma, educar a los diseñadores y combinar la generosa tipografía árabe con el diseño. Junto a ello asimilar conceptos y construir las infografías de derecha a izquierda, pues así leen en Dubai.
Entonces tuvo que establecer y proponer nuevos órdenes de lecturas, incrementar el tamaño y el uso de iconografías junto con cambiar la tipografía a una más sobria y jerarquizada.
Entre sus trabajos destacan dos. El primero es un registro de la historia de Dubai y su acelerado crecimiento. El segundo para las olimpiadas, donde trabajaron las ilustraciones con té. En general lo que Luis más rescata de su trabajo es la multiculturalidad que lo rodea.
Q&A
P: ¿Cuál fue tu mayor desafío?
R: El tiempo.
P: ¿Pudieron sondear si a la gente le gustaban las infografías?
R: Sí, la demanda del periódico aumento un 30%, difundieron por televisión que iban a salir infos en el diario.
P: ¿Otros medios comenzaron a hacer infografías?
R: Sí.
P: ¿Existe algún parámetro para la cantidad de texto e imagen en la prensa árabe?
R: No, se determina la cantidad de texto según la información.
A los 14 años me hecharon del colegio y no volví nunca más [Spanish]
La ilustración sobre la ballena franca austral que hizo Jaume Serra y que usó para su charla sobre el infografísmo. Fotos de GABRIELA LORENZ por su galeria de Flickr
By Gabriela Lorenz, Universidad Nacional de La Plata/SND
Jaume Serra es autodidacta. Es español y se considera periodista de profesión. Trabajó como ilustrador y luego como infografista en el Periódico de Catalunya. Más tarde trabajó como infografista para Clarín (Argentina) durante varios años. Luego volvió a España para trabajar como consultor de varios periódicos y revistas, entre ellas La Stampa (Italia), The Independent (Inglaterra), ABC (España), y Diario de Noticias (Portugal). Actualmente es responsable de infografía de La Vanguardia, periódico de Barcelona.
La conferencia tuvo en un ambiente distendido, mientras Jaume matizaba su disertación continuamente con mucho buen humor. Esta característica de su personalidad y la originalidad de sus trabajos hacía imposible no seguir atentamente la conferencia.
Comenzó la charla con su infografía de la Ballena Franca Austral que realizó para Clarín. Fue realizada siguiendo los códigos universales de diseño de la información, pero las ilustraciones fueron hechas completamente a mano, lo que le aportó un aspecto rupturista en lo referido a la generación de gráficos, al no ser hechos por computadora. Las ilustraciones tienen un alto nivel de detalles artísticos, y no meramente informativos, como se puede ver en la ballena, en cuya piel se dibujan figuras relacionadas con el mar. Además, en contra de lo que puede ser esperado, el ambiente general del trabajo no referencia al mar, y al contrario usa colores cálidos dentro de los marrones. Su inquietud en el momento de realizar este trabajo estaba relacionada con el uso estético de los recursos gráficos, con hacer las cosas bellas, además de funcionales. Considera importante en toda su producción gráfica que como resultado, además de funcional, cada trabajo tenga un alto nivel estético, que sea bello visualmente.
“En España la cantidad de personas que tienen fe en Ikea duplica la gente que tiene fe en la Iglesia Luterana”
Avanzando en la conferencia Jaume mostró cómo los gráficos de construcción de los muebles de Ikea (gigante supermercado en España que vende muebles para armar en casa) generan fe en los clientes. Los gráficos explicativos sobre cómo armar los muebles tienen tal nivel de claridad que cualquiera es capaz de comprenderlos. Jaume considera que su claridad y pertinencia a la hora de mostrar el paso a paso han dado como resultado en los últimos años una eficacia tal que sus clientes confían en Ikea, tienen fe en Ikea. Y que éste es un aspecto que actualmente le falta al periodismo.
La conferencia avanza y de pronto Jaume habla sobre la visualización de estadísticas. En un trabajo reciente usó los gráficos que genera Google Trends para la graficación de las estadísticas del uso de ciertas palabras en la web. Es así como él tomó ciertas palabras como amor, dios, suicidio, etc y combinando los gráficos generados por Google generó una infografía que muestra comparativamente en qué medida son usadas estas palabras en la web.
Fe en Dios, como buscas de Google
Jaume Serra. Gráfico modificado de Google Trens que muestra las estadísticas del uso de la palabra “dios” en la web, a través de los años.
Serra muestra su infografía a partir de los gráficos estadísticos de Google Trends sobre la cantidad de veces que ciertas palabras fueron nombradas en la web (“amor”, “dios”, “suicidio”, etc).
Infografía a partir de los gráficos estadísticos de Google Trends sobre la cantidad de veces que ciertas palabras fueron nombradas en la web (“amor”, “dios”, “suicidio”, etc).
La última parte de la conferencia tuvo como protagonista su proyecto de visualización de la actividad sexual de 3 parejas. Para su realización generó una grilla de 365 columnas que representan cada uno de los días del año, y a su vez cada día estaba divido en 7 partes iguales de colores, que significaban 7 prácticas sexuales diferentes. Pidió a cada una de las parejas que pintaran de un color cada una de estas divisiones según su actividad sexual diaria. Los días que no tenían sexo estaban representados completamente con color negro. Al cabo de un año obtuvo 3 grillas que graficaban la actividad sexual de cada una de las parejas.
Tal vez el mensaje más importante de la conferencia fue que la información y los datos estadísticos están por doquier. Pero lo interesante es encontrar una buena manera de graficar las estadísticas, de hacerlas representativas, de lograr que dejen de ser solamente números, y puedan ser traducidas en imágenes que le sirvan a las personas para darse cuenta de la magnitud de esa información.
Y finalmente, una frase que proyectó en su conferencia sintetiza su pensamiento sobre el uso y priorización de la estética en los gráficos: “Utilizas la estética como un borracho la farola?: Más para apollarte que para iluminarte?”
Es necesario tomar las fotos con el alma, con el corazón [Spanish]
By Ángeles Briones, Universidad Católica de Chile/SND
La segunda conferencia de Pablo Corral en el congreso de la SND09 estaba en el marco del programa de estudiantes. Sabiendo esto, Corral lo primero que hizo fue preguntar quiénes éramos los que estábamos presentes. El público estaba formado principalmente por estudiantes de diseño, y en minoría por estudiantes de periodismo e interesados en la fotografía. Una vez abierto el diálogo, Corral se presentó como fotógrafo y periodista, amante de los libros, docente en Miami y fundador de un sitio de fotógrafos latinos (www.nuestramirada.org).
Su gran pregunta era qué está pasando con la fotografía ahora. Con este cuestionamiento planteó que “la tecnología mató el secreto de la foto análoga”. Según Corral, ya no es necesario conocer las herramientas secretas del fotógrafo quien era el único que sabía de hazas, rollos y soluciones químicas reveladoras de la imagen. Así como el mago de Oz fue descubierto, la tecnología le ha quitado al fotógrafo la exclusividad del registro visual.
Hoy es posible obtener buenas imágenes de decente resolución con cámaras fotográficas tan buenas como las que un fotógrafo profesional puede obtener. Pero lo verdaderamente revolucionario es la distribución de las fotos, en nuevos espacios de exposición que también son producto de la tecnología. Corral asemeja esta revolución a la que vivieron los monjes escribas medievales: pues aunque eran los únicos que tenían las llaves del lenguaje (saber leer y escribir), quedaron prontamente cesantes luego de la invención de la imprenta de tipos móviles de Guttenberg. Fue la democratización del lenguaje escrito y hoy vivimos la democratización de la fotografía.
Al igual que con aquella primera revolución, donde comenzaron a abundar buenos y malos textos, hoy hay cientos de fotos, pero “pocas joyitas”. Hoy existen tantas imágenes y fotógrafos que no abundan las posibilidades de publicar. Por ello hoy hay que ir a lo esencial. Bajo esta premisa, la organización de fotógrafos reunidos en nuestramirada.org imprimirá próximamente una revista de fotografía conceptual de exponentes de la misma comunidad latina.
Corral hizo énfasis en dos aspectos actuales de la profesión del fotógrafo :
Estar presentes a la hora de tomar la foto: “Uno esta vivo hoy y aquí, y hay que aprovechar eso! Eso te enseña la foto: que en ese momento la vida es esa: el cielo es azul, descubres esas texturas, y las observas”. De manera muy inspiradora, Corral invitó a su audiencia a que se hicieran concientes de que el momento en que la cámara dispara no se repetirá nunca más. Es un momento único y se debe estar despierto para capturarlo de la forma más completa posible.
Usar la cámara de fotografía correctamente: la cámara es un arma, que debe ser disparada con especial cuidado. Es un puente que nos liga a ese momento, a ese lugar y a esas personas que serán retratadas. “Cada persona que conocemos en nuestras vidas se queda con nosotros, nos dejan algo. Somos la suma de nuestros encuentros”, explicó Corral. La foto es la oportunidad para ponernos en los zapatos de los otros. Lo más importante de la foto es conseguir la intimidad con el otro, conocer su historia y escuchar como es contada. Es necesario tomar fotos con el alma, con el corazón.
Según Corral, no hay nada mas fascinante que lo verdadero. Debemos aprovechar la riqueza de la complejidad del mundo, dándole importancia a nuestra historia. El uso de tecnologías para retocar imágenes tiende a distorsionar esa riqueza, esa verdad que está en nuestra historia. Es por eso que Corral recomienda usar esas herramientas de la tecnología con respeto y cautela.
Para terminar, Corral responde dos importantes preguntas respecto al grado de espontaneidad que alcanza en su trabajo, y sobre cómo se relaciona con el entrevistado. Para ambas respuesta se compromete como fotógrafo y como periodista, y como tal acepta la condición de que no es posible contralar siempre todas la variables que se encuentran a la hora de entrevistar a alguien, o de disparar la cámara. Advierte que es posible prever situaciones idóneas para tomar una buena foto, sin embargo siempre se debe estar alerta para inmortalizar el momento exacto. Respecto a como relacionarse con el entrevistado, señala que nunca es posible ser uno más dentro de una conversación o momento. Uno debe acercarse en puntillas, con mucho respeto y admiración.
Sin dudas, la conferencia de Pablo Corral es posible traducirla a muchas otras disciplinas aparte de la fotografía. La situación que muchos profesionales enfrentan producto de los nuevos medios y herramientas tecnológicas hace que sea necesario que tengamos presente más que nunca que pongamos en nuestro trabajo, el alma y todo el corazón.
La credibilidad en la fotografía de prensa [Spanish]
By Andreina Fernandes, Universidad Central de Venezuela/SND
Cualquiera se preguntaría, ¿Qué tiene que ver Hannah Montana, la cantante estadounidense, en una charla sobre la fotografía en la SND? Para Ricardo Mazalán, editor de fotografía en The Associated Press en Bogotá, un fotomontaje de la cantante con una niña argentina sirvió como punto de partida para preguntarnos como fotógrafos de prensa, periodistas o en los medios sobre la credibilidad en la fotografía y en la prensa en general.
Más temprano se llevó a cabo la charla ofrecida por Pablo Corral (quién charló sobre “Photography as a tool for dialog”) a quien Mazalán recordó al exponer que hoy en día todo el mundo saca fotos, los mismos medios estimulan a que las personas saquen esas fotos, ya que les puede servir lo que toda esa gente con cámaras pueda ofrecerles sobre hechos noticiosos. Por esto, y gracias al “miedo” creativo de muchos fotógrafos, al ver las fotografías es difícil no sentir un sentimiento de “déjà vu”, como si estuviéramos repitiendo fórmulas, haciendo las mismas historias, con los mismos recursos, pero en lugares diferentes.
Para Mazalán, “La industria periodística se enfrenta al hecho de tener que conservar la credibilidad frente al exceso informativo”. Entre otras cosas, por el cuestionamiento que se genera alrededor de la misma y sobre el funcionamiento de la fotografía como elemento que recoge acontecimientos reales. “La credibilidad se vuelve importante ante el exceso de imágenes, la cual hay que proteger desde el fotógrafo hasta los medios”.
Se debe, además, sacar partido de los avances tecnológicos que no sólo le permiten al fotógrafo contar con un espacio ilimitado para lo tradicional, sino que sirven para acercarnos a “miradas frescas de lo cotidiano de las personas, de la vida”.
Sin duda, para Mazalán, es necesario seguir cubriendo los eventos que son de interés. Hay fotos que van a perdurar en el tiempo y que representan grandes momentos. Pero no hay que olvidar que hay mucha fotografía por hacer, no solamente en las grandes historias. “Tendemos a repetirnos y de alguna manera fotografiamos cosas que, probablemente, sólo vive el 10% de las personas”. El exceso de exposición de algunos temas (por eso se habla del “déjà vu” al ver un fotografía) es una responsabilidad de conjunto. Para Ricardo Mazalán es una responsabilidad que comparten desde los medios, hasta el público y los fotógrafos. “Por eso mantener y desarrollar la credibilidad son los desafíos para los fotógrafos como generadores de contenido”.
By Alejandro Bruna, Universidad Católica de Chile/SND
It was already dark outside the Centro Cultural Borges and the lights had already been turned in most shops inside Galería Pacífico, but things were just getting started for those part of the Student Program at the SND 31st Annual Workshop and Exhibition. Right after Luke Hayman’s opening speech that afternoon Iñaki Palacios gave one of the closing conferences of that hot Friday, September 25th. Stylishly dressed in black, and with a thick Spanish accent as an accessory, Palacios lectured to a full auditorium (including some people from the Professional Program who seized the chance to see the Spanish designer speak) about design and redesign.
Palacios began remembering Eliseo Verón, whom he met when he was working on the redesign of the newspeaper Clarín, and who said one of the funniest lines he had ever heard of: “He said that we needed to remember that “pregnancia de la opacidad en la fragmentación informativa”. Basically, it meant that we should be careful of fragmenting the information, and that the excess of elements can scare the reader away,” said Iñaki.
Palacios went on to show different cases of redesign around the world, focusing in examples from Europe, such as the Gazeta Wyborcza, from Warsaw, Poland, a political newspaper. “It all came down to design and how the stories were told graphically. The stories were complex, so we needed order, structure and spaces to invite the reader to such dense topics,” he explained.
Other case studies were from Italy, Spain, Brazil, Holland and Venezuela, to name a few. “Design is not a purpose in itself. It’s the means to reposition a brand, a chance to refocus the product, anchor the voice, style and editorial model of the media, while repositioning it,” Palacios synthesized.
In order to do this, Palacio maintained that the design shouldn’t be a problem to the reader. Instead, one should aspire to enrich the text with infographics, images and pictures as long as they don’t clutter the page. “The idea should always be to enrich the content, to offer more means of entrance to the text. This, with structure and a clear and simple typography, create empathy and a relationship with the reader”, he said.
Viesselman elected SND president
From left: secretary-treasurer candidate Lily Lu, presidential candidate Jeff Goertzen, president-elect Kris Viesselman, and vice president-elect Steve Dorsey. Not on site: secretary-treasurer-elect Jonathon Berlin, vice presidential candidate Patty Cox. Photo by BONITA BURTON
Kris Viesselman, Director of Digital Product Development for National Geographic Maps, has won the 2010 SND presidency, it was announced by Immediate Past President Gayle Grin in Buenos Aires today.
Grin said, in her remarks announcing the results, “All our candidates were passionate SND volunteers who have devoted a lot of time to our organization. Thank you so much for all of you for running. Let’s have new beginnings, new energy and a fresh start.”
431 votes were cast in the election, or a turnout of 31% of SND’s 1,371 members.
Viesselman won by a margin of 20 votes: 223 for Viesselman (52%), 203 for Goertzen (47%), 5 (1%) for write-in candidates.
Dorsey won the vice presidency with more votes than any candidate: 279 (65%) for Dorsey, 150 (35%) for Cox, 1 write-in.
Berlin won the secretary/treasurer position with 273 votes (64%); 147 for Lu (34%) and 8 (2%) for write-in candidates.
All three candidates’ one-year terms begin on Jan. 1, 2010.
ABOUT THE CANDIDATES
KRIS VIESSELMAN
In early 2005, Kris joined the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. She initiates, designs, creates and edits content, directs technical development and launches multiplatform products in collaboration with internal divisions and outside partners. She is also the managing editor of EarthPulse, a visual report on global trends. All projects have self-sustaining business models.
At National Geographic, Kris has joined others in leading the conversion to a truly multiplatform operation, while maintaining brand authority and journalistic standards. She is the director of digital product development for National Geographic Maps.
Previously, she was creative director at the San Jose Mercury News; before that, senior art director at the Orange County Register for nearly six years. She worked five years each at the Los Angeles Times and The Sacramento Bee in a variety of roles. She was on the core teams of three Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. She and the teams she has led have received numerous awards from SND, Malofiej and Print.
Kris has been a university instructor and has consulted, presented and freelanced across the U.S., Europe and Asia. She has been a judge for SND’s annual competition, Malofiej, and the Asia Media awards. She has presented at numerous Annual Workshops and helped plan three: San Francisco (1990), San Diego (1997) and San Jose (2004). Kris has also spoken at affiliate conferences: SND/Scandinavia and the Malofiej Information Graphics Summit. She will be speaking in Buenos Aires.
For a more details (in English and Español), please see: snd2010.org/bio.
STEVE DORSEY
Steve is the deputy managing editor/presentation + innovation at the Detroit Free Press, the treasurer/secretary of the Society for News Design, and a design consultant. He’s been involved in user-centered information design research for many years, as well as revenue model exploration with the Rev2oh project in early 2009.
In the past year Steve has led efforts at the Free Press working with IDEO to train and instill design-thinking and human-centered design principles in the organization’s radical business and delivery model shift, to coordinate quantitative market research and to lead a complete redesign. More recently he’s worked with a team of local, national and international partners on the development of an e-reader edition of the Free Press.
Steve has been a speaker at conferences internationally, a visiting professor at Syracuse University, a recurring visiting faculty member at The Poynter Institute, and a frequent speaker and coach in numerous newsrooms. Steve has also presented at SND affiliate conferences: the IFRA Conference on Design (Paris) and the Malofiej Information Graphics Summit (Pamplona).
Since first volunteering as a Syracuse University student at the annual competition, Steve has worked tirelessly in service to the Society and the craft for nearly 20 years. He’s held numerous positions within the Society.
Steve is a news and culture junkie. When he’s not working, he enjoys playing golf, poker and Xbox — although any success is purely accidental.
For more details, a complete listing of Steve’s SND roles, and notable awards please see votedorsey.org/bio.
JONATHON BERLIN
Jonathon has been a volunteer for SND since 2000, when he started writing and designing for the Update newsletter. That experience gave him a glimpse into how the Society works and many of the neat things it does. And the chance to meet and talk with designers from all over the world. He took over editing the newsletter in 2001 and started editing Design Journal in 2004. He’s edited the quarterly magazine ever since. Recently, he’s assumed the role of Publications Director.
In his professional life he’s worked at the Chicago Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, Rocky Mountain News and The Times of Northwestern Indiana. He’s been a design director and designer, a graphics editor and artist. He’s worked days and nights, sports, features and news. He’s rolled out Web sites and redesigns. Invented new publications and fixed old ones.
Right now he’s the graphics editor at the Chicago Tribune, where he lives in the city with his wife, two boys and dog. He likse running and tries to do one marathon a year. He’s done five so far in four different states.
‘The secret weapon for visual journalists is a pencil’
Kris Viesselman was at her most inspiring when she said that the secret weapon for all visual journalists is a pencil. It is impossible to keep up with every development in technology, but we can all use a pencil, which is the best tool we can use to communicate our vision. But, in the end, we need more than our tools. We need our passion.
When it comes to product development, we have to do our homework, we have to make sure we can do our work, that we can sustain it, that we have a business plan — but we have to be braver. We can’t let all of that stop us from producing things that we love and are passionate about.
Quotable
Compiled by Chris Courtney, Tribune Interactive/SND
Work in micro size to keep people from getting hung up on details and to help them understand the scope of the project.
Be the architect of your own future.
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm… Enthusiasm is the engine of Success.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
What we are creating now might only be a bridge to the next thing.
Someone will always come along and do what you are creating cheaper, faster and grander but you can’t let that stop you.
Ideas aren’t enough to succeed. You need ideas and passion.
It’s all about the story
Karl Gude, not afraid to be energetic. ALEJANDRO BRUNA
By Alejandro Bruna, Universidad Católica de Chile/SND
Dressed in a black shirt, navy blue jeans and sandals, Karl Gude stood tall and ready to talk to an eager audience this Friday, September 25th. His conference, “Design and Visual Communication, Do’s & Don’ts” was right after Nigel Holmes’ opening session. Gude’s focus was on the story that is being told visually. “It’s all about the story,” he synthesized from the very beginning.
The man once dubbed “Master of the Macintosh” explained that the real challenge was finding out how to tell a story visually. In his opinion, the real task of a visual communicator is to discover ways to spot information and figure out how to design it.
“We’re not in the newspaper business, we’re in the information delivery business,” explained Gude. “That’s our biggest question: What’s the future? What is the f—- up? WTF?” he questioned jokingly to a bemused audience.
To Gude, the real future shouldn’t rely on technology. “You don’t need fancy 3-D graphics to do infographics that tell a story. All you need is good content and a great execution,” he reassured to his avid listeners. “It’s all in how you structure visually a story, the data. Information design combines art, design, content and critical thinking. The idea is to communicate in a simple and organized way, with a simple grid, all the information that’s relevant in a story. Technology can be replaced,” Gude explained.
The focus, then, should always be the information (a.k.a, the content). All the elements available should be used to give the readers some guidance the simplest possible way. If the content is bad (or wrong), there’s not much to do. And if the execution is confusing and chaotic, then the content won’t matter — it will be lost on the reader. Gude still has vivid nightmares with the image that illustrated “Anatomy of an autistic brain.” “Sometimes 3-D can be gross. It looked like the child blew up and had its brains yanked out,” he joked.
Not too far from the truth, Karl, not too far from the truth. Content and execution have to complement each other, emphasizing the information that has to be delivered to the readers. Until that is done, as Gude would say: WTF?
What are the rules of clean and simple graphics?
Alberto Cairo emphasizes the benefits of clarity in infographics: functional before aesthetic. KATHLEEN SULLIVAN
The question: How to do graphics that are clean and simple – what are the rules?
Good graphics don’t distract, confuse or mislead the reader. The goal is to inform as quickly and best as possible.
An example:
Cairo referenced the famous “ghost map” by John Stow, which plotted cases of cholera in an 1854 London neighborhood. This was a highly effective way to illustrate that everyone affected shared the same water pump. Simple infographics are powerful ways to inform the public and don’t need to be overdone.
Cairo believes in structure and using systematic approaches as an infographic artist and as a teacher. He stressed the importance of multidisciplinarity — using different disciplines to achieve desired results.
“In order to understand multimedia and interaction, we must understand the different disciplines,” Cairo said. Design, journalism, cartography, and cognitive psychology are among the disciplines Cairo thinks everyone should have a good understanding of.
Keep it simple and act like a reader. If you can’t understand it — neither will they.
One of the points Alberto kept going back to was that sometimes, a bar chart is the best way to go. Don’t try to overcomplicate your graphics for the sake of aesthetics — you could end up making your data harder to understand. Making sure your readers know what they’re looking at.
“Think functional before aesthetical.”
Bubble charts are best used for “big picture” graphics. Stick to simple and clean forms for detailed information.
Lastly, Cairo emphasized collaborating with experts and getting really involved in the process of creating an information product. Software is great, but sitting down and sketching out an idea is where you should start. Evolve with the software, but only use it as your delivery mechanism. Create the platforms yourself.
Alberto Cairo’s reading list:
These are the books that I recommend to get started in each one of these areas. Each one of them will lead you to more and more readings.
That was Olivier Bourgeois’s message Friday afternoon at his session, “The Newspaper Industry and Economic Crisis.” Bourgeois, from France, is the general director of southwest Europe for WAN-IFRA, the worldwide research and service organization for the news publishing industry.
He began his presentation with a picture of a destroyed but intact car, Bourgeois’s metaphor for a modern “welcome to the world of newspapers.” While 63 percent people read a daily newspaper in Japan, only 25 percent of Americans do the same, according to statistics in his presentation. From an online perspective, the average user spends 15 minutes a day on LeMonde.fr and clicks through about 15 pages. In comparison, Facebook users spend an average of almost three hours and click through 140 pages.
Bourgeois suggested six steps for newspapers to stay afloat in the current economy. First, “follow your readers,” he said. “Provide
multiple outlets for them to follow throughout their day.” He called the Helsingin Sanomat, which is Finland’s largest mobile site, “a new media for a formerly medialess company.”
Newspapers should have a “multi-media/channel platform” approach to journalism and adapt their newsrooms to produce content easily communicable via any platform. “Optimize your workflow,” Bourgeois said. “Each section chief is responsible for print and Web. Each
journalist is able to produce content in all formats. Stages of proofreading and verification must be reduced — we should produce quality, not have to check the quality.”
WAN-IFRA has been training journalists across Europe to think more multimedia-oriented in two-day sessions focused on the nature of the Web, writing for the Web and the basics on using mobile devices and other equipment to be able to produce more individually. Bourgeois insisted newspapers must be creative — Prisma magazine found itself with less work for its talented staff, so it came up with Aeroports de Paris magazine and Plus magazine. “Both are making money,” he said.
The last step he shared was realizing quality and “nice” products will yield readers and viewers. “Have a nice newspaper, Web site, iPhone app — rethinking product, content, workflow, branding and your company will have results,” Bourgeois said.
“A lot of newspapers across the world are thinking of new ideas, and that’s the message I want to give you today.”
‘If all the information is out there, we have to find ways to show it to people’
The June 1 cover of _The New Yorker,_ composed entirely by iPhone by Jorge Colombo. Photo via JOHN GRIMWADE
John Grimwade: “I’m a big baseball fan, which is weird because I’m British…”
Oh, and: “New Yorkers feel the the center of the universe revolves around them.”
And: “If all the information is out there, we have find ways to show it to
people, to make ourselves relevant.”
Grimwade opened his presentation with a big ode to New York City, because obviously the city is awesome! He doesn’t think infographic designers should be depressed considering there is an “information explosion going on. He cited the fact that “more technical data has been collected in the past year alone than in all previous years since science begun”. More importantly, information needs to be organized. The world needs infographic artists.
Every day we are collecting information about our lives, even by using social networking websites. John said even at 58 years old, he uses Facebook, but he hasn’t tweeted his first tweet yet.
Grimwade spoke about the changes in the graphics industry and looks forward to see if the pending Apple tablet will change journalism. One of his favorite examples of how the industry has changed is the New Yorker cover drawn entirely using an iPhone. (See above.)
The future of graphics according to Grimwade:
Less photo realistic 3D graphics and more restrained 3D graphics.
Monochromatic graphics with careful uses of color.
More vector based art.
More use of photography in graphics in creative ways, for examples, see New York Magazine.
Some graphic trends are currently looking backwards to the eras of the 50s.
Some of Grimwade’s notes on what to look at:
Andrew Kuo: A graphic designer that plots his daily life. It’s interesting to look at, even if you don’t care about the information presented.
Relief Web: Helpful graphics that cover news such as famine, disasters.
Associated Press: They are currently working on a lot of graphics for mobile phones. Check them out!
Nicolasrapp.com: Nicolas provides tons of feeds and links to information-graphics resources.
Bryan Christi: A notable 3D graphic artist which Grimwade works with.
Wired Magazine: Specifically their “Future of Food” issue which won awards from the Society of Professional Designers.
Seed magazine: A New York-based magazine full of graphics that makes it worthy of a subscription.
Good magazine: A magazine about doing good things that is following the trend toward vector-based graphics. The graphics are available online in high-resolution.
What would Grimwade like to see more of?
Google SketchUp, because it can be used as a resource (“it’s something, really something”).
A new form for interactive graphics. He wants to see a better interface for online graphics and how people are able to view them (as compared to the numbered-slide format).
A gallery of the infographics from Grimwade’s talk are available from his website.
Analyzing the ‘Diarios Chichas’ of Perú
A Lima newsstand with the Chicha newspapers on display. Photo via CLAUDIA GUILLEN.
Claudia Guillén’s presentation was a case study on Peruvian newspapers, specifically tabloids known as “Diarios Chichas”. The most popular Chicha papers currently are El Trome, Aja, and Diario El Popular.
During the 90s, a large amount of people moved to Lima from the Andes. In result, there was a big explosion of various Chicha newspapers to connect with this new demographic.
Chichas are thin dailies. They cost 15 cents and usually have a give-away or promotional ad on the front page. The front page ad is the
most expensive ad to purchase, because of the exposure it gets at the newsstands. The articles are a mix of hard news, entertainment, street news and features like “recipe of the day.” (Guillén swears that every Peruvian woman loves it.)
Chichas run similar layouts over and over. The common themes being: no whitespace, no hierarchy of headlines, irregular shapes and many
photos. The newspapers’ design are heavily influenced by Andes fashion, therefore the newspapers are extremely colorful. Some Chichas also try to incorporate different forms of street slang.
Chicha newspapers are incredibly popular right now and change over time to remain popular. El Trome is the biggest paper with 6 million copies distributed throughout the nation.
What’s the most controversial thing about Chichas? A governor once paid between (US) $75,000-150,000 to get front-page propaganda. His political party is now serving time in jail.
Q&A:
How sensational is the sensational news?
Guillén explained that people aren’t stupid and will stop reading the papers if they are crap. Therefore most of the sensationalism can be seen via use of headlines or photography. The way the Chichas keep the news “sensational” is they reveal one story over a few days. She said this makes news have more of a “soap opera” effect.
How do Chicha papers compete with the traditional daily newspapers of Lima?
El Trome, the more serious Chicha, is funded by a lot of big-name advertisers. However, it’s still considered a Chicha paper, because it has escort/prostitution personal ads.
SIDEBAR: Why are they called ‘Chicha’?
Chicha is a popular Latin American drink made from maize that’s usually alcoholic. Guillén said the drink is more popular than Coca-Cola in Peru. The drink is common among residents of the Andes. The word ‘chicha,’ when used in Peru, refers to the cultural blending of people from outside of Lima moving to Lima.
‘The best way to predict the future is to invent one’
Just, you know, all of the media we interact with each day. Note that even the walls are included. WES MELTZER via Flickr
‘The best way to predict the future is to invent one.’ — an Alan Key quote that Wiedermann used to sum up his presentation
Newspapers and the media as a whole are always looking over their shoulder for the next advancement in communication that is going to steal people away. It happened when radio came along, then TV and now the internet. Somehow all of those things exist and yet newspapers have survived. So new technology hasn’t killed off other media, rather we tend to see advances in old media because we think differently when new mediums and products are inserted into our collective conciousness.
One of Wiedemann’s many examples included a illustrative usage of paint — we’ve always had paint but no one in the 1700s would have painted a parking spot around a tree to illustrate the dangers of drunk driving because there were no cars around for people to drive while intoxicated. This is a new idea and application of a very old and simple medium.
From the many examples presented it can be deduced that new advances are coming to newspapers because we are using technology in our daily lives that will allow us to come up with solutions that we previously would not have thought of. This is a dangerous assumption to make and I would hate anyone to think Wiedermann is simply telling the attendees not to worry and that someone else will figure it out. Finding the next step for news distribution is a task that rest firmly on our collective shoulders.
Wiedemann’s insights
New generations continue to use old technology in addition to using the new advances that come along over time.
25% of facebook users are over 50 years old.
Our mediums are overlapping so much that brands are having to compete for everyone’s time.
Interactivity is the central pillar of communication in all media.
Image time: The basketball runner going through the glass, the afro at the subway station, drunk driving parking spot around a tree
The point is that we are coming up with new ideas for old media based on advances that are occuring in other industries. All of these ideas could have existed hundreds of years ago, but we didn’t. Why? Cultural acceptance, concepts based on new products in the marketplace,
Technology is great if you can use it, but you don’t feel compelled to talk about it. Like good type and good design, good technology is invisible to the end user.
Interface design and mobile phone design have improved the fastest in the shortest amount of time
80s = Graphic interface available for computers
90s = WYSIWYG impacted how we used computers and led the way from analog to digital and computing power finally began to catch up with what we wanted to do with computers
00s = Democratization and convergence
00s 2.0 = Collaboration and sharing (Sharing has moved way beyond just music.)
Digital natives vs. digital immigrants: Children today have a completely different view of the world than their parents do. When we think trash, they natively think recycle. We we think paper, they think dead trees. So many things that we think about as harmless they have a very firm negative stance.
Great technology advances are on the horizon with only cost holding things back. Once cost comes down, the masses will see these products.
Wiedemann’s 10 tech trends for the future:
Internet
Software ( visualcomplexity.com / number27,com )
Broadband
Wireless
Mobile (newspapers and books are the most mobile things around)
Voice recognition
Mass customization (as costs comes down, more customization options will becomes available)
Social networking
GPS
Instant message
Photography as a tool for dialog
Pablo Corral talks about the democratization of photography. (Photo by Lauren Frohne)
Today, photography is becoming more and more democratized. Just about anyone can go out an buy an technologically advanced camera, take pictures with it, and share it across the world via the internet. Because of this, photographers must work hard to retain quality in their work and while also taking advantage of new media resources to create opportunities for distributing images. This is the basis of Pablo Corral’s talk, “Photography as a Tool for Dialog,” at this year’s SND Summit in Buenos Aires.
Corral suggests that the loss of the “secret world of the darkroom” has contributed to this democratization and has, in turn, decreased the quality of the work being published in the media. Add to that equation shrinking newsroom staffs, and photographers are now expected to produce videos and Soundslides and sometimes even contribute Flash and interactive programming skills. Corral believes that “in order to produce great multimedia, you need a team. One person cannot produce that much content overnight.”
Corral notes that although the number of photographers in increasing, the number of jobs for photographers continues to decline. In an effort to create community, take advantage of new media resources, and to bring exposure to up-and-coming photographers, Corral founded nuestramirada.org a social network for working professionals to publish their content online. Corral admits that this site publishes content that might be lower in quality, but he emphasizes that the point is to act as a democracy and create a space just for photographers without the editorial veil.
Ending his talk on a positive note, Corral confesses “To me, photography is a great excuse to live,” and offers the audience a rare chance to see his work set to music and presented by the photographer himself.
By Lauren Frohne, UNC/SND
Nigel Holmes celebrated in Buenos Aires
Nigel Holmes on stage at the opening reception at SND Buenos Aires. (Photo by fedeyalgomas via flickr)
Over more than four decades, Nigel has been a guiding light to information
designers. Workshops, books, lectures, and 16-years as graphics director of
Time magazine. He’s passed on his enthusiasm for presenting information to
thousands of people working in our business today, through the Poynter
Institute, the Stanford Publishing Course, the Rhode Island School of
Design, and conferences all over the world. Since he left Time, he’s run his
own business, Explanation Graphics, and freelanced for everyone you can
think of. The list of his achievements is much too long for this event. I’d
still be talking at midnight.
But just one other important point: Nigel has always led by example, keeping
true to his impeccable standards of visual storytelling. He is, quite
simply, the best.
So, in recognition of his truly outstanding contribution to information
graphics, it is my honor to present Nigel Holmes with the SND Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Premio de reconocimiento a la carrera de Miguel Urabayen
Lifetime achievement award to Miguel Urabayen
Presented by Javier Errea, Cristobal Edwards
Miguel Urabayen conoció personalmente a Nigel Holmes en Pamplona en marzo de 2004. Coincidieron allí en el jurado de los premios Malofiej de infografía. Fue la última vez que Miguel formó parte del jurado. Todavía hoy recuerda aquel encuentro. Aunque, en realidad, Miguel Urabayen había conocido a su admirado Nigel Holmes mucho antes, desde los años de Time, y lo seguía muy de cerca. Nosotros conocimos al señor de azul gracias a Miguel.
Miguel Urabayen met Nigel Holmes personally in Pamplona in March 2004. Both of them were juries at the Malofiej infogrgraphics awards. That was the last time that Miguel was a jury member. He still has fond memories of that meeting. However, Miguel had actually learned about, admired and followed Nigel’s career for a long time, since he was at Time magazine. Miguel introduced to us the man in blue.
Miguel Urabayen ha sido posiblemente uno de los mejores divulgadores no sólo de la infografía periodística sino, en general, de la imagen como herramienta clave para contar las noticias. Decenas de profesionales en España y en América Latina oyeron hablar por primera vez de William Playfair, de Minard, de Richard Edes Harrison, de Chapin, del Illustrated London News o de Fortune en las sesiones de Miguel. Él descubrió al cartógrafo argentino Alejandro Malofiej en uno de sus viajes a Buenos Aires y lo situó en el mapa.
Miguel Urabayen has probably been not only one of the most important people in the world to popularize news infographics, but also the image as a key tool to tell the news. Dozens of professionals in Spain and Latin America first heard about William Playfair, Minard, Richard Edes Harrison, Chapin, The Illustrated London News and Fortune magazine at Miguel’s sessions. He found Argentinian cartographer Alejandro Malofiej during one of his trips to Buenos Aires and placed him on the map.
Pero pocos saben que Miguel Urabayen, a sus 84 años, es el crítico de cine en activo más veterano de España (seis décadas y casi 10.000 películas comentadas), que fue director de un diario deportivo regional en los setenta, que impulsó el primer campo de golf en Navarra y el aeropuerto de Pamplona a finales de los sesenta, que fue uno de los primeros judokas de la región, que es un experto en la Segunda Guerra Mundial… La vida de Miguel daría para un gráfico rico y complejo, con mil caminos siempre abiertos y una curiosidad a prueba de bomba.
But very few people know that Miguel Urabayen, now 84 years old, is the oldest movie critic still at work (six decades and almost 10,000 films reviewed). He was also the director of a regional sports newspaper in the 1970s, he drove the creation of Navarra’s first golf course and the Pamplona airport at the end of the 1970s, he’s one of the first judo experts in his region, he’s an expert in World War Two… Miguel’s life could be expressed in a rich and complex infographic, with a thousand roads always open and a curiosity that could stand a bomb.
Hoy no puede estar aquí. No os imagináis la lucha interna que ha tenido estas últimas semanas consigo mismo. Aunque sabía que no debía venir él quería venir. Su salud es delicada. En primavera falleció su esposa. Está cansado y con poco ánimo. Ha sido un año duro. Esta misma semana, tomando un café, me confesaba que el premio es exagerado, que él sólo es un teórico, pero yo sé que la SND ha conseguido halagarle. Hubiera dado cualquier cosa por estar hoy aquí con Nigel Holmes y con vosotros.
He can’t be here with us today. You cannot even imagine the internal struggle he’s fought in the past few weeks . He knew he couldn’t come but he really wanted to be be here. His health condition is delicate. His wife died earlier this year. He’s tired and he doensn’t have a lot of energy. It’s been a tough year for him. Earlier this week, we met for coffee and he confessed to me that this award for him is an exaggeration, because he only theorizes about infographics. But I know he’s glad to receive this ward from SND. He would’ve given anything to be here today with Nigel Holmes and with all of you.
Miguel no está aquí hoy, pero sí sus palabras. Esto me ha escrito para que os lo lea…
Miguel is not here today, but his words are. This is what he asked me to read to you…
[PALABRAS DE MIGUEL URABAYEN]
Queridos amigos
Lamento mucho no haber podido estar presente en este congreso de la SND. Tengo un gran recuerdo de los celebrados en Louisville, Filadelfia y Savannah, y de haber sido uno de los jueces en la selección de premiados de algún año. Podéis estar seguros de que sólo mi frágil salud me ha impedido estar ahora ahí.
Dear friends
I am very sorry that I can’t be with you at this SND workshop. I have fond memories of Louisville, Philadelphia and Savannah, and of being a newspaper design competition judge. Rest assured that only my frail health condition has kept me from being there now.
He pedido a Javier Errea que lea estas líneas de agradecimiento por la distinción que me ha hecho la SND al concederme su premio. Y al entregarlo junto al de Nigel Holmes, cuyo trabajo he admirado a lo largo de los últimos treinta años. Me siento muy honrado por el premio y por recibirlo junto a Nigel.
I have asked Javier Errea to read these lines of gratitude for the award that SND has given me together with Nigel Holmes, whose work I have admired for the past 30 years. I feel very honored to receive this award atthe same time.
También quiero decir que en mi agradecimiento por este honor hay una razón muy particular. Me dais un premio a pesar de que nunca he sido infografista o diseñador. Siempre que he estado entre vosotros, en Congresos o como juez en los premios Malofiej de Pamplona, he tenido la impresión de que yo era algo raro en el ambiente formado por excelentes profesionales que hacían gráficos o diseños. Porque yo era solo el observador de sus muy atractivos trabajos que luego mostraba en conferencias o seminarios en distintos países y en mis clases de la Universidad.
I also want to tell you that there is a very particular reason in my appreciation for this award. You are giving me an award even though I have never been a infographics journalist nor a news designer. Every time I’ve been with you, at workshops and as a judge at the Malofiej Awards in Pamplona, I have been under the impression that I was a fish out of the water among that group of excellent professionals who design graphics or news. I was only an observer of your very attractive works that later I showed at conferences or seminars in several countries and in my university classes.
Así pues, muchas gracias a todos, a la SND y a cada uno de sus miembros, vosotros, amigos míos.
So, I thank you, everybody, SND and each one of the Society’s members, my friends.
The Best of Multimedia Design winners
nytimes.com won a judges’ special recognition award.
The Best of Multimedia Design winners were awarded at the 2009 Society for News Design annual workshop and exhibition in Buenos Aires on Sept. 24. The competition recognizes skill, innovation and high-quality visual journalism in Web and other new-media design with quarterly and annual awards. Out of 170 quarterly award winners, nytimes.com won the two gold medals awarded this competition year for their entries, Choosing a President and You Finish, You Win.
Launched by the Society of News Design in January 2002, the Best of Multimedia Design Competition awards are the only accolades in the industry where all entrants are provided feedback from the industry judging panel. The judging panel, which represents expertise in many facets of multimedia design industry, met at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill August 28-29 to select finalists which included breaking and non-breaking news, sports and features and student presentations. The finalists were selected based on news value, information editing, information architecture, aesthetic presentation and innovation.
Commenting on this year’s entries, judge Jay Heinz says, “We’re seeing a move among most of the news organizations away from a free-for-all design style where every piece has its own kind of design feel into one that’s more integrated into the sites. And leading the way has been the New York Times. Other news organizations have been following their lead and trying to do things in their style of really clean, integrated design pieces.”
The award winners are:
AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Anticipating Obama’s Inauguration on a City Block in Washingtonnytimes.com
And this year, a Judges’ Special Recognition award went to nytimes.com to acknowledge their work in raising the bar for special events coverage with Election 2008.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Ruel
Competition Coordinator
Email: lruel@unc.edu
Pick up your badge, open the bag and let’s get started
Dozens of registration badges wait patiently to take their turn around someone’s neck at the Borges Center Thursday afternoon. LAUREN FROHNE
Blog entry contributed by Alejandro Bruna (Universidad Católica de Chile) and Lauren Frohne (University of North Carolina)
With a clear sky and tango sounding in the streets of Buenos Aires, the SND summit 2009 began at last, after so much anticipation. Students and professionals from countries like Norway, Brazil, Ecuador and Chile, to name a few, lined up to retrieve their credentials to the SND 31st Annual Workshop & Exhibition.
Gonzalo Marbosa, from Cordoba, was one of the people standing in line. Still a student, he has a pending thesis, a diagnosis of Argentinean press infographic design.
“All my background and experience with outside design comes through Internet, but here I can interact with other people who share the same interest in a field that’s developed very little in Argentina,” he explains.
His main interest is to see the international perspective on press infographics and hear what Alberto Cairo has to say. He’s not the only one who wants to hear Cairo’s conference. Tom Byermoen, who works in Norway as designer and graphic journalist, is also expecting Cairo’s insight. “For inspiration, for work,” he says, laughing.
Cairo’s conference will be about “the future of information graphics.” However, he will talk about the past as well: “In order to succeed in the future with information graphics and understand how they work and also how they can contribute to the future of journalism, we have to understand the past, our conceptual roots,” explains Cairo.
He wants the students to understand that infographics is a multidisciplinary work, were you have to borrow tools from other related disciplines. “Many areas can contribute to infographics. Student should learn and train themselves on all those areas, like cartography,” he explains.
Cairo is not at all the only attraction of the summit. Other names who stir up emotion in the students are Nigel Holmes, John Grimwade, Pablo Corral, Luke Hayman and Claude Bussac, to name a few. The South American students are thrilled, mainly because it’s the first time the summit is being held at the south end of the globe.
“The fact that the SND summit is being held here in Buenos Aires is a great thing for the Society for News Design, because it’s usually held in the U.S. and that makes it really difficult for people from South America to go there. Holding it here enables people from many different countries to attend. That’s going to enrich the experience a lot,” synthesizes Cairo.
The ____ of the South: Insert Analogy Here
A mediocre photo by Wes of Calle Jorge Luis Borges in Palermo Soho, which he thinks looks more like Savannah than Paris. (particleandparcel Flickr stream)
My guidebook cheerily refers to Buenos Aires as the “Paris of the South.” I’ve been hearing that since I first started thinking of this trip, but after spending two days wandering the city, it seems like that may not be entirely accurate. The city is beautiful and cosmopolitan, sprawling and full of commerce and activity, and Buenos Aires’ history of immigrants is a distinctly New World story.
I took my camera on a walking tour through some of the city’s most impressive, historic and interesting neighborhoods: the Microcentro, with San Telmo on one side and Retiro on the other; Almagro and Once; Palermo ‘Soho’ and Palermo Alto; and Recoleta, the city’s most prestigious address.
After a brief respite for my eyes I got up and decided it was time for a little walk around the city. Before I came I’d planned ahead and downloaded walking tours of the Buenos Aires neighborhoods of San Telmo, Palermo and Recoleta, and made notes on turn-by-turn walking to get to the starting and ending points of the tours. So I took my trusty notebook and my iPhone and headphones to head out to see the city. And promptly proceeded to get lost, and not take any photos.
Now I’ve been through six of the city’s major neighborhoods, including three guided tours. I think it’s safe to say that there’s a lot that looks like Paris, especially in the Microcentro and in Retiro just north of the city, with their granite buildings and curved balconies. The city’s higher-end neighborhoods to the northwest of downtown, Alto Palermo and Recoleta, looked more like uptown Barcelona along the Av. Diagonal and the Passeig de Gràcia to me, beautiful, tall buildings on broad tree-lined boulevards. Palermo Soho had attached housing in vibrant multicolored glory, with every building unique and wrought iron on all the old buildings, and, with sidewalks cracked with the roots of trees, it looked like nothing so much as Savannah to me. It’s a beautiful city, but like every big city, it has the grime and smell of uncollected trash.
The Subte is a fascinating experiment in time travel. I rode the Subte to San Telmo for my tour on Tuesday, and to Almagro on Wednesday to start my 10-mile mega-walking tour. The all-wood vintage cars on the Línea A, which runs underneath Av. Rivadavia and opened in 1913, were delivered from a Belgian company in 1919 and are still in use today. On the other hand, the Línea B cars are from the Tokyo Metro and are air conditioned and have electronic signs indicating the next stop, and for historical reasons Line B uses a different gauge track than the other lines (like the IRT lines in New York). The lines are all subtly (or not-so-subtly) different, unlike the El or DC Metro. Each fare is AR$1.10, quite a bargain.
Almagro: Breakfast at Cafe Las Violetas on Av. Rivadavia at Av. Medrano, a café con leche with three medialunas dipped in honey for AR$12. That’s a bargain if you’re paying in dollars, folks. Service was a little grumpy, but Las Violetas is one of the oldest and most prestigious cafes in the city. If you don’t want to go so far afield, the Cafe Tortoni is legendary, where Buenos Aires’ most famous resident, Jorge Luis Borges, used to spend his time. After breakfast, I walked northwest through Once, a historically Jewish neighborhood, and Almagro, historically Basque and Italian, on my way to Palermo.
Palermo Soho: As I said, this reminded me a lot of Savannah, and a little of New Orleans. Most of the streets are cobblestone, and the houses are narrow and long and multi-story. Palermo is the home of Borges, and everything seems to have some connection to him, including a quaint house I forgot to photograph, where he spent his adolescence. This neighborhood was settled principally by Italians and is in the midst of its own renaissance, hence the “Soho” moniker, which is taken from the New York neighborhood without any local meaning. It’s a quaint mix of old-style cafes and sport clubs-slash-restaurants, like the Club Eros, and new trendy restaurants, shops and art galleries. I had lunch at a delicious restaurant called Minga, which once again turned out to be a fantastic bargain: AR$40 for an appetizer of grilled chorizo, salad, bife de chorizo with chimichurri, café con leche and sparkling water. After that, I was ready to roll (or perhaps be rolled!) up the street to Palermo Alto and Recoleta.
Palermo Alto: This neighborhood is dominated by the zoo (Jardín Zoológico), the botanic garden (Jardín Botánico) and a huge, very posh shopping mall (Alto Palermo). I had a beautiful walk along the Av. Santa Fe, and took lots of photos of my walk through the Jardín Botánico. Toward the end, nearing Av. Pueyrredón, I dropped into a Havanna for a café and an alfajor. When in Rome, I tell myself…
Recoleta: A walk to Recoleta along the Av. General Las Heras reminded me a lot of walking the Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona. Different shops, but the same beautiful, enormous, clearly very expensive residential buildings with lots of shopping on the ground level, and people dressed in excellent designer clothes walking the streets. At the top of the Gral. Las Heras was calle Junín and the Recoleta Cemetery, my first stop. It’s a massive, prestigious cemetery where many prominent Argentine families have crypts, all the way from men like the Tte. General Pablo Riccheri (photographed) to the Paz family tomb, a massive edifice to match the press magnate’s family, to Evita Perón. Afterward I had a nice walking tour down the hill to the Facultad de Derecho of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, a walk across a bridge adorned with colorful political street art to a massive Romanesque building.
Oh! And I had my photo taken with Nigel Holmes and John Grimwade in the bar at the Hotel Melià. Let’s just say I couldn’t come up with anything to say.
Take a look at the photo tour I uploaded to Flickr.
I apologize in advance that some of the photos are blurry, and that none of them are very good — my first goal was not to look too much like a tourist, to avoid being mugged, and taking better photos was secondary.
Preparing for a grand Argentine fiesta
SND’s Susan Santoro and Elise Burroughs tour the Centro Cultural de Borges with Clarín’s Gustavo lo Valvo, the conference coordinator.
We caught up with Gustavo Lo Valvo, Clarín’s design director and our conference coordinator late Tuesday as he was making the rounds with SND’s Elise Burroughs and Susan Santoro, checking over last-minute details late Tuesday. “I want everyone to have a great time,” Gustavo said. One key development with this year’s conference is a larger student program than ever before. “Education in news design here in Buenos Aires is more general. This is a very good opportunity to get students close to our discipline and in front of world class experts. The only way to bring students into contact with these great gurus was to make it free.”
LIVE, FROM BUENOS AIRES: Gustavo reports that one exciting twist to this year’s workshop is that Clarín will be posting video from all sessions held in the main hall — in both English AND Spanish! Later, they plan to post video from the smaller rooms. We’ll post links to the videos as soon as we get them.
ELECTION REMINDER: Have you voted yet? There’s still time: the deadline for voting is 12:00 a.m. Buenos Aires time (EST +1 hr) on Sept. 26. The results will be announced midday on the 26th at the annual business lunch meeting, and of course, here on Update.
This year, SND will again conduct its election for officers online. Current members in good standing as of Sept. 11, 2009, will vote over the Internet.
SND’s bylaws set the number of officers at three positions: President, Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer. The slate of candidates for those positions is below; their bios and campaign statements appear online.
Candidates for President: Jeff Goertzen, Kris Viesselman
Candidates for Vice President: Patty Cox, Steve Dorsey
Candidates for Secretary-Treasurer: Jonathon Berlin, Lily Lu
Members may write in one alternative name in the place of each candidate on their ballots.
If you have any questions about the election, please contact SND headquarters, 1130 Ten Rod Road, E 206, North Kingstown, R.I. 02825, USA, (401) 294-5233, snd@snd.org.
Key dates:
Sept. 2: SND has sent instructions for online voting to members. Headquarters will send e-mails and postcards with instructions for online voting to all members who are current as of that date.
Sept. 11 You can vote only if you are a current member by Sept. 11, so don’t forget to sign up or renew.
Jan. 1, 2010: The elected officers will begin their terms Jan. 1, 2010.
Is your membership current?
An SND membership provides many tools to help you become a better journalist — and you can vote in the election if you’re a member-in-good-standing as of September 11.
SND offers annual memberships for professionals and students. Help chart the path ahead for SND.
After a year-long submission period, during which the quarterly winners were determined, the nine judges at the annual Best of Multimedia Design competition are looking for the best of the best. This weekend, they are evaluating professional breaking and non-breaking news presentations, as well as student presentations, to find the best journalistic new media design. Judges are volunteers with professionals credentials who are instructed to focus on five criteria: news value, information editing, information architecture, aesthetic presentation and innovation.
“One of the most interesting things about the competition is that the judging process hasn’t changed all that much since it began eight years ago,” says Laura Ruel, the competition coordinator. “The very first year, I developed the five criteria by which the entries are judged, and each year we discuss them with the judges to make sure that they are still fair and accurate. We’ve found that those criteria have really withstood the test of time.”
The judging is done in rounds, during which the judges review entries from a single category and then vote on whether the entry should stay and be considered a finalist or be eliminated. An entry needs to receive a majority vote for it to advance to become a finalist. After judges vote, they discuss their thoughts about how the finalists should be ranked. Working together and sharing their insights as multimedia professionals, they determine the rankings for gold, silver, bronze and awards of excellence for each category. However, each category does not necessarily produce awards at each level.
“We select the judges each year by looking for people who are leaders in the field, people who create leading-edge work, and people who are teaching the next generation of innovators. We also have previous judges nominate people they know, but most importantly, we try to balance practitioners and academics and developers, to have a good mix of perspectives,” adds Ruel. “We’ve done little things to improve the discussion process, but it’s really the personality of the judges that makes the competition different each year and deepens the level of discussion from year to year.”
For an entry to earn a gold award, all judges must agree on that ranking. The annual winners will be announced September 24, 2009, at SND’s Annual Workshop and Exhibition in Buenos Aires. For more information about entering the competition, visit SND.
The next quarterly entry deadline is Oct.7.
-Reporting by Lauren Frohne and Anna Carrington
Wide-ranging category Non-Breaking Features finalized
Intended Consequences by Jonathan Torgovnik from mediastorm.org
SND’s the Best of Multimedia Design competition uses the volunteered services of nine judges from top multimedia design backgrounds. With a goal of honoring high-quality journalistic multimedia design, the judges work through the year to evaluate entries, providing confidential feedback to each entrant. Today they complete the evaluations of more than 170 quarterly project winners and recognize projects worthy of finalist status. After deliberation over four award levels—gold, silver, bronze and award of excellence— they will produce the medalists that will be announced at SND’s Annual Workshop and Exhibition Sept. 24 in Buenos Aires.
CASSIE ARMSTRONG
Cassie is a picture editor at the Orlando Sentinel where she oversees planning, coordination and production of the newspaper’s picture stories online and in print. She’s previously held the positions of design editor, deputy design editor and senior designer at the Sentinel. In 2006, she was the site chair for the SND 2006 Annual Workshop and Exhibition in Orlando. She was a judge in the News & Sports category of SND’s 2005 Creative Competition for the Best in Newspaper Design in Syracuse, N.Y. She previously worked as the A1 lead designer at the Indianapolis Star, as a page designer at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and as a reporter/photographer/designer at a small afternoon daily in Robinson, Illinois.
TRACY BOYER
Tracy is an award-winning multimedia producer, specializing in Flash development and visual storytelling. She is obtaining her master’s degree at UNC-Chapel Hill, studying human-computer interaction in the school’s information science program. In her spare time she maintains the multimedia blog Innovative Interactivity. Previously, she was a multimedia producer at Roanoke.com, served as the UNC correspondent for CNN.com and interned with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In 2007, she was selected to participate in the Poynter Summer Fellowship. She graduated with a multimedia degree from UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
JASON COOPER
Jason is a designer/storyteller with an extensive background in web and multimedia development, animation, print, identity design and content management systems. Most recently his focus has been on educational multimedia. Current projects include animating a graphic novel for the Navy intended to help educate and prepare corpsmen for dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder as well as developing a portal site for the state of North Carolina’s e-learning resources. Previously he was an interactive designer at The News & Observer, taught graphic design at UNC-CH (his alma mater), and was a lead designer for UNC’s international award-winning Instructional Media Group.
SERGIO GOLDENBERG
Sergio is a professor from the Journalism School of the Catholic University in Santiago, Chile, from where he holds a journalism degree. He is also a Master in Science on Digital Media from Georgia Tech, where he is currently pursuing his Ph.D. His research has been on interactive narrative, computational journalism and interactive television. In Chile, he taught new media and interactive narrative courses. Parallel to his academic duties, for five years he led the Web site development area at an important TV network in Chile.
TIM HARROWER
Tim has been an award-winning editor, designer and columnist at such newspapers as The Oregonian and the Rochester Times-Union. His first book, “The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook,” has been a fixture in newsrooms and classrooms around the world, translated into Russian, Chinese and Polish. His follow-up, “Inside Reporting,” is America’s most popular journalism textbook. He currently hosts journalism workshops and noodles around with web design and music production at his dog-and-frog ranch in the Oregon woods.
JAY HEINZ
Jay works as the digital production manager for the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, producing and directing digital full-dome planetarium shows and managing a design team. He also freelances as a multimedia documentary producer on projects around the world. Previously, he has taught documentary and multimedia courses at the UNC journalism school, produced documentary videos for Washingtonpost.com, worked as a multimedia producer for Lucasfilm and worked as a multimedia exhibit designer at the Computer Museum in Boston.
MIKE PLETCH
Mike is the manager of creative design in the digital media group at The Globe and Mail. He has worked in online media for more than 10 years and held several positions, including web developer, web designer and information architect. Recently Mike’s team has worked on a few award-winning multimedia projects, including a mental health series and Talking to the Taliban, which has been nominated for an Emmy Award.
RYAN SPARROW
Before teaching, Ryan was an award-winning page designer, photographer and editor at newspapers in Indiana, Kentucky and Florida. For the last six years, Ryan has taught in Ball State University’s Department of Journalism graphics sequence. His classes have included a high-level multimedia-storytelling seminar in which broadcast students, writers, photographers and designers develop in-depth interactive projects. In addition to teaching, Ryan has helped write Ball State’s new curriculum and is developing a version of it for The New York Times Knowledge Network. Ryan works as a freelancer and consultant for media organizations and nonprofit agencies.
JOE WEISS
Joe has worked as a photojournalist, multimedia reporter, designer, programmer, producer and editor in print and online media since 1996. He is a freelance interactive producer and the developer of Soundslides, a multimedia authoring application. He was an interactive producer at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., the director of photography at The Herald-Sun in Durham, N.C., and a multimedia producer for MSNBC.com in Redmond, Wash.
The importance of the Best of Multimedia Design competition
In the large category Non-Breaking News, judges advanced 18 multimedia entries out of a field of 62. All non-breaking categories require pre-planned coverage of a topic or event. Reminder: Medalists will be announced at SND’s Annual Workshop and Exhibition on Sept. 24 in Buenos Aires.
SND judges have completed the Breaking Features category, which includes entertainment and lifestyle topics, and all three of this year’s entries were judged to stay in the competition.
From seven quarterly winners in the Breaking sports category, two multimedia entries emerged as finalists. Each entry in breaking sports must cover a single subject.
From 18 quarterly winners in the Breaking News category, five multimedia entries emerged as finalists. Breaking News was the first category judged in the annual Best of Multimedia Design Competition, held at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill. The SND competition guidelines define breaking news as content based on breaking local, national, international and business news coverage and is differentiated from non-breaking entries.
Leading thinkers in multimedia design arrived in Chapel Hill, N.C., Thursday to meet for the annual review of quarterly winners in SND’s Best of Multimedia Design Competition. A panel of photojournalists, designers, interactive producers, creative directors and professors are all together after a year of judging entries remotely each quarter. Follow SND Update all weekend to learn more about each of the nine judges.
Watch this space for two full days of multimedia design judging
Carroll Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, home of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and host of the Best of Multimedia Design Competition judging Friday and Saturday
Stay here on SND Update all through Friday and Saturday to follow the coverage of the judges’ deliberations in
SND’s Best of Multimedia Design competition. Finalists in each category will
be announced as soon as they are determined. Medalists will be announced at
SND’s Annual Workshop and Exhibition on Sept. 24 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Top multimedia design experts—including Cassie Armstrong, Tim Harrower, Mike Pletch, Ryan Sparrow and Joe
Weiss—have convened at UNC-Chapel Hill to
examine close to 150 quarterly winners and determine the best designed
multimedia in the world. Links and judges’ commentary will be posted on
Update by UNC journalism students throughout the two days.
Information graphics alert: Free training on how to report on stimulus funds
The Sunlight Foundation, in partnership with The Associated Press and the Associated Press Managing Editors, is providing help for news organizations seeking to more effectively investigate and report the millions of dollars being made available for local transportation projects through federal stimulus legislation. AP and Sunlight have prepared an easy-to-use Excel file of the final list of projects approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation for more than 5,853 projects nationwide.
Three remaining Webinars are planned this week to show reporters how to use the new information in reporting the local stimulus impact. There’s no charge to participate, but registration is required. Click on the URL next to a date and time below to sign up
The spreadsheet and Webinars are part of a long range database project to help news organizations gauge the effectiveness of the federal stimulus program in local communities — whether jobs are being created, how much of the nearly $800 billion is being disbursed at home and to whom those payments are going. The idea is to use federal data to fuel local stories. And if news organizations nationwide use old-fashioned gumshoe reporting to augment the many data sets released during the coming year, the collective efforts will bring meaningful perspective to one of the most important stories of our time.
The Associated Press already has reported that while the Obama administration’s stimulus plan was supposed to help needy communities in particular by doling out billions of dollars to rebuild highways and jump-start the economy, it hasn’t worked out that way. The rules required that states give priority to counties considered “economically distressed.” Yet less than half the federal highway money announced so far is directed toward those high-unemployment, low-income areas, according to an AP analysis of more than $16 billion in spending announced by the U.S. Transportation Department. What was supposed to be a way to steer money to hard-hit areas has turned into a coin flip: 53 percent of the money is going to counties that don’t meet the federal standard of economically distressed areas. The new findings echo those of an earlier AP analysis that found counties with the highest unemployment fare worst under the official state stimulus plans.
Graphic design legend Nigel Holmes will be joining us in Buenos Aires to deliver the keynote for this year’s annual workshop, which happens Sept. 24-26 in Argentina.
“We’re thrilled to have the legendary graphic designer and theorist as the keynote speaker,” said Matt Mansfield, SND’s president. “Nigel’s work visually explaining the world has informed a generation — and as increasingly complex topics continue to dominate the news, his unique approach to making the difficult easier to understand seems more vital than ever.”
VIDEO OF NEW YORK TALK
Holmes talked about the current “mess we’re in” and how remaining passionate in the face of the current crisis may be the best defense at our SNDNYC meetup this spring at The New York Times.
MALOFIEJ INTERVIEW
Condé Nast’s John Grimwade sat down for an extensive interview with Holmes in 2004. Most of the images you see below can be found in the 22-page interview that was published in the annual Malofiej Information Graphics book.
Were you interested in graphics from an early age?
Yes, like a lot of English children growing up in the forties and fifties (I was born in 1942), I waited eagerly every week for a large-format comic called the Eagle, which, along with the usual kind of comic strips (ones that told stories of adventure in space or the wild west), had great cutaway drawings of buildings, racing cars, tanks, airplanes and so on. Many of these wonderful explanations were drawn by L. Ashwell Wood, and they occupied the coveted center spread of the comic.
The only member of my family to be involved with art was my great-uncle George. He did plans and elevations of British sailing vessels, some of which I was given as reference for a feature in the Observer magazine about regional boats (pictured above). It was only later that I realized who had done the reference drawings. For as long as I can remember, there was a map of a local Yorkshire river and the bridges over it drawn by George Holmes hanging in our living room. I was fascinated by the overhead plan view of the river, with three-dimensional views of the bridges crossing it. It was both a bird’s eye view and a human’s view presented in one picture. Nowadays that is commonplace, of course, but to a 6-year-old child in 1948 it was a revelation.
Where were you educated?
When Great Uncle George died, he left money to my father to educate my brother and I at one of England’s “public” schools. I was there from 1955 to 1960. I hated it. But then I went to Hull College of Art and had a great time. In 1963, I was accepted at the Royal College of Art, in London, to study illustration.
When did you decide to work in information graphics?
In 1964. My first graphics mentor was Brian Haynes (who had been at the RCA himself). He was then the art director of the London Sunday Times Magazine, and he was busy breaking down the walls between the art department and the writers. He did great work in the field of explanations. He would combine photos, maps, diagrams, extended captions and illustrations to make news stories clear. And Brian’s output was the entire story, there was no accompanying written piece. One example I remember was a visual description of the “Great Train Robbery”, a notorious crime that fascinated Britain in 1963.
Brian hired me to work as his assistant in the summer months of 1964, and I learned more from him in the short time I was there than I did in the three years at the Royal College. Brian convinced me that I wasn’t a very good illustrator, but that there was a real need for graphics that explained things. (I don’t think anyone called them information graphics at the time.)
When I went back at college after the summer, I just wanted to do “real” work instead of the somewhat irrelevant college exercises we were set.
Much to the college authorities’ disgust, I did just that, accepting freelance commissions from Brian Haynes when he moved to other magazines. For one of these jobs, Brian teamed me up with Peter Sullivan to do a large piece about Buckingham Palace (pictured above). Peter made wooden models of the floors of the palace, and had them photographed, and I did the opening double page color diagram of the Queen’s household staff–little drawings of people arranged in the front courtyard of the Palace, 200 of them, including all the footmen, nannies, chefs, clerks and ladies of the bedchamber, and everyone else involved with running the Royal Palace. The drawings weren’t very good, but I learned a huge amount from working with Peter Sullivan.
To show its displeasure that I was doing freelance work, the College only just allowed me to graduate. They gave me a “pass”–the lowest possible grade. Unfortunately for them, before they knew about my moonlighting, they had awarded me a traveling scholarship to America. And so in 1966, I traveled all over the States for four months.
Did you dream of doing something else?
Oh yes. As a child I had wanted to be a jockey, then a show jumper. My mother ran a riding school in Yorkshire, and I grew up on horseback (when I wasn’t reading the Eagle). Much later, when I started to do freelance work for the Radio Times, I took every chance to draw horses for them. Luckily English TV viewers were crazy about show jumping and horse racing.
Starting around age 13, I wanted to be a jazz drummer, and while I was at Hull College of Art, I played for a while in a small jazz band. Today I have a drumset permanently set up in my basement, but I am no better now than I was then! I still daydream of being at a jazz club when the drummer in the Thelonius Monk group falls ill and I have to step in to take his place.
What were the major influences on you? Who in the graphics field has influenced you the most?
Three very important art directors, to whom I am eternally grateful: Brian Haynes; David Driver (at the Radio Times in London); Walter Bernard (at Time Magazine in New York.)
Graphic influences: Quentin Blake and Paul Hogarth (illustrators and teachers at the Royal College of Art); Otto Neurath and Gerd Arntz; poster artists Abram Games and F.H.K. Henrion; Ronald Searle; Andre Francois; Radio Times artists from the 60s; Eric Gill (who also designed the best typeface in the world, Gill Sans); L. Ashwell Wood (those center spreads in the Eagle); Harry Beck (he created the London Underground map), Edward Muybridge (eccentric 19th century English photographer who took sequential pictures of animals and humans in motion.)
Artists: Eric Ravillious (great wood engravings and watercolors of England); Amedeo Modigliani (wow!…the sexiest nudes ever painted); Stanley Spencer (quirky English types); Kurt Schwitters (as a student, I made hundreds of scrap paper collages, copying his technique); Paolo Uccello (who, around 1450, was one of the first to grapple with perspective, mixing flat 2-D figures with perspective views in his paintings.)
Other dead people I wish I could meet: Alberto Giacometti, Thelonius Monk (I admire both for their pared-down, but odd, simplicity.) And I would like to talk to the artists who painted the Lascaux and Chauvet Caves, to find out what they were thinking.
Why did you move to the United States?
I came for an exploratory visit in 1977, mistakenly thinking that I could get freelance work that I would actually do back in England. I also wanted to earn more money than I was making in England working for myself.
I wrote a kind of fan letter to Walter Bernard whose redesigned Time Magazine had caused a minor sensation within the design community in England. Walter invited me to do some freelance work while I was in America. And when it was time for me to go home he offered me a permanent job, but I had to return to England while the necessary work visa was arranged, so I officially started at Time in March 1978. Amazingly, both the Radio Times and Time used the same typefaces: Times Roman and Franklin Gothic, and that greatly helped me to relax into the new job.
Looking back, how do feel about your years as Graphics Director of Time magazine?
It was an amazing place to be, and a great shop window for doing outside work, which was actually encouraged–the people at the top wanted us to be happy and busy, and they were proud that their writers and artists represented them in forums other than the magazine. (It was assumed that you just had to drop everything whenever it was time to work for the magazine.
So anyway, I did a great deal of freelance work, spoke at many conferences, wrote three books, and ran an information graphics workshop at the Rhode Island School of Design for 10 years, as well as working really long hours at the magazine. I loved it, and I loved being in America.
A really great thing about working at Time was that the map and chart department had its own permanent researchers, so I could concentrate on making the information understandable, knowing that the facts would always be exhaustively checked. (That’s the thing I miss most about working by myself, now.) Looking back, I can see that my best work at Time was from 1978 to 1988, before I started using a computer. Of course there are pieces from those years that I wouldn’t want anyone to see now! They were overdone, and sometimes my drawings got in the way of the information. But they were only out there for a week, and the next week I had another chance. Walter was a great mentor and still is a great friend. He helped me to bridge the gap between the art department and the editorial department, and together with the magazine’s editor Ray Cave, he urged me to improve on the sketches I showed them. Those two were invariably right in their suggestions, and they were truly an inspiration.
In my later years at Time, I was promoted and became bogged down with administration tasks, and had less time to do the actual work.
I think I should have left the magazine two or three years earlier than I did. Much of my work there after the introduction of computers was not very good. I suppose I thought having a computer would save time, saving me from laboriously drawing everything by hand, and cutting amberliths (Actually I had the best assistant anyone could have wanted, Nino Telac, and he did all the ambertlith cutting, and much more). Only when I left Time did I realize that it takes just as long—if not longer—to draw something properly on the computer as it does the old fashioned way.
Why did you leave Time?
Anyone who lasted 15 years there got a chance to take a six-month sabbatical (at half pay). I made it to 16 years but then I had to stop. Within weeks of starting this “holiday” I knew I’d never go back. They were very decent about it and allowed me to take the break (and the money) without going back to work there–although they tried very hard to get me back!
I had built up a healthy freelance business and found it quite easy to survive on my own. I did all sorts of work for many different clients (including Time). It was a wonderful release to be able to work in formats that were larger than the standard magazine page size, and with subjects that did not start with the week’s news.
Your graphics begin on paper. Can you explain how this traditional approach fits into the world of computers and illustration programs?
Everything still starts on paper, and usually in a smallish notebook/sketchbook. All my very first drawn ideas and written notes are in these books, which I have kept carefully over many years and often refer back to. There are many as yet uncompleted projects in them as well as day-to-day sketches and roughs for current jobs.
When I have a workable idea for a particular job, I’ll usually draw it out again larger; probably go through two or three more versions using tracing paper, until it’s pretty tight, and then scan it. Then I use the computer to construct the drawing in exactly the same way I used to use french curves and templates to create lines when I did not have a computer. I never use the computer’s autotracing feature.
I started using Freehand at Time and still do. I use no other computer programs (except Word, for writing), and I’m probably only using about 10% of the potential of Freehand, but that’s all I need. It keeps the finished work simple. I’m not against computers–they enabled me to leave the corporate world and work by myself–but they are dreadfully misused, to my mind, in information graphics today. I think the computer should be used to take stuff out of an information graphic, rather than loading it up with special effects.
In recent years we have seen a huge growth in the use of 3-D illustration. What place is there for a simpler, more graphic approach?
Well, 3-D and surface effects are what I was just talking about. The fact that we see it everywhere is just a result of computers making it possible–whenever a new toy comes out, people want to play with it. But 3-D illustration is just a phase. While it will remain part of an artist’s arsenal of tools, it will pass away as the prevailing trend for infographics, as all fashions do: the fashion for flat, cartoony illustrations, like some that I did at Time, passed. Actually it passed before I left Time, and my efforts to do simpler work at the magazine ran up against opposition from editors there. I think that’s why they so eagerly embraced the arrival of 3-D programs after I left; they needed the graphics to have “more to them” than the information itself. But as one who had sometimes dressed up charts fifteen years earlier, I was hardly in a position to criticize the new fashion. Many people had criticized my work as overdone.
When I first left Time, some clients asked me to dress up the work I did for them (I refused; they got another artist!), but now I’m finding a renewed acceptance for simpler work. While some magazines still overdesign their graphics, other clients are getting back to basics. That suits me (and I believe it suits the information, too). I hope we’ll see a return to what I think is the basis of good information design; that is, not treating every job as a showcase for computer effects, but instead paying attention to what information is to be passed along.
You are widely respected for your work with pictograms. How important is the pictogram in information graphics?
A couple of years ago I wrote a piece on pictograms for the Information Design Journal, and it made me think about symbols again. I had written a book (Designing Pictorial Symbols, 1985), but that was largely about icons I’d drawn for Time. Here I realized that one way we make information graphics is by using little pictograms as building blocks for entire illustrations. We each create our own personal visual language—little bits that we recycle again and again. And as long as it is our own language, it’s fine to recycle; in fact it defines our style.
I’m on the fence about everyone adopting one universal visual symbol language, because that suggests that we would all use the same icons (like an alphabet), and while I want people all over the world to understand what I have drawn, I’m not yet ready to give up personal style for a committee-accepted set of pictograms. I hope one day to do some work in the field of completely wordless diagrams, especially if it is for a cause such as helping those in third-world countries who are unable to read.
What do you think are the most important fundamental rules for our business?
I hate rules! They put straightjackets around freedom of expression. However, I guess I do have some personal rules of my own. The first is that the best way to explain things is always the simplest way.
Keeping things simple and clear does not mean dumbing down information, nor does it mean making it look boring and austere. That is why Art is important. I mean Art in the service of information, not art for art’s sake. Sometimes Art might mean just beautiful simplicity. At other times it might mean wit, or humor, or fun. My fundamental mantra is enjoyable clarity.
One thing that often seems wrong with information graphics is the use of too much color. These days, I like to start a job with very little color and only add it when the information demands it. Of course, many editors and art directors still think of information graphics as a sort of colorful decoration for their pages. While the arguments are obvious to me, nothing I say seems to convince them. The rule is: only use color when it’s needed (and get your arguments lined up!)
Over your career, which work has given you the most satisfaction?
During two periods: my freelance work at the Radio Times in the early 70s, and my first years at Time. But I am always hopeful that the best is yet to come!
In the whole wide world of graphics, who do you most admire?
Otto Neurath and his brilliant designer/artist Gerd Arntz.
What are questions every information graphics designer should ask?
What’s the point of the graphic I am doing?
What information does the reader/user need to know?
I think many graphics are too big. Perhaps we designers should ask for less space when that’s all we need. So ask this question: what is really the best size for this graphic?
Why is information graphics still a second-tier job in the area of graphic design?
Firstly, because most people can’t do information graphics and don’t understand what is involved in making them. They are therefore relegated to the bottom of the pile, and dashed off without much thought. Most art directors (at magazines and papers that do not have information graphics directors) won’t spend the time conceiving good information graphics, so they make as many excuses as possible for why information graphics should not appear in their magazines.
Secondly, there are relatively few information graphics produced that can compete at the same level of visual excitement with other forms of graphic design (illustrations, posters, book jackets, etc). So information graphics do not have the same place at design conferences, in design competitions, and within design organizations. I don’t like design competitions much, but the results of them are one indication to editors that someone is recognizing your work.
In many cases, the best information design is the workhorse of the design field—it just goes about its job without getting much recognition or thanks. It’s taken for granted. A diagram here, a map there, a chart; to many people these things are “necessary”, but don’t have to be regarded as anything special.
Until we can convince the graphic design world, (and then the rest of the world), that information graphics is an important part of the graphics community, we’ll be sidelined.
After 40 years of doing information graphics, what’s in the future for you?
I’m trying to doing more of what I want to do—writing and drawing—rather than what a magazine or some other type of client asks me to do. But I still have to earn a living, so I’ll continue with my monthly “How-it-works” drawing for Attaché, US Air’s in-flight magazine, as long as they want me. The writer Jim Collins and I have been doing it together for over 6 years. We’ve done 75 columns so far, and we’re trying to get the collection published in a book.
I like working for the New York Times, because I think it’s a great paper (with terrific information graphics), and because they generally get me to do lighter illustrations, and it’s relaxing to have that kind of brief after staring at numbers the rest of the week. But I treat these illustrations just the same way I would an information graphic, with the same routine of thinking, writing, sketching, scanning and computer output. You can see this in the Father’s Day sketches and illustration for the Times.
In the last few years I have done seven books with Richard Saul Wurman. The best was a book of medical tests for men (and another for women). Now I want to start projects myself, and I am currently in negotiation with a children’s book publisher to write and illustrate a children’s adventure story. It’s got lots of diagrams and maps in it, so it looks like I’ll never be far from information graphics. But then again, I’m a very late developer, so watch out!
First up…News flash from the future: What will journalism look like?
Design and innovation powerhouse IDEO has sketched out 14 scenarios for the future of news. From newsroom cafés to new interactive solutions to sharing information, the future has never looked so bright for newsgathering. Alex Grishaver, design director at IDEO, will present and explain their ideas. Grishaver specializes in systemic design and interactive media, and has led IDEO projects for HBO, Tokyo Metro and numerous other media and technology businesses.
IDEO is one of the premiere design firms in the world. They specialize in developing design and behavioral solutions for many Fortune 500 companies and government organizations. Among its many achievements are developing Apple’s first mouse, the Leap chair for Steelcase and finding new methods of combating childhood obesity for the Centers for Disease Control. Fast Company magazine ranked IDEO fifth in its top 50 Most Innovative Companies list.
Download the San Francisco magazine article about IDEO’s vision of the future.
And then … New paths for news: Experiments in innovation
Matt Mansfield was to have hosted a conversation with Susan Mernit and Chris O’Brien about where social media, distribution channels and the challenges of presentation are heading, but he unfortunately was unable to appear at the last minute because of scheduling conflicts. Nevertheless, Chris and Susan carried on and provided the audience with their insights.
Mernit is a co-founder of Pink Garage, a new online community and resource for women entrepreneurs, and a product development, business strategy and social media consultant who recently ran the 2008-09 Knight News Challenge, awarding $5 million to support innovative local projects that expand online news and community discourse.
And O’Brien is the technology columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, as well as the founder of the Next Newsroom project, which was also funded with a Knight grant.
Mansfield is an associate professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and the co-director of its Washington graduate program. He’s also past president of the Society for News Design and a former deputy managing editor of the San Jose Mercury News.
Video to come
Next up…Visualizing data
The New York Times has long established itself as a leader and innovator in visualizing data. From an amusing analysis of Michael Jackson’s Billboard rankings to the incredibly insightful homicide map of New York City, the nytimes.com has become a destination for cutting edge work. Now, Times online extraordinaire Tyson Evans will reveal some of their design and database process to create these amazing visualization of data.
Tyson Evans is an award-winning interface engineer at The New York Times. Previously, he was new media design editor at the Las Vegas Sun.
Plus you should think about … Making the leap into multimedia
From capturing photos on film to taking digital snapshots then ultimately entering the world of video and multimedia, Emmy Award winner Geri Migielicz has navigated through the massive changes in photojournalism. Geri will relate those experiences and give advice on making that transition to new media. Video to come.
Geri was director of photography at the San Jose Mercury News from 1993 to 2009. Under her direction, her department garnered all major national awards for photo editing and photo usage, making the paper a destination for the leading talent in the photojournalism industry. She reported to Mansfield in San Jose and they remain close friends. They both believe in the power of visual storytelling.
Most recently, Geri was executive producer on an Emmy Award-winning Web documentary, and she directed coverage that won a 1990 Pulitzer Prize in general news reporting and a 2003 Pulitzer finalist in feature photography. Geri was a 2004-5 Knight Fellow at Stanford University, where she studied multimedia narratives. She now runs Story4, a multimedia production company.
And for the finale … Funny stuff with Don Asmussen
Meet the man behind the Lies behind the Truth, and the Truth behind those Lies that are behind the Truth. San Francisco Chronicle’s Bad Reporter has been skewering the headlines and providing many laughs for years now. Witness his unique take on the world.
Special thanks to Adobe for co-sponsoring this event!
Pai is the West Coast regional director for SND (Region 8) and the graphics director at the San Jose Mercury News.
Have some fun this weekend! Take a look at the terrific, just revamped SND Region 20 blog.
Regional Director Douglas Okasaki is based in the Middle East but he has scoured the world to post links to news articles, work samples, page roundups and even a “how to” on creating information graphics. It’s fun and enlightening!
The grants will help the students attend the 31st SND Annual Workshop & Exhibition, Sept. 24-26, 2009, in Buenos Aires.
Visual students worldwide were invited to apply for the grants and applications were received from 25 in the United States and 70 in South America. The students selected for grants have demonstrated leadership in visual journalism. Most are involved in student publications and in SND student-affiliate activities, and have secured internships, part-time jobs and other professional work.
SND Foundation President Susan Mango Curtis, assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, said, “This is not just a grant but an opportunity to invest in our future as an organization. These 18 young, creative minds may very well one day lead our industry and transform visual journalism and how media companies deliver the news.”
All winners receive free registrations to the professional Annual Workshop program. North American students also receive $500 for travel. The travel grant winners will assist other SND volunteers in running the Annual Workshop, hosted this year by Clarín and organized by Art Director Gustavo Lo Valvo.
This year’s travel grant winners are:
• Cristián Bego, Universidad del Desarrollo, Concepción, Chile
• Ángeles Briones, Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
• Alejandro Bruna, Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
• Andreina Fernandes, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
• Lionel Fernández Roca, Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Aderlani Furlanetto, Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil
• Valentina Gangotena, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador
• Federico Gómez, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Adam Griffiths, Kent State University, Ohio
• Gabriela Lorenz, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• María Luján, Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Militza Moya, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
• Aaron Olson, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Jennifer Schutterra, Ohio University, Athens
• Sergio Silva, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador
• Sahar Vahidi, Syracuse University, N.Y.
• Andrea Zagata, Michigan State.
Applications were reviewed by three SNDF trustees: Cristóbal Edwards, professor of visual journalism at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago; SND U.S. Education Director Jennifer George-Palilonis, assistant professor in the department of journalism at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.; and SND Diversity Director Javier Torres, AME presentation at The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Society for News Design Foundation, created in 1992, is the nonprofit education and research effort of the Society for News Design. To learn more, visit http://www.snd.org/about/found.html, or contact SND, 1130 Ten Rod Road, E 206, North Kingstown, RI 02852; (401) 294-5233; snd@snd.org.
18 international students receive grants for SND Buenos Aires
The grants will help the students attend the 31st SND Annual Workshop & Exhibition, Sept. 24-26, 2009, in Buenos Aires.
Visual students worldwide were invited to apply for the grants and applications were received from 25 in the United States and 70 in South America. The students selected for grants have demonstrated leadership in visual journalism. Most are involved in student publications and in SND student-affiliate activities, and have secured internships, part-time jobs and other professional work.
SND Foundation President Susan Mango Curtis, assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, said, “This is not just a grant but an opportunity to invest in our future as an organization. These 18 young, creative minds may very well one day lead our industry and transform visual journalism and how media companies deliver the news.”
All winners receive free registrations to the professional Annual Workshop program. North American students also receive $500 for travel. The travel grant winners will assist other SND volunteers in running the Annual Workshop, hosted this year by Clarín and organized by Art Director Gustavo Lo Valvo.
This year’s travel grant winners are:
• Cristián Bego, Universidad del Desarrollo, Concepción, Chile
• Ángeles Briones, Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
• Alejandro Bruna, Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
• Andreina Fernandes, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
• Lionel Fernández Roca, Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Aderlani Furlanetto, Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil
• Valentina Gangotena, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador
• Federico Gómez, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Adam Griffiths, Kent State University, Ohio
• Gabriela Lorenz, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• María Luján, Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Militza Moya, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
• Aaron Olson, Michigan State University, East Lansing
• Jennifer Schutterra, Ohio University, Athens
• Sergio Silva, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador
• Sahar Vahidi, Syracuse University, N.Y.
• Andrea Zagata, Michigan State.
Applications were reviewed by three SNDF trustees: Cristóbal Edwards, professor of visual journalism at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago; SND U.S. Education Director Jennifer George-Palilonis, assistant professor in the department of journalism at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.; and SND Diversity Director Javier Torres, AME presentation at The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Society for News Design Foundation, created in 1992, is the nonprofit education and research effort of the Society for News Design. To learn more, visit http://www.snd.org/about/found.html, or contact SND, 1130 Ten Rod Road, E 206, North Kingstown, RI 02852; (401) 294-5233; snd@snd.org.
We reported here last week on the Russian Newspaper Design Competition. Now see the 56 winners from the sixth annual competition and some of the pages.
The winners were chosen from a field of 48 newspapers representing different regions of Russia, Ukraine, Byelorussia, Kazakhstan that submitted work published in 2008. The six judges for the competition were:
Gayle Grin, The National Post, Canada
Marco Grieco, Expresso, Portugal
Ivan Anishev, Delovoy Peterburg, Russia
Alexandra Konstantinova, Vedomosti, Russia
Alexandr Vasin, illustrator, Russia
Svetlana Maximchenko, Akzia, SND regional director, Russia
The seven competition categories awarded four gold medals, 11 silver, 16 bronze, 23 awards of excellence, one judges’ special recognition and one “Wow” award. The 2008 winners, with images where available, are listed below.
Award of Excellence: Chelyabinsky rabochy, Chelyabinsk; Delovaya Gazeta Ug, Krasnodar; I&, Ivanovo; Molva, Otradny; Moy Rayon, St. Petersburg; Nasha Vologda, Vologa; Soviet Sport, Moscow; Sport day by day, St. Petersburg
GUSTAVO LO VALVO
For making the deferred dream of a Buenos Aires workshop come true. Seven years after the plan for an Argentine event had to be abandoned because of an economic collapse, Gustavo orchestrated one of the most dynamic, international gatherings SND has ever seen. SNDBUE was made possible only by his tremendous dedication.
CRISTOBAL EDWARDS
For his indefatigable evangelism of SND around the globe, particularly in Mexico, Central & South America. Cristobal’s energy and enthusiasm are infectious, fueling an impressive membership surge in those regions. His magnetic optimism and can-do spirit exemplify the very best that citizens of the Society can be.
DON WITTEKIND
For his innovative leadership as creator and director of SND’s popular hands-on multimedia training. Through a decade of tireless service, he gave hundreds of journalists the skills they need to survive in a changing media market and invent their own future. Don’s legacy of vision, courage and integrity is an inspiration to all who would one day lead SND.
Michael Rice has been named the 31st Edition Coordinator for the Society’s international creative news design competition for the 2009 judging year, according to Competition Director Marshall Matlock. Rice is visual team leader for design & graphics at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson.
Susan Mango Curtis, an assistant professor at 
Jonathon Berlin, design director at the 
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nytimes.com won a judges’ special recognition award.
Design and innovation powerhouse 
Matt Mansfield was to have hosted a conversation with Susan Mernit and Chris O’Brien about where social media, distribution channels and the challenges of presentation are heading, but he unfortunately was unable to appear at the last minute because of scheduling conflicts. Nevertheless, Chris and Susan carried on and provided the audience with their insights.
The New York Times has long established itself as a leader and innovator in visualizing data. From an amusing analysis of 
From capturing photos on film to taking digital snapshots then ultimately entering the world of video and multimedia, Emmy Award winner Geri Migielicz has navigated through the massive changes in photojournalism. Geri will relate those experiences and give advice on making that transition to new media. Video to come.
Meet the man behind the Lies behind the Truth, and the Truth behind those Lies that are behind the Truth. San Francisco Chronicle’s 
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