Manila workshop: Day six - 11 a.m.
FRIDAY, 11 A.M.
My morning session seemed to go very well. No major glitches or brain farts, despite my last-minute tinkering. I like the way all our sessions seem to be relating to each other.
I discuss the close relationship between quickie text graphics and what the Pilot calls double-edits.
My topic was on the art of scrounging. I showed examples of centerpieces and graphics that were thrown together quickly — or could have been — thrown together quickly. I showed pieces from Sam Hundley, Josh Bohling and some of my own staff at the Pilot and from The Des Moines Register.
I asked folks to compile their resources ahead of time. Find and buy the reference books you need. Keep them organized in a way you can find them quickly. Bookmark the most helpful web sites you’re likely to need. As you design, though, work to make sure your visual leaps from the page.
But most of all, keep content foremost in your mind. If your last-minute design doesn’t support the story or the topic, then you’ve just created a very nicely-designed piece of crap.
Immediately after, Tonia Cowan of The Toronto Star spoke on building bridges between your visual teams and the rest of the newsroom.
Tonia spit out this little gem: How do you know you need a graphic with a story?
“When the editors are talking and their hands move. They’re talking about the space shuttle and they say, ‘Pshewwwwwwwww….’ ”
She moves her hand in a space launch-motion.
“You need a graphic. Their hands come out of their pockets.”
Tonia, keeping her hand in her pocket.
She went on to show us this really stunning interactive presentation of a fatal hit-and-run DUI case. The story itself was stunning, but the way Tonia’s team handled the graphic was spot-on. She told us how the reporter got her folks involved early in the process and how so many story elements were worked out with the animation that it made the print version go relatively quickly.
Tonia also said that the real key is for artists and designers to get involved in the early part of the planning process. “You need to be there when they have their early story sessions,” Tonia said. She showed us other examples of how The Toronto Star visual team has built bridges with the word folks.
The Singapore crowd listens to Tonia
In order to prove her point about communication, she had one of the attendees describe an abstract shape while the rest of the room tried to sketch what he described. It was amazing how well all the folks picked up on the verbal cues to draw accurate sketches.
What a great exercise. I’ll have to steal this idea.
Great stuff. The folks here ate it up.
March 30th, 2007 at 12:31 am
Charles:
The best of your blogging here has come out in the last of your postings.
Tonia spit out this little gem: How do you know you need a graphic with a story?
“When the editors are talking and their hands move. They’re talking about the space shuttle and they say, ‘Pshewwwwwwwww….’ “
How do you we explain news? Anyway we can and have to.