What's the Right Way to Tell a Story?

By Erica Frederick
Michigan State University

What's the right way to tell a story? There is no right way, but there are a few methods that can help you out.

Some of the tools at designers' disposal are infographics, illustrations and photography. The speaker, Alejandro Tumas, showed examples of storytelling through photography (a photo showing the victory and failure of Mohammed Ali), illustration (a series of drawings of baby from 1 month to 18 months) and infographics.

We shouldn't look at these tools as seperate things but items that can be used to complement each other and even come together to make one storytelling unit.

Tumas said we are not journalists, we are visual communicators who should not necessarily be governed by journalistic standards.

Tumas showed examples of infographics that combined information with illustrations that did not function properly because the information was too complicated and there was too much of it. He said graphics should be basic and should be organized in a basic way. This idea was also the focus of Nigel Holmes' lecture "Information or Reality Show?

Get Over It! Make the most of your situation every day

Steve Dorsey, of the Detroit Free Press, isn't about to take any guff from anyone. But he is willing to give some advice as to how we can get over ourselves and get on with our life and work.

As far as newspapers go, it's important to create a common cause and rally the troops. You can have fun and push the envelope a little in an effort to entertain your readers and keep your staff happy.

Empower each other to have creative freedom and get a little slap-happy on your projects. But remember: you're not trying to please the newsroom--you need to please your readers.

Stop worrying about what you don't have and focus on what you do have--play to your strengths, not your weaknesses.

Promote new thinking in your newsrooms--innovative thinking challanges the status quo and forces every one to think outside the box and really get creative. There is always a new way to look at things and you should be looking for new ways to look at news.

Reward Change. Sometimes you'll hit the nail right on the head, and sometimes you'll hit your thumb. In order for people to be motivated to try new things, they have to know they won't be punished for failure or missing the mark. Samuel Beckett said: "No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

Move Quickly. This is a demanding industry and there's really no time to sit around. If you don't do something, someone else will.

There are no excuses--get over yourself and get on with it.

Janelle Poore
Brigham Young University

Potholes on the Road to Redesign

Every paper or magazine has to redesign occasionally to stay up-to-date with the current trends, grow readership and make sure their publication is appealing. However, the road to redesign is variable and unpredictable for pretty much any and every company, so it's best if you take a few pointers from the pros and those who have gone before you, right?

First, you should establish a clear mission statement. Let your paper have fun some of the time by throwing out some of the rules SOME of the time. Don't be afraid to get creative, and allow this to happen through your mission statement--just a few paragraphs about where you want to go with your publication and what you want/expect it to do for your community.

Next, don't assume that your readers won't like change. It may be a bit of a shocker for the first few editions, but your readers will adjust and enjoy the new features of the redesign. It's okay to change your logo and add new sections if you have your reader in mind, rather than yourself.

Which leads into making sure your readers are involved in the redesign process. It's not a good idea to surprise redesign on your readers. Let them know in preceeding editions that a redesign is coming and what they should expect. Make sure you give some hardcore reasons why you've chosen to redesign and let your readers know how this will benefit them.

Make sure that through the redeign process, you don't lose your sense of style. Institutionalize your style, either by making a style book and guidelines for your staff or a training session on the do's and don'ts of your company. Don't let your style be swallowed up in the redesgin.

Finally, you may need to rethink your mission and strategy--some of the traditions of your publication may be unnecessary or out-of-date for your readers. Just becasue it's tradition doesn't mean it has to stay the same. Be willing to explore and plan for the next five (or so) years.

Change is an opportunity, not an inconvenience--be prepared for potholes along the way and have a backup plan. Redesign is a tricky and stressful time for everyone involved, so be patient, pick and choose your battles.

It's not about you--it's about your readers.

Janelle Poore
Brigham Young University

Fortune's past

Linda Eckstien gave a very nice presentation of Fortune's graphics. Fortune was one of the first magazines to have deatailed graphics that pushed the limites. Fortune featured alot of maps that broke out of the typical style. They payed close attention to detail , gave alots of information and tried to make their graphics entertaining to the reader.

Resolving Conflict

Sara Quinn gave an excellent session on improving work habits dealing with solving conflicts. She gave five basic principles for resolving conflicts.

1. Focus on the specific sitution, issue or behavior-not the person.
2. Look for common goals. What's in it for both parties
3. Seek clarity (very important not to assume things)
4. Work to maintain the self confidence and self-esteen of others.
5. Formulate your next, specific step toward resolving the problem.

Trading Papers: Two Newsrooms Switch Off

By Tim Martin
Eastern Illinois University

The idea originated at a bar.

Take two designers from both The San Jose Mercury News and The Los Angeles Times and have them switch newsrooms for a day.

Two news design directors. Two feature designers. Film it all, using the theme and music of the television show, "Trading Spaces."

No problem, right? Wrong.

Think about the personalities of both papers: The Merc News, immersed within Silicon Valley and graphic designers; The Times, a paper that one editor said was "scrutinized by the nation" on a daily basis. Even the people selected for the switch boldly represented the paper's contrasting themes. From the Merc-News, two younger designers, dressed casually and colorfully. From the Times, two older designers, dressed more professionally.

And so, the rimrodding of the switches brought forth an awkwardness that the crowd found hilarious. It was almost like that "Freaky Friday" movie where the mother and the daughter switch bodies and lives for a while. That was how the switch seemed to play out. The younger, rebel-like, risk-taking designers from the Merc News challenged the methodologies of the more conservative newsroom of the Times. The designers from the Times, at moments, seemed to wear on their faces and expressions a look that communicated: "Huh, we can actually do that?"

When the L.A. Times feature designer, Keli Sullivan, finished her centerpiece for the Books page, she had used spot color and taken chances with the typography. She had stepped out of her norm. Sullivan told her Times colleague, Bill Gaspard, what she was able to do, and he responded: "You must feel like you're on drugs."

When Merc News feature designer, Stephanie Grace Lim, wanted to experiment with a photo illustration, the idea so struck Times editors they purposely set her up to fail, sending her to a barren photo studio and giving her a digital camera she thought was from the 1800s.

Lim finished the photo illustration, but it has yet to run in the paper.

At the heart of the session was a phrase that Matt Mansfield, deputy managing editor for the Merc News, used during a conversation with Gaspard: "We have different DNA."

Both newspapers demonstrate a personality that reflects their readers, and that's the lesson that should be learned here. Although the designers from the Merc News or the Times wanted to adhere to their own beliefs and habits, it was not in the best interest of the newspaper because it would jolt the readers.