Comments on: An open letter on the value of Design http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/ Enhancing communication around the world through excellence in visual journalism. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:59:10 +0000 hourly 1 By: We are designers, not paginators « Panoramic Interactive http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-9985 We are designers, not paginators « Panoramic Interactive Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:44:22 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-9985 [...] read  “An Open Letter on the Value of Design” written on July 15, 2010, by the president and executive director of the Society for News Design [...] [...] read  “An Open Letter on the Value of Design” written on July 15, 2010, by the president and executive director of the Society for News Design [...]

]]> By: copyboy http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-8281 copyboy Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:56:07 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-8281 Having experienced and survived one corporate consolidation in this company, I don't trust anything corporate talking heads say. They talk one way (I think after your Q&A they changed the names of these places to Design Studios), but their actions never back that up. This is just another effort to meet the bottom line and give shareholders a dividend. While I appreciate the concern (and follow-up interview) of SND, sadly, I doubt the nation's largest newspaper publishing company truly does. Every move is about money. And the biggest hit from this round of consolidation will be to the experienced designers. In my instance, we lost nearly a century of experience as older designers/copy editors could not (or would not) move with the job. How did this help the company? You trade a salary of $45,000 for one of $30,000 or less. You trade covering a family's medical expenses to covering those of just one person. Do that enough and it adds up to millions. That's what this is all about. And I guarantee that most of these hubs' front-line positions will be filled with fresh talent (most of them right out of college) who don't have a clue what this business is about. Whether they call them hubs or Design Studios the results will be the same and most local newsrooms in this company will be void of visual thinking journalists. Some try to fill the void, but it'll never be the same. Creative visual collaboration won't work from a thousand miles away. Having experienced and survived one corporate consolidation in this company, I don’t trust anything corporate talking heads say. They talk one way (I think after your Q&A they changed the names of these places to Design Studios), but their actions never back that up. This is just another effort to meet the bottom line and give shareholders a dividend. While I appreciate the concern (and follow-up interview) of SND, sadly, I doubt the nation’s largest newspaper publishing company truly does.
Every move is about money.
And the biggest hit from this round of consolidation will be to the experienced designers. In my instance, we lost nearly a century of experience as older designers/copy editors could not (or would not) move with the job. How did this help the company? You trade a salary of $45,000 for one of $30,000 or less. You trade covering a family’s medical expenses to covering those of just one person. Do that enough and it adds up to millions. That’s what this is all about. And I guarantee that most of these hubs’ front-line positions will be filled with fresh talent (most of them right out of college) who don’t have a clue what this business is about.
Whether they call them hubs or Design Studios the results will be the same and most local newsrooms in this company will be void of visual thinking journalists. Some try to fill the void, but it’ll never be the same. Creative visual collaboration won’t work from a thousand miles away.

]]> By: Bullshit Alert: Why “Design Doesn’t Matter” is Bad Advice — Logan Zanelli http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4601 Bullshit Alert: Why “Design Doesn’t Matter” is Bad Advice — Logan Zanelli Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:46:30 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4601 [...] An open letter on the value of design [...] [...] An open letter on the value of design [...]

]]> By: Robert Knilands http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4557 Robert Knilands Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:33:10 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4557 "The second we take any readers for granted by thinking their attention spans are so low they need design gimmicks to maintain interest… we’ve lost them." That eliminates most of the designers. They know only gimmicks. They design for the sake of the design. The reader is a distant second for most designers, who sit at their desks and scan the SND manual (the modern museum of journalistic decay). “The second we take any readers for granted by thinking their attention spans are so low they need design gimmicks to maintain interest… we’ve lost them.”

That eliminates most of the designers. They know only gimmicks. They design for the sake of the design.

The reader is a distant second for most designers, who sit at their desks and scan the SND manual (the modern museum of journalistic decay).

]]> By: Shaminder Dulai http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4517 Shaminder Dulai Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:50:49 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4517 Sub in Photojournalist, multimedia producer, copy editor or an assortment of other positions and it's pretty much the same result... *tear Sub in Photojournalist, multimedia producer, copy editor or an assortment of other positions and it’s pretty much the same result… *tear

]]> By: Sean McNaughton http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4169 Sean McNaughton Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:56:53 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4169 Thanks, Kris & Stephen, for a well-reasoned and thoughtful examination of Gannett's move and its possible ramifications. You gave me a lot to think about... Thanks, Kris & Stephen, for a well-reasoned and thoughtful examination of Gannett’s move and its possible ramifications. You gave me a lot to think about…

]]> By: Gina Dvorak http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4154 Gina Dvorak Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:46:22 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4154 OK, T-Bone... except that you're probably going to have to be a lot more creative about how to achieve that quality and offer that service. Quality is attainable under any format, and if you think there's no creativity involved in that, then you've conceded before the battle's even begun. It really all depends on what you're thinking of when you define "better" — "worse." Less white space, but more information more concisely/compactly/neatly delivered to readers who will, in turn, get more out of what they're looking at? I'd call that a win. It's a different way of thinking in a different world, and there's a lot of brains and creativity still involved in getting information across to readers. To think otherwise is folly, and really dismisses the crux of our industry as a whole: to inform the reader. It's a philosophy shift from "How do we GET readers?" to "How do we maintain our value to readers?" We need to start thinking less about catching new eyes and more about what we're offering up to the brains we've already got. The second we take any readers for granted by thinking their attention spans are so low they need design gimmicks to maintain interest... we've lost them. Now is the time for designers to take stock, rethink their priorities (so they better align with readers), and reinvent themselves accordingly. Design isn't going away, it's just changing — and change it must. OK, T-Bone… except that you’re probably going to have to be a lot more creative about how to achieve that quality and offer that service. Quality is attainable under any format, and if you think there’s no creativity involved in that, then you’ve conceded before the battle’s even begun.

It really all depends on what you’re thinking of when you define “better” — “worse.” Less white space, but more information more concisely/compactly/neatly delivered to readers who will, in turn, get more out of what they’re looking at? I’d call that a win.

It’s a different way of thinking in a different world, and there’s a lot of brains and creativity still involved in getting information across to readers. To think otherwise is folly, and really dismisses the crux of our industry as a whole: to inform the reader.

It’s a philosophy shift from “How do we GET readers?” to “How do we maintain our value to readers?” We need to start thinking less about catching new eyes and more about what we’re offering up to the brains we’ve already got. The second we take any readers for granted by thinking their attention spans are so low they need design gimmicks to maintain interest… we’ve lost them.

Now is the time for designers to take stock, rethink their priorities (so they better align with readers), and reinvent themselves accordingly. Design isn’t going away, it’s just changing — and change it must.

]]> By: T-Bone http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4099 T-Bone Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:27:13 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4099 Creativity, service and quality is what the public wants. It doesn't matter what industry we are talking about. Look at the auto industry as a model of this statement. The bottom line is this; Is the move toward CCI a quality driven choice? No. In the long run it will allow fewer people to do more work faster. Not better, just faster. A few shareholders will be rewarded for this profit driven decision. Creativity, service, quality will suffer and the readers will reflect their dismay. And we will suffer a continued brain drain in an industry that doesn't know how to use the quality individuals it has now. Creativity, service and quality is what the public wants.
It doesn’t matter what industry we are talking about. Look at the auto industry as a model of this statement.
The bottom line is this; Is the move toward CCI a quality driven choice? No. In the long run it will allow fewer people to do more work faster. Not better, just faster.
A few shareholders will be rewarded for this profit driven decision.
Creativity, service, quality will suffer and the readers will reflect their dismay.

And we will suffer a continued brain drain in an industry that doesn’t know how to use the quality individuals it has now.

]]> By: Genesis « Beyond Tetris http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4056 Genesis « Beyond Tetris Sun, 25 Jul 2010 02:51:24 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4056 [...] On July 15, SND decided to make a statement on the state of the industry in response to Gannett’s recent consolidation plans.  Later, [...] [...] On July 15, SND decided to make a statement on the state of the industry in response to Gannett’s recent consolidation plans.  Later, [...]

]]> By: Desiree Perry http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4037 Desiree Perry Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:46:41 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4037 "It frees reporting resources to focus on time-sensitive, template-driven formats like the phone and the Web..." As an online news designer since 1994, I would just like to point out that well designed, useful Web/mobile reports are are not template-driven either! “It frees reporting resources to focus on time-sensitive, template-driven formats like the phone and the Web…”

As an online news designer since 1994, I would just like to point out that well designed, useful Web/mobile reports are are not template-driven either!

]]> By: Former Graphic Designer http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4027 Former Graphic Designer Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:54:12 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4027 Adaptability is the key to survival and success. Move forward and don't look back. Adaptability is the key to survival and success. Move forward and don’t look back.

]]> By: Aaron J. Hartje http://www.snd.org/2010/07/the-value-of-design/#comment-4026 Aaron J. Hartje Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:34:58 +0000 http://www.snd.org/?p=6159#comment-4026 Oddly enough, in my past capacities as copy editor/designer/lead designer/assistant presentation editor/acting presentation editor at newspapers throughout the country, I've never experienced the sniping that I see here. Of course, most copy editors I've worked with also have some pagination duties. I've seen how problematic presentation people with no journalism background can be, and I've witnessed the complete lack of people skills in those who only edit copy. Here are a few things to consider: First, while it might be typical of a copy editor to believe that pointing out grammatical errors (like I'm sure my posting possesses) made by people posting here gives you an air of superiority, it more likely reflects why you do not get along well with others. The irony is that while some of you want to point out that this or that person's newspaper is full of errors, NONE of you has ever put out a perfect edition. Second, open letters rife with the sort of flowery language that we discourage in our writers advances nothing. There are likely some good points there, but I'm not about to excavate Roget's rubble for it. Third, where some of this is concerned, I've found it best to join the machine. If the paper wants to move toward a more highly formatted way of doing this or that, I try to become part of that solution, rather than stand by and snipe. Many of you seem to want to just argue about what is coming, rather than carve out a place in it. I used to be the same way when I was younger and dumber. How many people are still raving about how illogical it is to put your product online for free and still maintain advertising revenue? Pretty happy people, aren't they? And what did it get them? Many got fired. Many stormed out, thinking it would be different at the next paper. Continue to bristle against what you know you will have to accept. You can be the next buggy-whip salesmen of this industry. Oddly enough, in my past capacities as copy editor/designer/lead designer/assistant presentation editor/acting presentation editor at newspapers throughout the country, I’ve never experienced the sniping that I see here. Of course, most copy editors I’ve worked with also have some pagination duties. I’ve seen how problematic presentation people with no journalism background can be, and I’ve witnessed the complete lack of people skills in those who only edit copy.

Here are a few things to consider:
First, while it might be typical of a copy editor to believe that pointing out grammatical errors (like I’m sure my posting possesses) made by people posting here gives you an air of superiority, it more likely reflects why you do not get along well with others. The irony is that while some of you want to point out that this or that person’s newspaper is full of errors, NONE of you has ever put out a perfect edition.

Second, open letters rife with the sort of flowery language that we discourage in our writers advances nothing. There are likely some good points there, but I’m not about to excavate Roget’s rubble for it.

Third, where some of this is concerned, I’ve found it best to join the machine. If the paper wants to move toward a more highly formatted way of doing this or that, I try to become part of that solution, rather than stand by and snipe. Many of you seem to want to just argue about what is coming, rather than carve out a place in it. I used to be the same way when I was younger and dumber. How many people are still raving about how illogical it is to put your product online for free and still maintain advertising revenue? Pretty happy people, aren’t they? And what did it get them? Many got fired. Many stormed out, thinking it would be different at the next paper. Continue to bristle against what you know you will have to accept. You can be the next buggy-whip salesmen of this industry.

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