SND's Canada Blog

Designing the user interface

2008-10-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

An interesting user interface design blog that applies to multimedia. It makes a good point about limiting options to the context of what you're viewing. For example:

Too much choice (Word for Windows)

Just the pertinent choices (online video players)

Ready for lift off in Abu Dhabi

2008-04-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

The National, Abu Dhabi's new English-language newspaper and website, is set to launch Thursday, April 17.
Editor-in-Chief Martin Newland told the Gulf region website Media ME: "the role of The National is to reflect society, help that society evolve and, perhaps most importantly, promote the bedrock traditions and virtues that must be preserved even in times of change and that is why we have called our paper The National."
The broadsheet will contain 80 pages of news, business, sports, culture and features coverage. An online version is also planned.
The design has been overseen by Montreal-based consultant and former SND president Lucie Lacava.
The National will have an editorial staff of about 200 and is designed to give Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, a national voice. It is owned by an investment fund controlled by the Abu Dhabi government.
Many of the new paper's top staffers were hired away from newspapers in London, New York and Toronto, including design and production specialist Laura Koot from the National Post, and photo editor Brian Kerrigan from The Globe and Mail.

Winnipeg Sun Virtuel edition

2008-03-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is what the online newspaper should have been like 10 years ago. Instead we got HTML. Now that technology allows the exact print version to be published online, it's interesting (that page-turning effect is great), but what about video, audio and animated Flash graphics? Now, if you could click on the stories and get those extra photos and graphics the physical paper didn't have room for...

Halifax Daily News replaced by 7th Canadian Metro

2008-02-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

The Halifax Daily News stopped publication Monday as the tabloid's owner, Transcontinental Media, announced plans to start up Canada's seventh Metro free daily.
The company said all but a few of the paper's 92 employees will be let go. The first edition of the new Halifax Metro will be on the streets Thursday.
Transcontinental acquired the Daily News in 2002. The paper had a weekday circulation of about 20,000 and competed with Halifax Chronicle-Herald, which has a weekday circulation of about 110,000.
The paper was founded by David Bentley and Patrick Sims as the Bedford-Sackville Weekly News in 1974. It was turned into the Daily News in 1979, gradually expanded across the metro Halifax market, and was sold to Harry Steele's Newfoundland Capital Corporation in 1987. It passed through ownership by Southam and CanWest before Transcontinental took over.
The Daily News founded Canada's first online news website -- only the sixth in North America -- in 1994. It won a SND award in the early 1990s for a Halifax Explosion graphic by Jamie Hutt.
"It was an extremely tough business decision," said Transcontinental Media official Marc-Noel Ouellette. "(But) in this context, we are delighted to continue our presence as a daily newspaper publisher in the Halifax market."
Transcontinental employs 800 about people in Nova Scotia, most of them working at 11 weekly newspapers, four other dailies and two printing plants.

Flash Quick Course in Ohio

2008-02-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

Major breakthroughs were made in Athens, Ohio on February 1st and 2nd at the multimedia Quick Course. All of us learned something about making interactive graphics. See the photos at the Ohio University School of Visual Communication.

See this crude attempt at a daily interactive graphic. It's not pretty, but hey, I didn't know how to do this even 5 days ago.

As promised, this really was 'for journalists, by journalists'. Scott Horner (top photo) and Don Wittekind of the Sun Sentinel and Swarm Interactive taught the state of the art (i.e. efficient) techniques in programming ActionScript and also how to turn an existing print graphic into an interactive one in a few hours. These guys have also done interactive graphics for the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

The bottom photo is Justin Stahlman (me) from Le Journal de Montréal and Bill Neff of the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.

If anyone has some basic knowledge of Flash and some interest in multimedia, sign up for this course in Las Vegas. It's going to be pretty much the same, but those who were here tell me it gets more refined each time they teach it.

Leave it to the creators of the exploded-stadium double-truck to also set the standard in interactive graphics: USAToday's interactive election poll tracker. We actually learned how to do most of this stuff in Ohio -- loading images and data from a server, turning items on or off depending on user choices, and more -- but these things aren't created on deadline. They are created by a staff with money.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if Bill Neff were working on something like this in secret. The way he was shouting at the code and cackling like a mad scientist when he debugged it. I can see the lightning striking his house now as he creates the perfect monster Flash graphic, just because he can.

A bold new presence online

2007-12-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

nationalpost.com and financialpost.com have become a whole lot prettier and so much more easy to use!

In the words of the editor-in-chief, Douglas Kelly:

We are proud to introduce you to a rebooted nationalpost.com and financialpost.com, two Web sites completely redesigned and reimagined with clarity and ease-of-use in mind.

The Post has never been known to hold back when speaking its mind. We remain true to form today as we make available to our Web site everything we produce from commentary to breaking news to business, arts & life and sports coverage, to award-winning design and photography — absolutely free. No subscriber walls, no complicated registration process: it’s never been easier for you to find and enjoy everything the National Post and Financial Post have to offer.

You will find the National Post newspaper peppered with mentions of online items providing background, documents and related items to our stories that appear in print.

On the new nationalpost.com, you’ll discover a commitment to delivering a more immediate, in-depth and customizable news experience that works for you and your busy life. You’ll find us telling the stories that matter to you most in new and different ways. We're introducing NP Network Blogs, which include established interactive blogs and news feeds like FP Trading Desk, Full Comment and Posted.

We're also committed to offering National Post and Financial Post content everywhere. You can experience our news and blogs on your BlackBerry or Windows Mobile-powered PDA using our free reader from Viigo.

And you’ll also find us opening the floor to different sources and viewpoints, including your own, because we know that online, we’re just one voice in the world’s most vast and vibrant community. Enjoy the new nationalpost.com and financialpost.com and all they have to offer.

For some before-and-after looks at nationalpost.com, take a look at this entry on the NP Editors blog.

CanWest restructures its metros

2007-12-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

CanWest's metro newspapers are going though a series of wrenching changes related to newsroom layoffs and buyouts, outsourcing of page production and a shifting of editorial resources to web operations.

The restructuring, which is now being put into place, will see 20 to 30 positions bought out in Vancouver, while as many as 10 positions are being eliminated in Calgary through layoffs. About 15 positions could be affected at the Montreal Gazette's 155-person newsroom, with similar numbers expected in Ottawa and Edmonton.

At the Ottawa Citizen, design director Susan McDonough and photo director John Major have agreed to be bought out. One source at the paper described the Citizen's newsroom climate as "not happy."

The metros are now outsourcing portions of their national and international news pages, along with auto and travel sections, to CanWest's Editorial Services operation in Hamilton. Even the Calgary Herald's editorial pages are being outsourced.

One CanWest insider says outsourcing to Hamilton is causing production headaches in the home newsrooms. "It is actually taking more time for editors as they need to spend their time sending copy, headlines, photos, and then receiving it all back and sometimes needing to redo it all."

Jamie Pitblado, vice-president of promotions and community investment at CanWest's two Vancouver papers, the Sun and the Province, told the Globe and Mail recently the changes will allow CanWest to invest more resources in its Internet-based news operations, which could include adding positions on its websites.

"I think we're seeing a transition from a newspaper to a news-gathering organization. By moving some of this work out of here (to Hamilton), it will provide us with an opportunity to focus more energy and resources on driving local content, both online and in the paper."

JENNINGS NAMED GLOBE'S LEADER IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

2007-11-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

Former SND president Jim Jennings has been appointed head of The Globe and Mail's operations in Vancouver.

Reporting directly to publisher and CEO Phillip Crawley, Jennings will be responsible for implementing the Globe's efforts to build circulation, readership and revenue through the ongoing development of its B.C. edition.

"I consider it essential to our success for The Globe to be seen to have a stronger, more visible presence in the B.C. market, so that we can take full advantage of the province's economic growth," says Crawley. "The 2010 Winter Olympics represents an historic opportunity for The Globe to prove its value to B.C. readers and advertisers."

Jennings was head of editorial training for Thomson Regional Newspapers in the U.K.; he then became VP of Editorial Development for Thomson Newspapers in the U.S. and Canada (assisting with the launch of editorial colour at The Globe and Mail in 1998); he was editor of the Toronto Sun during a period of turbulent change; and he has been a key figure at The Globe during implementation of its redesign.

"This is a fabulous opportunity for me to take the next natural step - into the business side of our operations," says Jennings. "I'm looking forward to working with staff in B.C., as well as in the rest of Canada, of the best newspaper in North America."

Globe and Mail Wins Top Design and Layout Award

2007-11-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada Inc. presented Hank Van de Vondervoort, Automotive Editor of the Globe & Mail's Auto section with the 2007 Mitsubishi Design and Layout Award at the 24th Annual Automotive Journalism Awards.

The award was inaugurated in 2003 to recognize the talents of reporters and their teams to apply creative design and layout techniques to enhance the visual appeal of their work and capture the reader's attention.

Each print publication was judged on skill and creativity and the thought that went in to gathering the design elements, including illustration and photography. The judges, through the evaluation process, maintained an effort to equalize entries based on the various printing techniques of both newspaper and magazines.

"The Globe Auto section is a perfect example of how good typography, well layered information and nicely cropped photography can entice the reader by not only giving a good impression, but by making the information accessible," said Vancouver based Matt Warburton. "They have fun with the layouts and typography on the front page, while the rest of the section is consistently structured and laid
out."

A second place award was given to the Winnipeg Free Press for its Automotive Showcase section produced by Kelly Taylor. Suzanne Dimma, Design Director for Wish magazine praises the newspaper for its playful use of almost full-page caricatures of automotive personalities like Stirling Moss and adventuresome approach with a great mix of stories, features and reporting.

Judges for the award included Suzanne Dimma, Design Director of Wish magazine, Canadian Family magazine, Gardening Life magazine and host of HGTV's newest production, The Style Dept.; Sylvie Berkowicz, Chief Editor for Creativite Montreal; and Matt Warburton, award winning designer (nominated in 2003 as a GDC Fellow, an honour which is awarded to a designer or individual who by influence or accomplishment has made a major contribution to graphic design in Canada) and founder of Emdoubleyu Design in Vancouver.

Winnipeg Free Press bucks trend circulation up

2007-11-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

The Winnipeg Free Press saw its paid circulation grow in the six months ending Sept. 30.

The Free Press's paid circulation climbed by 4.56 per cent on Sundays, edged up 0.42 per cent on Saturdays and rose an average of 1.28 per cent on weekdays.

Traffic on the Free Press website has increased substantially in recent months. In October, there were 1.3 million unique visits and 5.6 million page views to the Free Press's online sites, compared with 1.1 million visits and 5 million page views in September and 690,000 visits and 3.5 million page views last December.

Paid circulation for most major Canadian daily newspapers was either down or relatively flat in the six months ending Sept. 30.

The Toronto Star's weekday circulation fell to 430,931 from 446,492 in the same period the year before. The Star's Saturday circulation dropped to 609,163 from 635,355.

The Globe and Mail's Saturday circulation was 406,401 (415,172 in 2006), while its weekday number was 329,099 (330,144).

The National Post's Saturday circulation was pegged at 214,022 (228,899), while its weekday average was 201,376 (209,210).

A red-hot economy didn't translate into higher readership figures for Alberta's two largest newspapers.
The Calgary Herald saw its Saturday circulation fall to 117,513 from 125,578, its Sunday readership drop to 110,737 from 116,091 and its weekday numbers drop to 115,612 from 119,689. At the Edmonton Journal, Saturday paid circulation fell to 126,551 from 133,395, Sunday circulation dropped to 118,438 from 123,993 and weekday readership fell to 119,996 from 124,774.

CIRCULATION CHANGES

Average weekday newspaper circulation for the six months ending Sept.
30, 2007:

Winnipeg Free Press up 1.28% Winnipeg
Calgary Herald down .41%
Edmonton Journal down 3.83%
Vancouver Sun down 0.13%
Ottawa Citizen down 2.53%
Hamilton Spectator up 0.41%
Globe and Mail down 0.32%
National Post down 3.74%
Toronto Star down 3.49%

Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations

Gordon Preece
Director, Region 9, Western Canada

A MODERN-DAY DAVINCI GENIUS?

2007-11-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Dutch artist Theo Jansen has been working for 16 years to create sculptures that move on their own in eerily lifelike ways. Each generation of his "Strandbeests" is subject to the forces of evolution, with successful forms moving forward into new designs. Jansen's vision and long-term commitment to his wooden menagerie is as fascinating to observe as the beasts themselves.

His newest creatures walk without assistance on the beaches of Holland, powered by wind, captured by gossamer wings that flap and pump air into old lemonade bottles that in turn power the creatures' many plastic spindly legs. The walking sculptures look alive as they move, each leg articulating in such a way that the body is steady and level. They even incorporate primitive logic gates that are used to reverse the machines direction if it senses dangerous water or loose sand where it might get stuck.

There are many more videos of his work on YouTube.

Gordon Preece
Director, Region 9, Western Canada

Blackout no big deal at the National Post

2007-10-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

As originally published on National Post's Posted news feed:

There are few things a newsroom needs more than electricity (coffee and a healthy sense of sarcasm are some of the other requisites). So we were amused when a blown transformer plunged the National Post newsroom, located in suburban Toronto, into darkness at around 3 p.m.
Here's a photo gallery of our unflappable newsroom working with the lights out.

The paper was produced on shared terminals operating off our emergency generator. There were a few lineups (including for pizza), but Wednesday's Post hit doorsteps right on schedule.

Photo: Foreground: Chris Watson, Executive Editor Financial Post -- Staff at National Post cope with a blackout after a power transformer flared up in an explosion on a Toronto Hydro powerline along Upjohn Road in the Toronto suburb of Don Mills, Ontario on Tuesday, October 23, 2007. The explosion caused a local power outage for the immediate area beginning in the mid afternoon just before 3 p.m.

NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS UNITE

2007-10-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend in Toronto, Eastern and Western Canadian news photographers united as one. For many years both groups operated separatly with their own competitons and conferences. Now, a single new national organization will create a nation-wide community of photographers that will support Canadian photojournalist's ideals, voice concerns to the industry as a whole and create a culture that will promote, educate, defend and give credibility to our principles.

The new organization offers many improved advantages to members:

News photographers from across Canada now under one roof
NPAC's "National Pictures Of The Year " contest
Revamped forums with French and English with greater control over postings
Members galleries both public and private supporting both still and multimedia
Student news, information, contests and access to mentors
News and stories can be quickly and easily post and updated to the front page

Please visit their new website, www.npac.ca

SND BOSTON UPDATE

2007-10-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Gayle Grin, National Post (VP SND) and Michael Bird, Globe and Mail chatting about absolutely nothing

The Sox were winning, the city fantastic, the people friendly and SND exciting and rejuvinating. Couldn't be much better. For me there were 4 standout highlights.

YOU CAN JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER, Chip Kid
What a great way to start the workshop off. His humourous and informative insights into the world of book jacket design left everyone entertained and informed.

REINVENTING THE GUARDIAN, Mark Porter
Mark revealed the process the Guardian has and still is going through in its print and web makeover. An honest presentation of the process, including the ups and downs and revealing his own growth process as the paper moves to more online products.

THE FUTURE IS NOW, Nick Bilton and Michael Rogers from the New York Times
Wow, a mind blowing look at the future from the NYT's R&D department.

HOW READERS READ, Sara Quin and Pegie Stark, Poynter Institute
The results of the eyetracker study from years ago, pretty much verified the past findings with some twists. If you haven't read it, you can purchase a copy of the study in Book form from Poynter, $50.

Catch them on video as well as others and pdf files of some of the presentations on the sndboston.com website.

BOSTON BITS

Meeting old friends and making new ones are a large part of the annual workshop. This year there were over 300 first timers, and about 125 of those were students.

The annual auction raised over $15,000 for the foundation.

The vegas style lounge act at the Casino night was terrfic, adding a real vegas feel to the event.

The opening reception at Felt nightclub, was a jam packed 3 floors of chatting, dancing and pool playing. Gayle Grin, VP even caught a dance with Chip Kidd.

Look out Vegas here we come.

SND BOSTON, LOST IN THE BIG DIG

2007-10-11T11:08:00.008-07:00

As the saying goes getting there is half the fun, or not.

My dear wife and I flew into Boston a week ago, rented a car and toured the Massachusetts coast from Glocester (movie location of The perfect Storm) and Rockport in the north to Cape Cod in the South having a wonderful time. But I believe it was the fateful stop in Salem on a warm sunny October afternoon where unknowingly to us, we were cursed.

It did not become apparent until we dutifully attempted to return the rental to its rightful home near Logan airport. We had directions, it seemed simple. In the past we have successfully navigated the 5 level freeways of Houston and the ups and downs of San Franciscos crazy streets, although I must admit we did have to go back and forth over the Golden Gate bridge several times before finding a way off, but nothing prepared us for what was to come.

Our destination 1a south, near the airport, some 20 minutes away. But, who would imagine that 1a south was indeed NORTH of the city and in EAST Boston. One wrong turn leaving the touristy downtown took us on a 3 hour journey through the BIG DIG, miles and miles of interlaced underground freeways, up to 55 mph, complete with on ramps, off ramps and toll booths snaking its way under the city and bay.

Never did the basic law of physics, For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, ever mean more. Every time one route was chosen we went the other way, weaving our way back and forth, on and off, in an out, coughing up more than a fair share of cash in toll booths and gas in the process.

The directions we received said explicitly, when in the tunnels do not take an airport exit. My wife pleading repeatedly saying to do the opposite. You would think after 32 years of marriage I would know better and listened, but then again I am a male. To my credit and against all natural male instincts I did stop to ask directions whenever we emerged into daylight, all were polite and kind, some had long given up the desire to learn English language, others gave directions that never matched the actual wording of the signs we whizzed by 3 rows abreast with milliseconds to make decisions.

Moments of screaming and yelling interlaced with periods of silence and tears (mine) as we rolled through the concrete tunnels like a ball in a bizarre game of pinball, back and forth under the city over the same roads, tunnels and bridges we had traveled only minutes before. At times I wished the giant rock in Raiders of the Lost Ark would roll and rumble its way towards us and end it all. At times I suspected my wife was wondering how she could kill me, still survive, and walk out to freedom.

We did indeed Wind up at the airport,several times, finally, I succumbed to my incredibly her pleadings and stopped. Now what, I asked hesitantly. With all her female wisdom and mustering up her last bit of composure she said, See that Thriftys van picking up passengers over ther, uuuhhha I replied sheepishly, Follow it!

Giving in I waited for it to move as one of the local police officers approached our stopped car, he tapped on the window, I motioned I understood that I should move, he tapped again, I rolled down the window, What you dont want to talk to me? he asked, My wife nudges me, Tell him our story my wife pleads. But Dear, he has a gun, She gave me the look, with face flushed I explained our pathetic story. Taking a few steps forward, he stopped dozens of impatient buses, vans and taxis and waved us on to follow our only beacon of hope, the Thriftys van.

And so our BIG DIG nightmare ended behind the blue van as it proceeded onto a ramp going North to go South not stopping to fill the near empty tank for fear of losing our only chance of survival.

So, with that SND BOSTON is on. The city is fantastic, Bostonians, warm, friendly and patient and a workshop that promises to be one of the best in years with over 700 in attendance. Wish you were all here.

Will keep you posted.

Now how do I get out of this room? Left or right?

The National Post and Vertical Integration!

2007-09-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

The National Post launched its new design on September 27th.
Have a peek at the Post's new look!

Editor-in-chief Douglas Kelly writes:

... we have developed a look that respects the underpinnings of the Post's design -- a unique combination of traditional and modern typography and layout -- while pushing new boundaries and giving the Post a unique, instantly recognizable look. The design changes do not stop with the front-page banners. We have also increased the size of the typeface and bumped up the space between the lines to improve readability. We have standardized the number of typefaces and moved to a cleaner font for charts, graphics and sidebars. And we have introduced recurring design elements that will break out the background to a story, provide the investment angle and detail what's coming next. Great design goes hand in hand with great content, and we have made many improvements on the latter front as well.

Here are side-by-side comparisons of the new and old section fronts.

Here's the National Post's blog entry on the relaunch. Check out Charles Apple's blog post on visualeditors.com/apple.

Norris named Globe's design leader

2007-09-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Adrian Norris has been named of Managing Editor, Design, for The Globe and Mail.

Adrian joined the Globe in 2000 as a designer in Report on Business and followed that with three years as Presentation and Production Editor in News. In 2005, he took charge of a project to redesign the Globe's websites, a task completed early in 2006.

With that new expertise under his belt, he graduated to the newly created position of Creative Director, Digital Media, and led a Globe Reimagination project team that implemented web-paper integration. He also led a second redesign of the websites that began with the launch of reportonbusiness.com and has spread to other parts of the globeandmail.com network.

Before coming to The Globe, Adrian worked for 11 years in London as a designer at The Times and its associated publications.

"In his new role, Adrian will be accountable for the look of the newspaper, the websites and our magazine products, ensuring consistent application of design principles across all platforms," Globe editor-in-chief Edward Greenspan said. "He will be working to make sure we get the most out of the redesign and continue to situate ourselves on the leading edge of newspaper, magazine and web design."

David Pratt, who has served as The Globe's editorial art director for nine years, will be stepping back from his management role to become more involved in day-to-day design matters. "Through his vision and determination, he has created a design culture in a newspaper once famous as the grey Globe," editor-in-chief Edward Greenspan said. "Nobody would call The Globe grey today."

In honour of David's contribution to the evolution of the modern Globe, its still-unchristened editorial award for visual excellence has been named the David Pratt Award. The first recipient of the award is Cinders McLeod, designer for the Globe's new Life section. She received the award during a newsroom ceremony on Tuesday.

The Canada Blog tossed a few questions to Adrian on his big day.

How has SND helped your career?

So far, it's helped in three ways. 1. Staff recruitment: I've employed one new member of staff this year as a result of posting jobs on the SND website. 2. Making contacts at other news organizations, which I've since visited. 3. Having an open forum for debate; last year's workshop particularly helped me on the topics of print-web integration and work processes related to graphics for the web.

Where does your design inspiration usually come from?

It comes from looking at what I consider industry leaders, but most importantly from the highly talented team I have around me.

Who were your mentors?

My first, most influential mentor was David Driver, Head of Design at The Times, London. I learned from watching him at work. His deputy, Ian Stupples, displayed great patience in teaching me in my first real job after college.

What are the biggest challenges visual journalism faces?

Pulling down walls. Looking for intelligent ways to share top-quality content between different platforms.

The state of online journalism

2007-09-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

The growing strength of visual online journalism will be on display at the Online News Association's annual conference in Toronto, Oct. 17-19. It comes a week after our own SND workshop in Boston, which also has a lot of strong content on the subject.

The ONA gathering will feature heavy-hitting speakers Hilary Schneider of Yahoo! and Michael Oreskes of the International Herald Tribune, an 'all-star superpanel' on the future of journalism, and workshops such as So You Want to Shoot Video? and Running a Digi-Newsroom on the Cheap.

Winners of the Online Journalism Awards will be announced at ONA's banquet at the Sheraton Centre. There are three Canadian finalists: The Globe and Mail in the General Excellence (Medium) category, cba.ca for news consumer reporting in the Service Journalism (Large) category, and the Toronto Star's Lost in Migration project for the Knight Foundation Award For Public Service.

Canadian content in SND election

2007-09-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

Canada's own Gayle Grin leads the slate of officers running for the SND's top office. Online ballots were e-mailed out to members last week, though there are two other options for voting: mailing a paper ballot postmarked no later than Mon., Sept. 24, to SND HQ, and casting a paper ballot at the Boston workshop's registration desk no later than 10 a.m. Fri., Oct. 12.

Gayle would be the third Canadian after the late Rob Austin, former Hamilton Spectator editor (1983-84) and design consultant Lucie Lacava (2001) to lead SND.

Gayle is Managing Editor of Design and Graphics at the National Post and the design consultant for the CanWest newspapers. She's been involved in SND in virtually every possible way since becoming Region 10 director in 1997.

The Canada Blog asked Gayle for her "'vision thing" on where SND is headed:

"We are moving quickly to adapt to rapid change and SND's website is again vital and our blog lively. I think the Society has plenty of spark and vitality to offer members.

"However, new challenges are everywhere. Newsrooms are in transition and many are, by necessity, in the process of reinventing themselves. SND, as a worldwide organization, has the potential to be inspirational, a resource and support for media organizations reshaping themselves to remain relevant.

"We need to accommodate the huge growth in online journalism and design. Journalism is integrating print and online and SND needs to shift gears on what we offer members. I think we need to create more visible web awards as well as offer more web and multimedia training."

UPDATE The Canada Blog asked Lucie Lacava what it was like being SND president?

"The year I was president was 2001, the year that changed the world. Preparing for the annual Workshop which was being held in Phoenix, Arizona, just weeks post 9/11, was rather unsettling. The annual event itself was fairly understated, akin to hosting one giant wake. We were celebrating our accomplishments, while contemplating an uncertain future. But what permeated the air most of all was this feeling of loss for our American cousins and for the rest of the world."

A new Metro

2007-09-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Metro Toronto trumpeted its new look on Tuesday.

"We're proud to bring you a cleaner, brighter, more contemporary Metro, while still giving you the same quick, easy-to-read newspaper you've come to love,'' an editors' note on Page 3 read.

"The front page has an updated look, providing a window to the rest of the newspaper. There's a large photo of the day and lots of information on what's inside your favourite free daily read. Once you get inside, you will find lots of info bites on every page and a fabulous new design of two of your favourite Metro staples: the Celebrity Buzz page and the horoscope feature. We've also updated our headline fonts and introduced new, vibrant colours, but have kept colour coding for all of your daily and weekly sections."

Complete PDFs of Metro for all its Canadian markets - Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver - are available here by clicking on 'Read Metro' on the left rail

Juan Antonio Giner, over on his Innovations in Newspapers blog, was quick off the mark yesterday and pulled no punches in critiquing the new look: "Could you tell me which one is new? Both look terrible."

Q+A: Richard Johnson, war illustrator

2007-08-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

The National Post's Richard Johnson sketching in Afghanistan

Charles Apple serves up a treat this morning -- an in-depth Q-A with National Post war illustrator Richard Johnson. As reported earlier, Richard is home safely from his second tour in the Middle East and Charles gets him to dish on all kinds of details of his trip, from logistics, to reactions to inspirations... and tools:

Q. What tools did you use? How did you keep your pencils sharpened?

A. I use only one type of pencil and keep a whole bunch in my pocket at all times. They are a Prismacolor pencil. I sharpen them with a Leatherman I keep on my belt. They work very well in all kinds of conditions and are fairly impervious to over-rub smudging and sweat blotting. This also means that I cannot erase anything.

I used a digital camera to photograph the sketches each evening, and emailed them back to the National Post using a small satellite phone.

Read the full interview -- and see lots of cool behind-the-scenes photos and Richard's favorite sketches from the trip -- at VisualEditors.com.

'Wannabe killers' and 'exhausted Macs'

2007-07-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

It has been around for a few years, but maybe you have not tripped over it yet. MediaScout, part of Montreal's Maisonneuve magazine's web operation, bills itself as ''Canada's definitive morning news briefing.'' It's modeled on Slate.com's Today's Papers and Guardian.co.uk's The Wrap and follows Canada's big seven national newsrooms: The Globe and Mail, National Post, La Presse, Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star, CBC TV's The National/cbc.ca and CTV News/ctv.ca.

MediaScout's mission? ''By comparing the day's top stories and analyzing the different angles taken by each organization, MediaScout can feed you the best analysis, keep you aware of biases and generally give you a bird's-eye view of the day's news cycle.''

Here's a taste of MediaScout's critiques from the last couple of days:

Thursday: Crime stats
''Since Big Seven sources don't provide much sociological analysis of these various statistics, MediaScout is left wondering, for instance, whether the decline in murder rate connotes a less violent population, or considering the rise in attempted murders, merely a less effective set of wannabe killers.''

Wednesday: Census day
''Upon yesterday's release of new Statscan census data on the age structure of Canada's population, the question was not whether or not to transform the numbers into a flock of maps and tables, but just how big those maps and tables should be. If today's papers are any indication, the country's graphic designers are sleeping late and letting their exhausted Macs cool down today, after burning the midnight oil to turn out colourful and positively enormous charts showing where our demographics are headed.''

Black verdict, tale of the tape

2007-07-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

Friday's verdict was arguably the biggest news day in Canada so far this year. And four of Canada's biggest English-language newspaper newsrooms - Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, National Post and Ottawa Citizen - pulled out all, or at least most, of the stops.

Toronto Star
Amount of A1 newshole used: 80%
Number of Black-related stories on A1: 2
A1 Headline: Bail or jail for Black
Total space (full-page equivalent): About 5 pages
Number of traditional-form stories (news, features, analysis): 5
Number of opinion columns: 1
Editorial cartoon on verdict: No
Number of alternative-form stories: 5
Number of display-size photos: 6
Number of graphics: 0
Editorial on verdict: Yes: The downfall of Conrad Black
Web effort: Live breaking news by staff reporters. Reader feedback on the site as the verdict came down to give voice to the readers.

The Globe and Mail
Amount of A1 newshole used: 100%
Number of Black-related stories on A1: 1
A1 Headline: Why he fell
Total space (full-page equivalent): About 8.5 pages
Number of traditional-form stories (news, features, analysis): 12
Number of opinion columns: 3
Editorial cartoon on verdict: Yes
Number of alternative-form stories: 5
Number of display-size photos: 11
Number of graphics: 2 - Five-column grid on charges/verdicts; 6-column Q&A with original illustrations.
Editorial: Yes: The fall of Conrad Black
Web effort: Live breaking news by staff reporters. Live breaking news by staff reporters. Audio slideshow from reporter Paul Waldie looking back at the trial; html graphic showing the verdict in all charges; video coverage. Also interactive timeline, live reaction from people who know Black. Reader 'join the conversation' closed before verdict issued due to massive volume

National Post
Amount of A1 newshole used: 100%
Number of Black-related stories on A1: 2
A1 Headline: Black guilty
Total space (full-page equivalent): About 8 pages
Number of traditional-form stories (news, features, analysis): 14
Number of opinion columns: 1
Editorial cartoon on verdict: Yes
Number of alternative-form stories: 3
Number of display-size photos: 22
Number of graphics: 1 - shallow 5-column annotated stock chart of former Hollinger International (now SVN/NYSE)
Editorial: Yes: The downfall of Conrad Black
Web effort: Live breaking news by staff reporters. Special page of coverage plus a blog called "Black Board" that covered the verdict; also a series of galleries looking at key players; best quotes;highlights; key witnesses

Ottawa Citizen
Amount of A1 newshole used: About 80%
Number of stories on A1: 2
A1 Headline: Black Friday
Total space (full page equivalent): About 6 pages
Number of traditional form stories (news, features, analysis): 11
Number of opinion columns: 0
Editorial cartoon on verdict: No
Number of alternative-form stories: 1
Number of display-size photos: 9
Number of graphics: 1 - Four-column grid on charges/verdicts with mugs
Editorial: No
Web effort: Live breaking news by staff reporters. Part of larger CanWest web service

2007-07-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Already booked in for SND's Boston workshop Oct. 11-13, but think you might need some more stimulation? The Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario (RGD Ontario) is focusing its annual conference to reflect on design and its role in society and commerce the very next week, Oct. 17-19. DesignThinkers 2007, Canada's premier graphic design conference, will be a stimulating interactive thinkfest on the ideas of exciting innovators and Canada's vibrant design community in general.

What's RGD Ontario, you might be asking? It is the self-regulatory, professional body for graphic designers in Ontario grants the right to use designations Registered Graphic Designer and R.G.D., a quality signal of standards of professional practice. The association has approximately 2800 members.

Get all the poop on the conference on the DesignThinkers website

Oh, and while you are there, why not take a stab at RGN Ontario's online design quiz! Here's a tease: Know which logo, designed by Toronto graphic artist Allan Fleming, was called 'an icon' by media theorist Marshall McLuhan? Is it A, Bank of Montreal logo, B Canadian National Logo, or C, CBC logo?

National Post Graphics Editor in Afghanistan

2007-06-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

Richard Johnson, Graphics Editor of the National Post is in Afghanistan! He is illustrating and writing stories of lives caught up in the conflict in Kandahar province. Richard is filing almost daily to his blog, Kandahar Journal, at nationalpost.com, where you will find audio clips of his experiences, illustrations, and commentary on his travels.

He has just spent several days on two patrols with Canadian soldiers from Afghanistan's Forward Operating Base Ma'Sum Ghar. One was a tense patrol searching a village for booby traps, the other collecting dead bodies after a Taliban attack. National Post devoted page A3 to Richard's coverage.

From top, counter clockwise, Corporal Jason Sypher is among the Canadians who respond to a report of an attack on an Afghan police check-point. The soldiers walk behind the tanks toward the checkpoint, where they find the bodies of Afghans inside. Their police collegues are somber. Earlier, Master Corporal Darryl McCann was on village patrol. The soldiers met a man and his children, the smallest appears sickly.

Richard has illustrated war before! When he was at the Detroit Free Press, he went to Iraq with fellow journalist, Jeff Seidel and they produced Portraits of War. Their stories were eventually published into a book.

Through the stories and sketches, he is reminding readers that individuals make up the casualty counts in the news stories they read. He is giving them faces and stories.

Last week Richard's art became main art on A1. He drew two members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Trooper Steve Davidson and Corporal Wade Wick mourning the death of their friend, Trooper Darryl Caswell, who died in an explosion a few days before.