SND Orlando Blog

POSTSCRIPT: Handouts and photos

2006-09-06T14:27:00.000-04:00

The SND International Web Desk has been quietly adding more than a dozen handouts from the workshop. Check out the rail on the right for material from Charles Apple, Tim Frank, Martin Gee, David Kordalski, Harris Siegel and more.

Meanwhile, the Desk has been sifting though their iPhoto library and adding more photos to the Flickr set. Enjoy.

The Merc's Stephanie Grace Lim before her presentation

San Francisco's Nan Bisher with one of the funniest slides I saw all weekend.

Red Eye's DesignHawg.

Indy's Ryan Hildebrandt

Carrie Hoover on the verge of victory.

Indy's Scott Goldman and the Trib's Steve Cavendish with the President's Award.

Martin Gee, Ashley Dinges and Carrie Hoover: Merc staffers present, past and future.

PHOTO: intern voting irregularities

2006-09-05T16:21:00.000-04:00

we were in florida y'know...

just kidding. bonita burton holds unused voting chips left on the tables after friday's lunch. i thought they were for decoration and shot one a la tiddly winks into the dessert.

PHOTOS: randoms

2006-09-05T16:20:00.000-04:00

merc cmyk swag

tiffany pease = bad ass

thinking inside the translator box

mistakes new hotel employees make

strategic beer reserves

PROGRAM: Balancing tradition and technology

2006-09-05T12:53:00.000-04:00

Two representatives from The National Geographic Society, Juan Velasco and Kris Viesselman, presented "Balancing tradition and Technology", a lecture on the last afternoon of the Conference.

Juan Velasco

Juan Velasco joined the society as Graphics Director of NGM (the magazine) after years of experience at El Mundo (Spain), The New York Times, and as a media consultant. He explained how his former roles had influenced the new path that is taking the organization, specifically in the Art & Graphics department.

"This is a very exiting moment", he argues. National Geographic is hiring numerous people from newspapers, and this shift on the people's profile that they want to work with, is changing how they see the use of graphics: much information oriented.

Of course, the pace on the magazine is different from a newspaper, and this might be frustrating for people that come from daily papers. Professionals at the magazine can spend from seven months to a year (or even more) on a story. This does not mean that they are only focused on one piece; they are working for different stories in parallel.

Is common to see this kind of decoration on their offices:

He explained that he has two records: the most graphics a day and the less graphics a day; the first one at El Mundo and the second at the NGM.

The process

Juan also explained how the internal organization is defined and how is the usual workflow of a story. Their process is organic, not as linear as newspapers. There is a big staff working with each story: they have pre-researchers, researchers, and post-researchers. Everything is organized to get the best and most accurate information.

Do they travel a lot? Yes, they do. Photographers might travel to five or six countries for just one story. Even, they have people that only travel to write... captions! This is a magazine with a high focus on photography, and they spend what is needed for accomplish a high level on their visuals.

They usually work for 3 to 4 major stories, 3 to 5 minor pieces, 1 to 2 supplements a year. However, this process is changing and it will be compressed.

Every story involves a lot of sketching, numerous reviews and revisions. The process is slow since every sketch is sent to expert consultants that review the accuracy of the drawing. For example, in Juan very first graphic on the magazine, the consultants spend two weeks reviewing this tiny truck:

This is the added value of the National Geographic Magazine: accuracy and credibility based on a enormous background information work.

Most of their illustrators have great knowledge, many are experts on palanteology. Sometime they build their own models, capture them on their 3D scanner, and work from there to create elaborate reconstructions.

Technology

A decade ago, they started to use computer graphics software for the magazine. In 1993, was Illustrator; then Strata, Lightwave and finally Maya. The preference for the latter as their 3D design environment was because they needed to use the same software used by the broadcast and online departments, making it easier to integrate and share assets. Since 3D graphics are expensive, integration across platforms is a must. If they are not going to use it across different outlets, they usually draw by hand.

One of the current goals of the magazine is to attract new readers, and these potential buyers are used to see engaging high quality illustrations. For example, for a piece on sea monsters, they selected a company that did work for Hollywood movies to create these impressive graphics:

The magazine is very interested in science topics. However, science visualization is a hard asset to convert into something understandable for the average magazine reader. To accomplish this challenge, they use the same expert software that scientific uses and they tweak them until they get the perfect graphic: they correct the presentation, color spectrum, and simplify the information displayed. You can only do this if you work with the source data.

About Juan

Some if his ideas:
- Simplify the product.
- Get a much cleaner and lighter direction.
- Integrate texts into steps.
- Improve the flow of information (today is too confusing).
- Trying to have more consistency, better standards in size, fonts, etc.

For example, graphics in the magazine were used as photos; with captions on the side, instead of integrating them.

His goal: Improve infographics and visual storytelling.

Kris Viesselman

Kris Viesselman joined the society as the Design Director of National Geographic Maps. The produce maps and graphics for many divisions in the society.

Traditionally, the Maps division has the task of creating and updating the enormous map database they had created. For example, the Atlas of the World is updated every four years, since this is the fastest the process can go. As you can see, updates are not trivial:

One of the internal debates: How to be specific, but not overwhelming.

They also create pieces for external organizations. This map was made for the World Bank:

They have just upgraded the Map Machine on their website. Now, they have more thematic maps, and a way to find information much faster from Internet search engines. One of the challenges was the fact that they have different levels of information for different parts of the world.

In terms of technology, this division has been working on different products that can make graphic creation for other media companies much easier. One is Mapstudio.com (formerly Mapshop), a new version of a software solution developed in partnership woth ESRI. It is a tool to create your own maps, with different data layers, styles, etc.

POSTSCRIPT: Almost ready for our close-up

2006-09-05T01:06:00.000-04:00

Much like Hartford Courant staffers Kristin Lenz and Nicole Dudka, above, the SND International Web Desk has been putting on the finishing touches. We're working on a set-to-music slideshow and we believe it will be ready tomorrow. We think it will be fabulous ... but we know Kristin and Nicole are already fabulous, so we're nervous that our show will pale in comparison. Note to post-production: More screen time for these two!

PROGRAM: First-rate graphics

2006-09-04T23:58:00.000-04:00

UPDATED: The handout is in hand. Click the link to the right or here.
---------
Students continue to blog ... and we continue to post. Handout on its way, too!

William Neff and Stephen J. Beard from the Cleveland Plain Dealer hosted a hilarious session about how to improve as a news artist. Using stills from "Planet of the Apes," they offered insight and motivation for the weary graphics department.

Think you need all the software and hardware that the industry has to offer? Think again. All you need to do is crack open a book. Take advantage of Illustrator's 3-D rendering and get a kick in the butt with some of Photoshops handy dandy tools to give your graphics the edge it needs.

Notes from the session ...

Improve yourself as a news artist:
* exposure to outside artists
* use good news judgment
* move your department up the newsroom food chain (by not jumping around like a monkey whenever an issue comes up and someone needs a graphic with little notice.)
- Build a friendship with other members (reporters) in the newsroom to get what you want

Make the most of yourself
- maximize the tools you already have on hand, (ahem - Photoshop and Illustrator)
- keep your mind and eyes open to inspiration outside of newspapers
- manage your time ruthlessly, time is the commodity

To find outside sources of information
- infographics are everywhere ... manuals for kids toys, electronics ... these simple diagrams are effective and can be wonderful sources of inspiration
- absorb them
- study clarity and try to apply them
*********** SIMPLE LINE DRAWINGS ARE OKAY!!!!!!!********************
- simplicity and precision are key and manuals work great

Geat nice and cozy with your existing software
- keep current with free upgrades
- develop intelligent arguments for why you need that, to argue before approaching the editor
- If there's something you don't know ... CRACK OPEN A BOOK

"Time is the school in which we learn, time is the fire in which we burn."
- DeLmore Schwarz

Make the most of your time
- Manage time
- Keep an eye on the calendar
- budget time for daily and advance work, in addition to self-training
- maintain a to-do list
And for peep's sake, use I-Cal

Two basic goals:
- move your department up the newsroom food chain: Create graphic request forms
- Use daily motivation, build conversations and bridges

By Erin

POSTSCRIPT: Thanks again, Orlando!

2006-09-04T08:11:00.000-04:00

The SND International Web Desk spent Sunday recovering in Orlando, hanging out and soaking in the final sights and sounds ... And we would be remiss if we did not once again thank our hosts at the Orlando Sentinel for a great time.

Bonita Burton put on quite a nice shindig at her home for folks who were staying for the long weekend. The Web Desk wondered how, when all we could muster was the energy to make it the lobby, that Bo could find it in her heart to have folks over. We did decamp by evening to her palatial home for a final burst of Florida fun. We stand in awe.

Finally, one last shout-out to the folks pictured above -- Kynton Chan, Melissa Angle and Cassie Armstrong -- for being just about the best darn group you could ask to hang with.

Cassie's kids were seen being entertained by Bill Gaspard at Bo's house and Cassie herself was seen smiling, standing and being practically perfect.

Kynton and Melissa came back for the swan song at the Marriott lobby bar. You know, for that one last call ... We ended up talking deep into this morning, and even played a little music trivia. Mostly, though, we were happy for an evening with our new pals just to ourselves, away from the din of activity they had been swirling in. We promise to now get some rest and hope they can, too.

So to say it again: They're good people and that volunteer spirit they have is an honest trait. No doubt about it. Thanks, gang, you made our experience here all that it was. Now, really, take a day off!

PROGRAM: Multimedia Stories: How to get started and where to go next

2006-09-04T02:09:00.000-04:00

Session: Multimedia Stories

Date: Sat. 9/2/06
Time: 2:45 p.m.
Speaker: Alberto Cairo,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Download the handout

PART 1 - HOW TO GET STARTED

1. Specialize and train your staff

Even if you're short-staffed, if you want to produce multimedia pieces, you will need specialists.
"Integration" doesn't mean you don't need specialists – people doing multimedia need to be doing it full time.

2. Get the print people involved

Print reporters can do audio, print photographers will be happy to have photos on the web.

3. Understand the medium

Animation, Interactivity, Multimedia

Online and print infographics are different.

In print you control SPACE -- limited amount of room to manage
In online, you control SPACE and TIME
Can have secondary levels of info (i.e. rollovers)

WORKFLOW
Traditional workflow:

Waiting for the print version of the graphic to be done.
Mistakes: delays delivery of online infograph A LOT and it makes the online graphic follow the same workflow.

Streamlined workflow:

Allows creation of the print and online graphic simultaneously - same workflow for both versions of the multimedia.
BUT online and print desks must be on the same page.

How you can create both simultaneously:
1. Gather the information - send reporter to interview someone at the museum.
2. Print and online info people can start to plan, and gather more information.
-Create drafts and storyboard using the SAME information.

For breaking news:
Example: 3.11.04 Madrid train attacks
1. A small graphic, nothing interactive, but just gets info out there.
2. Add layers to it. (about 5 hours after the attack)
3. Transform that small, static piece into an interactive piece.
4. By the end of the day, the graphic includes all the assets we wanted before – several layers, etc.
5. AN ONGOING PROCESS -- you will be working all day. Not something that can be done at 10 pm once print is done.

PART 2 -- WHERE TO GO NEXT

Do better what you know you can do better
Invest in what you can do best

Interactivity

Navigation, and let reader play with your presentation in some way.
Adapt to his or her needs

Local news can also be played up with multimedia content, and interactivity with the media is key for readers.

Poughkeepsie Journal lets users design your own front page (link).

Gives users ability to drag stories onto page and type a headline.
Lets users transform and adapt to their own needs.
Not extremely well designed, but it's engaging.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel feature on the Jewish community

Brings back the story of Ukrianian jews back to local angle.
Includes video, audio commentary from reporter, interactive maps, different kinds of media.
Connect global and local stories

Lastly, he showed his students' Robinson Crusoe project (www.rcrusoe.org), which spanned one semester at UNC.
Key points:

Separate design and content

Load content dynamically

Works if one or two people are going to work in the presentation
Make several separate files because:

Many people could work on it
Have each person edit their own file – text, audio can be edited by reporter so they don’t have to use Flash.
If you use XML, it will automatically update the content in Flash

Change any parameters
Load pictures dynamically
Cairo: “I learned to use XML tutorials that I found online. XML is much better because it allows you to store any kind of data.” He suggested www.tutorialoutpost.com for online tutorials.

Where to get some training:
SND Flash Quick Courses
SND-E Malofiej Infographics Workshop
El Mundo Online Infographics Workshop
UNC Multimedia Bootcamp

VIDEO:
This 2-minute video shows one example Cairo used for web multimedia.

WHO WAS THERE?
At each session I've gone to, I've asked the person sitting next to me to tell me what they like about SND Orlando so far, and what they're looking forward to.

Adrian Norris, The Globe and Mail
Favorite session: Nytimes.com print and web integration by Neil Chase
"I’ve learned most of the different techniques for … print and web integration. Tips that help me be better at my job."

RANDOM: After the conferences... to the pool

2006-09-04T01:10:00.000-04:00

Finally we were able to go to refresh ourselves...

PROGRAM: Shifting the paradigm: The need for infodesigners

2006-09-03T23:31:00.000-04:00

In a rich, intense and full of examples conference, Javier Errea, director of the Malofiej awards, presented his view on what should be the future of newspapers after all what he had learned in this 15 years of the Spanish based competition.

A brilliant journalist, as he was introduced by Jim Grimwade, defines himself not as a designer, but as a reporter and an editor that designs news stories. This perspective has helped him to see infographics beyond its esthetics, and to be able to see in them as a platform for powerful narratives. Here I present some of his ideas.

Newspapers got in love with graphics years ago, even before the use of computers. The first news graphic was published in 1702 in "The Daily Courant", when obviously nobody used Illustrator or InDesign. Today, not using computers is still an excellent choice.

Editors love this "toy", but they don't know much about graphics. They want them big and prettier than their competitors without knowing exactly what they are asking for. Today, paper is more expensive, and is harder to publish as many as used to be.

Sadly, media designers are treated as lower rank professionals: they feel less important and abandoned. Underneath this, there is an enormous fear.

After these fifteen years, big media art departments have grown and today they are consolidated. However, in smaller media companies the situation is quite different: only one or two professionals have the responsibility to create all the graphics, illustrations and even layout!

After fifteen years, we still have the same problems:

First: Size matters. Seems that we haven't learned anything. Is common to see newspapers that don't know how to fill the graphic pages, what leads to a mediocre product. For example, publish a full-page map of Pamplona is not enough.

Second: Too much text. Graphics have the sin of having excessive text. The usual solution is just to erase and erase. A better alternative is being able to exploit the language of the graphics beyond what we do now.

Third: Chaos. Is common to see graphics that are chaotic and where is hard to find a clear reading path. A good solution is the one that John Grimwade introduced sometime ago: the red line that helps readers to guide thru the graphics.

Fourth: Lack of design formats. Usually solved following the motto "less is more".

Fifth: Filling up the holes. Is common to see pages that have a very low information density. Solution: We should save our limited resources and focus in the graphics we really want to create.

Sixth: Rigor is not enough. We tend to believe that creating prettier graphics is better than making them better quality. We make mistakes, and we throw away all the hard work.

Seventh: Software independence. We limit ourselves to much based on the software constrains. Sometimes is better to turn off the computer and explore different resources. For example, Clarin's Jaime Cerda used markers in front of photographs.

Eight: We don't add value to the news story. We create graphics that simply repeat what is in the text without having any new elements that will add novel information. This ruins our credibility, and makes it much difficult to convince that our work is worth to be published. We must not depend on assignments. We need to have an active role, get out to the streets to report, and to be autonomous.

Ninth: Many things inside. Is dangerous trying to fit everything in one graphic. Is better to focus on one idea and separate the information in several capsules. We have been telling ourselves that we must follow the work from New York Times, Clarín (Argentina) and El Correo (Spain). These newspapers have won numerous awards in the past. The New York Times creates graphics with tremendous documentation and graphic simplification.

We should not reinvent the wheel. Is wise to go back to the classics for clues. See the ideas behind the work of Time magazine in the forties or Fortune at the beginning of the last century. They do that themselves. They copy themselves, and copying is good.

Many art departments have been able to get control of some newspaper pages, but this has been more a power and control issue. Because we tend to feel inferior, we think that by controlling a few pages, we will feel better. These pages are useless if we use them just to fill them up every day.

Visual packages

Everything we have critique over the years, now turns to be something that could give us some clues to have our readers back. New generations prefer graphics that use a multiplicity of languages. This is true for adults and kids. For example, this Spanish magazine for kids is chaotic, completely fragmented, and is against all the rules we have protected. These are visual packages, and they look like more like travel guides rather than news graphics.

Research has shown that readers spend a higher amount of time on newspapers graphics than news stories. There are newspapers, like the San Luis Obispo, that are taking this new path to have their readers back.

Seems like a contradiction, but a contradiction that works. Doesn't matter if those are graphics or not. It matters if it works for our readers. They seem to be half way between comics and infographics.

To infodesigned newspapers

For Javier Errea, in the future, newspapers should present each news topic in the most appropriate way, what the story asks for. There should not be a fixed genre or just one possible language to use. Everything should depend on the story. Boundaries will disappear, even for frontpages.

We should apply new languages. Some newspapers are experimenting with these kinds of elements on their frontpages, but we should go beyond. Sadly, there is too much resistance from newspapers to move on. Why not have in newspapers the flexibility we have with magazines?

We are approaching a hybrid genre. The Davos forum explained as a comic? A page full of paint brushes to celebrate Spanish painter Tapies on his anniversary. A photography collage to represent the growing of AIDS? Why not?

Javier Errea thinks that we should stop doing the so-called Art Direction. Graphics and design is the same. Visuals and text is the same. We don't need designers, graphic artist or writers. There will not be frontiers. We Hill have hybrid genres and people: infodesigners.

In the redesign of Portugal's Expresso, a new graphics format was created: Panels, a blend of different elements. These are prototypes of the new design that will be launched next Saturday.

Readers seem to be much comfortable with chaotic designs. They like this blending and is what they are demanding. Here is our opportunity.

PROGRAM: Cambiando el paradigma: Se necesitan Infodiseñadores

2006-09-03T23:12:00.000-04:00

En una presentación intensa, detallada y llena de ejemplos, Javier Errea, director de los premios Malofiej, expuso lo que para él deberá ser el camino de los diarios para el futuro a partir de lo aprendido en estos 15 años de la competencia basada en España.

Brillante periodista, como fue introducido por John Grimwade, se autodefine no cómo un infografista, si no como un reportero y editor que diseña noticias. Esa perspectiva le ha ayudado a ver el tema de los infográficos más allá de su estética, logrando ver una capacidad narrativa muy poderosa. Aquí hay algunas de sus ideas.

Los periódicos se enamoraron de los gráficos hace años, incluso antes de que usaran los computadores. Los primeros gráficos aparecieron en 1702 en “The Daily Courant”, cuando obviamente no existía ni Illustrator ni InDesign. Incluso en estos años no usar computadores es una excelente opción.

Los editores se enamoraron de este “juguete”, pero ellos no saben nada de gráficos. Quieren que sean más grandes y bonitos que la competencia, pero sin saber lo que están pidiendo. Ahora el papel es más caro y cuesta publicar tantos gráficos como antes.

Tristemente en los medios, los infografistas y diseñadores son tratados como profesionales de segunda categoría: se sienten poco importantes y abandonados. Debajo de esto hay mucho miedo.

Luego de estos quince años, los departamentos gráficos de los grandes medios ya están consolidados. Sin embargo, en los medios más pequeños el panorama es más desolador: equipos de una o dos personas que hacen los gráficos, ilustraciones e incluso compaginan!

En estos quince años siguen existiendo los mismos problemas que en el principio:

Primero: El tamaño sí importa. Pareciera que en este tiempo no hemos aprendido nada. Muchas veces los diarios no saben con qué llenar las páginas que han sido designadas para gráficos, resultando en productos pobres. Por ejemplo, poner un mapa de Pamplona a página completa no es suficiente.

Segundo: Demasiado texto. Los gráficos pecan de tener mucho texto. La solución habitual es simplemente borrar y borrar. Pero una mejor alternativa es lograr explotar mejor el lenguaje de los gráficos.

Tercero: El Caos. Muchas veces los gráficos son caóticos y no se sabe por dónde empezar. Una buena solución es la que introdujo John Grimawade: la línea roja que ayuda a los lectores a guiarse a través del gráfico.

Cuarto: Faltan formatos de diseño. Generalmente se soluciona siguiendo la práctica de “menos es más”.

Quinto: Rellenando los espacios. Muchas veces se tienen páginas que tienen un bajísima densidad informativa. Solución: Debemos ahorrar recursos y enfocarnos en el o los gráficos que sí nos interesa.

Sexto: El rigor no es suficiente. Se cree que hacer los gráficos más bonitos es preferible a hacerlos mejor. Cometemos fallas como esta y echamos por la borda todo el trabajo.

Séptimo: Independencia del software: Nos limitamos mucho por el software. Es mejor apagar el ordenador (computador) y buscar otros recursos. Por ejemplo: usar rotulador sobre una fotografía.

Octavo: No agregamos valor a la noticia. Muchas veces hacemos gráficos que simplemente repiten lo que dice el texto o que no aportan información más allá. Esto arruina la credibilidad de nuestro trabajo. Por eso, no debemos depender de lo que nos asignen, debemos tomar un rol más activo, salir a la calle y ser autónomos al momento de crear.

Noveno: Muchas cosas influyen. Es un riesgo intentar meter todo en un solo gráfico. Es mejor enfocarse en una sola idea y segmentar la información en píldoras. Se nos dice que seamos el New York Times (Estados Unidos), Clarín (Argentina) o El Correo (España). Estos medios ganan continuamente premios en la competencia. El New York Times hace un trabajo increíble de documentación y simplificación gráfica.

No hay que reinventar la rueda. Debemos volver a los clásicos y buscar pistas. Ver el espíritu detrás de la revista Time en los cuarenta o la revista Fortune a principios de siglo. Ellos mismos revisan lo que han hecho décadas antes y las adaptan a las nuevas ediciones. Copiar es bueno.

La conquista de los departamentos de arte por tener páginas a su disposición ha sido más un tema de poder. Como nos sentimos inferiores, creemos que dominando una página como si fuéramos un editor nos hace sentirnos mejor. Las páginas no sirven si están sólo para rellenar.

Álbumes Visuales

Aquello que hemos criticado tanto durante estos años, resulta que nos da pistas de cómo recuperar a los lectores. Las nuevas generaciones están prefiriendo el uso de muchos gráficos con una multiplicidad de lenguajes. Y esto es válido para adultos como para niños. Estas revistas españolas para niños son caóticas, totalmente fragmentadas y contravienen todas las reglas que hemos protegido por años. Son álbumes visuales, parecen guías de viajes más que gráficos de diarios.

Estudios demuestran que los lectores permanecen más tiempo en los gráficos de los diarios. Existen medios, como el periódico de San Luis Obispo, que están tomando este nuevo camino para captar lectores.

Parece una contradicción, pero una contradicción que resulta. No importa si son o no son gráficos si conseguimos que la gente se detenga. Parecen estar a medio camino entre los cómics y la infografía.

Hacia diarios info-diseñados

Para Javier Errea, el periódico del futuro debe presentar cada tema de la forma más apropiada, como el tema lo pida. No existirá un genero o lenguaje fijo, todo dependerá de cada historia. No existirán fronteras definidas, incluso para las portadas.

Hay que buscar lenguajes distintos a los habituales. Hay medios que hoy juegan con las portadas, pero se puede ir más allá. Tristemente existe mucha resistencia en los medios. Por qué no aplicar lo que hacen las revistas.

Nos estamos acercando a un género hibrido. ¿El foro de Davos contado en un cómic? ¿Una página llena de brochazos de pintura en honor a un aniversario del pintor Tapies? ¿Una serie de fotografías de personas para graficar el contagio del SIDA? ¿Por qué no?

Por todo esto, Javier Errea propone dejar de hablar de dirección de arte. Gráficos y diseño es lo mismo. Visuales y texto es lo mismo. No necesitamos diseñadores, gráficos o escritores. No deben existir fronteras. Se necesiatan persnas y géneros híbridos.

Un ejemplo de aplicación: En una asesoría al diario Expresso de Portugal, crearon un nuevo formato, un condensado de diferentes cosas: les llamaron paneles.

La gente se siente cómoda con diseños caóticos. Les gusta las mezclas y eso es lo que están demandando. Ahí está nuestra oportunidad.

NEWS: Web address for Boston now up!

2006-09-03T17:23:00.000-04:00

UPDATED: SND-Boston, hosts of the annual SND conference Oct. 11 - 13, 2007, have now unveiled their website (www.sndboston.com) for next year's workshop. The site has links to hotel and conference registration, information on visiting Boston, and a broad list of possible session topics -- presented smartly as a graphic. Lots of exciting details are still being nailed down, but early indications point to a change in the overall structure of the conference program as well as an aggressive push toward non-traditional speakers. A special effort is being made to add a robust online and multimedia component to the sessions. The SND Orlando International Web Desk confirms that site chair Dan Zedek and his colleagues from the Boston Globe are excited about mixing up the program with new ideas, so get those thoughts in soon!

BUZZ: Thousands and millions of pixels

2006-09-03T17:14:00.000-04:00

What's that? Can't get enough of the SND International Web Desk's coverage of SND Orlando? Craving still more photos? Be sure to check out Gaspard's stream here.

CONFERENCE SITES: Returning to Argentina

2006-09-03T15:10:00.000-04:00

Remember back in 2002 when we were all planning to road trip to Buenos Aires together before we got diverted to Savannah? (Thanks again for an impressive effort Stephen Komives and Dan Suwyn!). Well, it's official, we're headed back to Argentina for the 2009 SND conference. The SND International Web Desk has dug through the archives for this little gem -- the teaser video for the '02 event. It's an SND Instant Classic. Enjoy!

Click here to see the video.

NEWS: Web Desk still hard at work

2006-09-03T14:50:00.000-04:00

We're still in Orlando, and looks like we're the biggest geeks in the Marriott lobby. Actually, we're working our way through an avalanche of images from the last few days so we can put together a cool slideshow (with appropriate music) for you, our beloved Web Desk audience. Stay tuned for that. (And thanks to Steph for the image of the collective nerds.)

NEWS: Sights and sounds 4

2006-09-03T10:50:00.000-04:00

* Bald heads: There were a lot more of them than I would normally see in any random group of people of this size. Makes you wonder: Is it the stress of being a designer?

* Funny/embarrassing comments: Friday night I found myself in the company of designers from ... well, I'll leave out the who and the where from. But there were nine of us, and we were sharing an artichoke dip. So many people, it was bound to get violent. And it did. At one point, someone's chip broke -- we will only identify this person as being male -- and someone -- we will only identify this person as a female -- grabbed a spoon to help spoon some dip over the offending chip. In a loud voice, she told him, "Pull out! Pull out! You've got tons!" Those of us who weren't paying attention to the chip but heard the loud comment stopped dead in our chit-chat, then just started cracking up. You can imagine the comments that followed through the rest of the meal. Oh, and don't worry, neither party was looking for a job.

-- Beth Androuais

BUZZ: It's a wrap ...

2006-09-03T08:20:00.000-04:00

The SND International Web Desk had a great time covering the miracle that it is the annual workshop, and it may be likely that we post a few more things (like those handouts we promised and some of the ethics videos and the pictures from the events), but we wanted to give you some news before we go ...

* The turnabout-is-fair-play moment: Seeing Carrie Hoover of Michigan State hand a pound of whoop-ass to hotshot boys Billy Kulpa of Northern Illinois and William Couch of Michigan in the final night "Quiz Bowl" portion of The Intern. Carrie was victorious in the Tim Harrower extravaganza that sealed her fate as the No. 1 pick, and we can attest this girl knows her Scotch Rules! Carrie picked San Jose (was there ever a doubt?), Billy (No. 2) picked Orlando, and William will be sweating it out in Arizona next summer.

* The everybody's-a-winner moment: Sitting next to the final 10 Intern candidates at dinner and seeing how they had bonded during the week. The Web Desk, not known for moments of whimsy, actually teared up ...

* The It's-About-Time moment: Seeing the force that is C. Marshall Matlock of Syracuse University get a much-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award for his work organizing the annual competition for, oh well, forever. Matlock seemed genuinely moved and SND Prez Christine McNeal sure gave one of the most-stirring speeches we have ever seen at a final gala. The Web Desk has to cut this short before it tears up again ...

* The She's-All-Grown-Up moment: Seeing Stephanie Grace Lim pack a crowd into a room with wild theatrics and even wilder talent, sophistication and, ahem, grace. The Web Desk is proud to be anywhere near this little mogul ...

* The-Believe-It-or-Don't moment:Seeing USA Today's Richard Curtis huddled with students doing some darn thoughtful portfolio reviews every day he was on site. He proved that to be a legend you have to prepare the next generation ... Kudos, sir!

* Most-chilling moment: When Brendan Stephens of the Boston Globe, hosts of next year's workshop, forced the Web Desk into the hotel pool at 3 a.m. Humidity? What humidity? We think the Marriott is actually chilling the waters. Brrrr ...

And, finally, the It Goes Without Saying But We Will Say It Anyway Award: Not only has the Orlando Sentinel built a staff of ridiculous talent and skill, but they are nice people, too. The Web Desk never asked for a single thing to not find a Sentinel staffer there at the ready, and site chair Cassie Armstrong embodied what we would all like to be at our most-stressful moments, which is to say calm, composed and assured. The Web Desk believes Cassie deserves all applause for the stunning success that was SND Orlando '06!

We're sure there's more ... and we will get to that. But, for now, peace out and safe travels. We'll see you in the soup.

-30-

RANDOM: The miracle of people

2006-09-03T03:10:00.000-04:00

Some of you may recall a recent post about Jonathon's lost camera and various tacked-on philosophical points about the Internet.

Turns out, the camera was picked up by one Kenney Marlatt and taken to the room of one Tim Ball (pictured). It was people that solved the problem of the missing camera, though, I think, the Internet could possibly have helped.

PHOTOS: Final sessions

2006-09-02T18:52:00.000-04:00

Man, even Harris Siegel can't get a seat at Stephanie Grace Lim's session, "How to Be An Idea Machine."

PROGRAM: Rockin out, small-paper style

2006-09-02T17:34:00.000-04:00

The Vitals
What: Selling Big Ideas in a Smaller Newsroom
Who: Javier Torres, Mike Donlan and Ricardo Rolon, Fort Myers News-Press
When: 1:30 Saturday
Why: Because you work at a small newspaper (or a big newspaper with a small staff) ...duh.
Blogger: Meredith Bowen, Syracuse Univ

It's interesting to see what 'small' means to people. A quick pre-talk survey revealed an audience from papers with circulations from under 10,000 to just over 100,000. But in an era where papers are cutting pack on newsrooms at a really horrifying rate (especially when you're still a student...) maybe we all need to start thinking about how to survive at lightly staffed paper.

This was definitely one of the most useful talks of the week ... it doesn't get much smaller than a college paper (for ex., The Daily Orange has a 6-man graphics staff ... unfortunately, these 6 are also the news, features and sports design and occaisionally illustration staffs).

Here's a breakdown of the session . . .

A) The most horrifying advice that makes way to much sense to ignore: Prioritize your goals so you can devote one person to one project for as long as it takes to make the project good (gulp).

B) The best advice to keep yourself from being disappointed in the results: Think and push for bigger projects/space/resources than you know you'll get ... what you end up with will be just enough and will be well-execute, and then there's always still room to grow.

C) The best advice to make A moderately less scarey: Listen to the staff and let them choose and develop projects from the ground up, even if it means letting someone polish their skills while doing it. Feeling like you own a project and have a real stake in it makes people really want to push themselves (as opposed to just being the guy/gal assigned to someone else's brainchild)

D) The best advice to prevent people from freaking out mid-project: Plan in advance, and set standards for consistency before moving on to huge projects.

E) Easiest advice to follow: Think like a kid -- be creative, kooky and imaginative, and don't give up once you hear the first 'no.'

F) Best mantra: "Break news will never let you know when it's coming, so don't go crazy, go basic." ~ Javier Torres

PROGRAM: Bienvenido píxel!

2006-09-02T17:33:00.000-04:00

Neil Chase, del NYTimes.com, comentó y explicó el rediseño de su publicación online. Si usted está trabajando el algún rediseño para su centro de noticias en internet, deberá tener en cuenta algunos detalles:

Debes conocer a tu público.

Legibilidad, aspecto, limpieza, navegabilidad y diseño amigable son detalles que no debes dejar pasar.

Debe respetar la grilla de diseño.

Maneje más de una posible estructura (template) para su portada, esto le permitirá adaptarse a cualquier breaking news.

Si rediseña, mejore el aspecto interactivo de su sitio.

Un nuevo diseño se mantiene y mejora en equipo.

Si los periodistas de por sí son competitivos, por qué no aprovechar esto para, con sus sugerencias, mejorar el sitio web?

Una vez realizado el cambio, explíquelo (puede hacerlo mediante un FAQ o un Preguntas Frecuentes).

No deje que Google o cualquier otro buscador responda las preguntas que usted debe responder.

y lo más importante:

El trabajo en una publicación online no es diario es permanente.

PROGRAM: Story forms that rock

2006-09-02T17:25:00.000-04:00

Session: Alternative Story Forms that Rock

Date: Sat. 9/2/06
Time: 1:29 p.m.

Speaker: Chris Courtney, Design Director of RedEye

"If they can find it in another publication,
they'll either go to that, the Internet, watch it on TV -
whatever's most convenient for them."

"If you have the same voice as everyone else,
they're going to go look for a different voice."

The PDF of the whole session should be online shortly, on Chris's yet-to-be-launched site Designhawg.com. For now, I'll try to sum this up as best I can, and just give you some highlights and snippets.

Summary of the session:
What are alt story forms?

Device or format capable of delivering information to readers in a manner that enhances the ability to consume the content while delivering it in a quicker manner.

A typical breakout box is an age-old alt, but still an effective way to show specific info. Impact is generally limited to a support role.

But a breakout story takes the place of up to 3 stories at a time. It's still small information that stands out, but it allows for several different views, positions or angles to a larger story.

Always fit the format to the content, not the other way around. Being able to define what type of alt story form is appropriate for use is key to being able to explain ideas to peers.

Chris did some great Magic 8-Ball where he answered common questions about the role of alternative story forms:

>>Are alts here to replace the traditional story form?
NO: For alts to work, they need to have the traditional story forms acting as a standard for the publications. Without a base, a page full of alts very quickly can turn in to an unnavigable, cluttered mess.

>>Are readers asking for new ways to consume information
YES: Readers are saying they want more unexpected surprises from publications, they’re wanting their pubs to be more informative yet take less time to do the job. They want complex topics presented in a way that is easier to consume and understand. These are all votes for alts.

>>Can writers, designers, and editors that have never attempted alts have success?
YES: Key to success is picking a story or topic that would benefit from being told in a different manner. The same thought process that goes into a well crafted story, page or section works when creating alts. S tart with good content and then decide if an alt will help the reader connect with it.

Chris used video interviews with John Telford (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), Chuck Todd (Contra Costa Times), Charles Apple (The Virginian Pilot) and Chris Malcom (RedEye) to highlight some of these points.

How to use alts:
Be unique

If everyone is covering the same topic, find a fresh approach that readers won’t be able to find anywhere else. Rather than running a recap of how practice went for NCAA teams during the off days, RedEye opted to surprise readers with a different spin on the overall tournament.

Be Personal

Open letters - give reader a snippet of what you’d say.

Talk to the reader – readers feel like we report back to them what’s being told to us and not what we actually believe is true.

Example: Run a press release, highlight parts of it and then interpret what it REALLY means.

Let the reader talk.

Does it work?
To highlight this point, Chris showed a 10-minute time-lapse video of the RedEye news racks on the street. Nearly every single person picked up the RedEye instead of another paper.

I grabbed a video of it (poor quality), but you can still see what's going on.

WHO WAS THERE?
At each session I've gone to, I've asked the person sitting next to me to tell me what they like about SND Orlando so far, and what they're looking forward to.

Martin Gee, San Jose Mercury News

Favorite session so far: "Photoshop: Use its Powers For Good, Not Evil" by Jeff Neumann of The Denver Post.
"It was my favorite, but I walked away feeling like a loser."

Most excited for: Participating in Stephanie Grace Lim's presentation.

PROGRAM: Michael Whitley navigates; we listen

2006-09-02T17:18:00.000-04:00

Name of spaker: Michael Whitley/ Los Angeles Times
Name of session: The worst case scenario: guide to surviving a political newsroom.
Date and time: Saturday, sept.1 From 4pm to 5pm.
Name and school: Carolina Castilla, Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile

Sobrevivir en una "political newsroom" no es facil, para eso Michael Whitley dio claves cruciales para poder trabajar en este ambiente de trabajo tan competitivo.
Hablar de este tema no es algo que se hace comunmente, pero deberiamos hacerlo y tenemos que, paramejorar asi nuestro trabajo y nuestro producto periodistico.
Trabajar con otras personas no es facil, por eso hay que aprender a manejar las situaciones y lograr lo que queremos.
El control del poder, quien lo tiene? como hacer para tener control sobre eso? En una "political newsroom" tenemos que complementarnos con otras personas, con otros departamentos y competir por un espacio en la publicacion del diario. De ahi que es importante el manejo dentro del "newsroom", porque hay mucha competitividad para lograr las cosas... de ahi la palabra clave: control.

A traves de mucha teoria Michael Whitley mostro lo que ocurreen realidad en nuestro trabajo con las autoridades pero tambien con nuestros propios solegas, que pasan a llevarte solo para ser reconocidos. De esto no se habla mucho, la gente prefiere callar.
Que se hace? Reconocer que eres parte del problema por lo tanto tambien de la solucion. En el fondo, la cultura politica del diario no es solo lo que te impide crear algo o ir mas alla, algo de culpa hay tambien en nosotros.
Por esto tenemos que aprender a llevarnos bien con nuestro equipo, tratar con los demas como seres humanos y no como rivales politicos.

"Be ruthless. Be friendly. Be professionl. But be ruthless", Michael Whitley

PROGRAM: Leadership by Design

2006-09-02T15:43:00.000-04:00

"If I see it, I want it ... Show, don't tell" Sara Quinn, The Poynter Institute

Characteristics:
Listener, inspiration, calm under pressure, intelligence, integrity, coverage, honesty, passion, communication, humor

It's like being in the middle — to steal a phrase — of an Oprah Winfery show. You're a part of the production. Start thinking ... are you a manager, or are you a leader? Do you do it everyday, or do you wait for just the breaking news to happen to take charge? Sara Quinn from The Poynter Institute discusses the fundamental keys of leadership ... using skills and thinking outside the box to convey the story.

Here are notes from the lecture:
Start having conversations in the newsrooom ... when something big happens, but also during the daily grind.
Someone must have a goal! When you have a goal, everyone is going in the same direction.
Create a flowchart for people to be trained
- Talk to other places who already have, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel
- Put context into "what is the businees

Manage and develop "me" leadership skills, develop a big picture
What is important to you to be the "best"

* Scenarios 1 & 2
Do you use traditional formats or multimedia formats?
- Identify hidden talents
- Show don't tell
- Is it "news in motion"
Ask the right questions: What/When/Where/Who and Why
Get advertising on board
Start with easy stuff and get more allies
It's all about persistence
Challenge people
Predict why people would dislike your ideas and have answers for them

PROGRAM: Making something out of nothing

2006-09-02T15:02:00.000-04:00

Well, I got up just in time to toast a raisin bagel and grab some coffee before heading to one of the first four sessions today. I chose Visual Shortcuts. Napo (his Dad used to call him Napoleon) Monasterio works at the Birmingham News, and his presentation was engaging and informative. He took us through his thought process on a few of his pages and gave us some steps to follow...

1. Create the concept (you, your brain and plenty of scrap paper)
• CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT. You need it to create good pages. If you don't have it, take it up with your editors. Don't settle for bad content or bad art. Do something about it...

• What to aim for: accuracy, simplicity, the right tone
Don't illustrate just to pretty up the page. Make it tell the story in a visual way. Make sure you tell it as simply as possible. And, of course, tell it in a tone appropriate to the story.

• The first steps: read the story, brainstorm, put it on paper
Ok, of course, reading the story is easier if you actually have the story ahead of time. But at the very least you need to have a good idea of what the story is about. From that, make notes, write down key words, brainstorm. Find what direction to go with your visuals. Then, make a scetch to show to those around you that can't conceptualize. It'll be easier to sell the story that way.

2. EXECUTE THE CONCEPT
• The first steps: the concept, the gathering, the fun begins
Make sure you've done #1. It will be easier to execute a concept if you actually have one. Then, gather your stuff and go!

• Tools of the trade
The scanner:
Good because you don't need a photographer, and you can illustrate from your desk.
Bad because you can't scan huge objects, and they may look flat.

The studio
Good because you can get any kind of art you want, any way you want it.
Bad because it can be a bit more time-intensive than you're able to afford.

Stock Art
The options are endless, and how you use it is up to you.
But... Don't overuse it. Readers don't want to see the same basketball in the paper every day.

File Art
Good because it can be more specific to a topic.
Be careful to use it to illustrate stories accurately.

Illustrations
The possibilities are only limited by the talent.
However, it can be time-intensive to illustate some things (but then again, drawing on a napkin only takes a minute).

Type- the ultimate make-something-out-of-nothing tool
It's an effective way to put your content into motion, but it can be easily overdone, and you always want to have good content to begin with. Putting bad content in 120 point type doesn't make it good.

3. SELL THE CONCEPT (have a plan and be willing to compromise)
• Explain to editors how you're telling the story visually, not just making the page pretty. Expect them to have a little more trouble conceptualizing at first. Be patient. Warm them up slowly to these "crazy" ideas. And make a sketch! Then, hold your ground (but be willing to compromise).