“For the longest time, I’ve been pestering guys like (General Manager Billy King) and Brett to give me some hints about what our new logo and new colors look like,” Lopez said. “And now that I’ve seen everything, I have to say I’m a huge fan. JAY-Z has done a great job of designing what will become a large part of our identity at the Barclays Center and Brooklyn.”

Monday, at the Atlantic Avenue location of Modell’s Sporting Goods, backed by the new branding and slogan “Brooklyn Now Has a Home Team” Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark strode to the podium, surrounded by black-and-white apparel bearing the team’s new logo. “Boy, this feels good,” Yormark said. “We’ve been waiting for over seven years to get to this point.”

Nets’s center Brook Lopez followed the CEO, and became the first player to sport team apparel when he snugly fit a branded baseball cap upon his head. (See video here) After being drafted by the Nets four years ago, Lopez played an integral part in the transition from New Jersey and was excited to be able to say, “Hello, Brooklyn” for the first time.

- Source

Apparently Nets’ Merchandise is flying off the shelves. The Brooklyn Nets brand identity launched at the beginning of this month has sparked widespread success in team merchandise sales, ticket sales, and Brooklynnets.com traffic.

Since garnering extraordinary fan response to the Brooklyn Nets logos and black-and-white color scheme created by JAY-Z, Brooklyn Nets merchandise has been the top-seller of all NBA teams at NBAStore.com and at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue.

Merchandise sales through Brooklynnets.com were more than double the team’s total sales for the 2010-11 season. Additionally, Modell’s, the Nets’ official sporting goods retailer, sold more Nets merchandise during the first day of the launch than all of last season.

JAY-Z’s design for the team’s brand identity incorporates a timeless black and white color palette of the old New York subway signage system, including its clean ‘RollSign’ typeface. The treatment celebrates the history and heritage of Brooklyn by drawing upon the familiar classic signage from when the borough last had its own major professional team in 1957.

The day of the launch, April 30, was the second largest web traffic day at NBAStore.com since the start of the season (December 25), with Brooklyn Nets merchandise representing 27% of total sales for the day on NBAStore.com and the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue combined.

Catapulted by the team’ brand launch, Brooklyn Nets ticket sales have now sold out of three price points, and traffic has increased on the team’s site by 1,700% since Monday.

“The interest in our brand identity launch has dramatically exceeded our expectations,” said Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark. “JAY-Z’s logos and color scheme combined with our Brooklyn identity are proving to be a powerful draw for fans. It’s been 55 years since Brooklyn has had major professional sports and it’s clear the borough is excited for its new home team. As our merchandise and ticket sales are flourishing, we have also seen a huge spike in our digital fan engagement, with Brooklyn Nets trending nationally on Twitter on Monday. We are proud to say, ‘Hello Brooklyn’.”

- Source

Even though sales are skyrocketing in merchandise, there is a lot to be critiqued about this new brand identity endeavor. I told myself this wouldn’t become an opinion piece because I might end up writing a novel so I will let Brand Expert Larry Luk of Epidemik Coalition do it for me in an article called Larry Luk has 9 Problems With The Brooklyn Nets Brand Identity. He makes some great points including the fact that there is no actual Net, why Jay-Z is not qualified to be a designer, and that the shield icon represents nothing, just to name a few.

Other teaching experience has included distance learning for Montgomery College, Rockville, MD and for the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. She has written numerous online art courses and software study guides for Penn Foster College. In addition to teaching, Christine has a small design studio, Crow Designs, where she performs print and web design. Her clients include health care systems, pharmaceutical, government, educational institutions and small businesses mainly from the Northeast region. She recently won a Gold Addy award from the AAF for the design of an art exhibit catalog.

Recent exhibits of her printmaking, photography, and mixed media works have been at The Roberson Museum in New York; AFA Gallery in Scranton; and Slocumb Gallery, Knoxville. Christine also has an Etsy shop where she sells her prints and costume crow jewelry.

Christine earned a MFA in printmaking from the University of Maryland College Park and her Bachelors of Journalism in Advertising from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a member of AIGA, has served on the AAF Northeast PA board since 2006 and belongs to various local art organizations.

Other Gold Pencil winners in the show included iris Worldwide’s “The Snowflake and the Bubble” for Saks Fifth Avenue, a poster for Volkswagen by the DDB Mudra Group and TBWA Hunt Lascaris’ campaign for Endangered Wildlife Trust. Silver pencils went to a very tasty cookbook cover by Kolle Rebbe, a spatial campaign for Converse by Perfect Fools and an ASOS interactive experience by BBH LONDON. In total, 81 pencils were handed out to entrants from 20 different countries.

The One Club exists to “champion and promote excellence in advertising and design in all its forms” and is a non-profit supporting designers and showcasing the world’s best work. It has four awards: The One Show, One Show Design, One Show Interactive and One Show Entertainment. The club also has an Education Department which works with schools to give workshops, portfolio reviews, exhibitions and competitions to aspiring designers.

Serviceplan Gruppe was founded in 1970 and operates out of Munich as an agency group. They describe themselves as the “first and to date only completely integrated agency established in Germany” and in the past have worked for clients such as Lego, MINI, Lufthansa, Miele and Sony Ericsson. They have sites in Berlin, Bremen, Dubai, Hamburg, Liege, Munich, Paris, Vienna and Zurich and are regulars in design awards across the world.

We can group all of the basic system of beliefs regarding design into two categories: elements and principles. Elements of design are the components of design themselves, the objects to be arranged. The Principles of design are the broad aspects of the field. They symbolize the fundamental assumptions of the world that direct design, and affect the arrangement of objects within a composition. Rhythm and Balance are key in any good web design.

Rhythm

Rhythm creates a sense of movement for the user. A good website shouldn’t feel template based, it should tell a story. The fluctuation or repetition (which we talked about in the first article) of key elements on a website express rhythm.

There are 3 different types of rhythm, often defined by the sensation it evokes when viewing it:

•Regular: A regular rhythm occurs when the intervals between the elements, and often the elements themselves, are similar in size or length.

Regular

•Flowing: A flowing rhythm gives a sense of movement, and is often more organic in nature.

Flowing

•Progressive: A progressive rhythm shows a sequence of forms through a progression of steps.

Progressive

- University of North Carolina

TED Tronheim is a good example of regular rhythm, the site is essentially 2 big rectangles with identical down arrows. The eye doesn’t have to make any awkward jumps and there is no risky design here.

Navidad is a good example of Flowing Rhythm. The scene feels alive like something is going on, you can feel the movement. There are no borders as well which helps the sites to suck you into a new world. Just to expand the examples, it’s worth noting that once scrolled down the site turns into a Progressive Rhythm:

Even though this site sits in a regular rhythm, FlairBuilder is a progressive rhythm because it shows a sequence of forms through a progression of steps within the banner.

Balance

According to The University of North Carolina, Balance is the arrangement of the elements in a given piece of design as it relates to their visual influence within a composition. Balance usually comes in two forms: symmetrical and asymmetrical.

Symmetry is an age-old device of the visual artist. The word refers to two halves that perfectly mirror each other. In design, symmetry is closely tied to balance. A perfectly symmetrical design achieves balance and a sense of stability.

There is also asymmetrical design, where the two halves are balanced but do not mirror each other perfectly. The majority of websites have an asymmetrical layout.

Most often we find the logo in the top left, balanced by some navigational elements on the right. In the body, the side columns are usually balanced by either the main content or other columns. While perfect symmetry is certainly not new to the web, it is gaining momentum.

- Web Designer Depot

Questionable Characters is a perfect example of reflective symmetry, everything on the left is almost completely reflective of the right. Notice the use of symmetry and contrasting colors work together to accomplish a left vs. right type of feel.

More Soda is a good example of Asymmetry. While the layout is symmetrical, the 2 elements are very different with blocks of text on the left and imagery on the right.

Symmetry and Asymmetry can help to create or maintain a calm stable balance in your designs. Symmetry successfully translates integrity and gives a high-class professional feel. Asymmetry, on the other hand, can help to develop strong points of focus, individuality, and moral fiber to a design.

Types of Photographic Printing

There are two main methods of photographic printing today: chromogenic and inkjet.

Chromogenic prints are the most common type of photographic prints. Also called C-prints and Type-C, these are the prints you get from the supermarket photo lab. But this doesn’t necessarily mean the process itself is low-quality — high end photo-labs also make chromogenic prints.

A digital C-print is made by exposing the digital image onto photographic paper that contains colored dye layers. The exposed paper is then processed with chemicals known as RA-4 that develop and fix the final image.

Because the process uses light-sensitive photographic paper, there is a fairly limited range of paper options, generally ranging from matte and semi-gloss to glossy and metallic. Some labs can strip the processed emulsion from a C-print and adhere it to canvas. C-prints are relatively inexpensive, and with care can last for decades without fading or discoloring; however, they are not generally considered to have long-term archival qualities because of the materials and chemicals used to produce them.

The equipment used to produce C-prints is extremely expensive, bulky and costly to operate and maintain, so it’s usually only photo labs that make these prints. Common brands of C-type imaging systems are Chromira, Lumira, LightJet and Fuji Frontier.

Inkjet prints are made using ink sprayed on paper. In the fine arts these are sometimes referred to as giclée prints. Inkjet photo printers range from very small, inexpensive models to large-format professional versions. There is an enormous range of papers available for inkjet photo printing; in fact, most any paper — and other substrates such as metal, wood and fabric – can be made inkjet printable by spraying on an inkjet receptor coating first.

Many inkjet printing systems can produce prints that may last for centuries without fading or discoloring, and high quality photo printing with inkjet printers is accessible to most photographers and graphic designers. For photographers, the most well-known and trusted brands of inkjet printers are Epson and Canon. Graphic designers also often use HP inkjet printers.

When you get a photo book printed, most often it’s printed using a digital press. These devices are more like large photocopiers than the photo printers described above; they use a plastic-based liquid ink that is electromagnetically bonded to the paper. Photo book companies such as Blurb use the HP Indigo digital press to print short-run and on-demand book orders.

Color Management

As described in other articles on GraphicDesign.com, when you print a digital image, the color management system translates the digital color values in the image file to the color space of the printing device and substrate. It’s possible to print a single digital photo on any number of different printing devices and, with good color management in place, the prints “should” come out looking similar in tone and color.

However, each type of printing (and the type of paper) has inherent capabilities and limitations in the ability to reproduce different colors and the density of black. Inkjet has by far the widest color gamut, followed by chromogenic and lastly digital presses. So it’s possible that when you print the same photo on different devices there will be differences in the prints, especially if there are very saturated colors or dark shadows.

Note: the most important step in getting accurate prints is calibrating your monitor. I use and recommend the systems from X-Rite, such as the i1 Display and ColorMunki.

Using a calibrated display, soft proofing is a method for simulating on-screen what a photo will look like when it’s printed on a given printer and paper. Imaging software, such as Adobe’s Lightroom and Photoshop, can perform soft proofing.

Handling and Finishing

The way prints are coated, handled and stored makes a huge difference in how well they will stand the test of time. As soon as a print comes out of the machine it begins to degrade, and the rate at which the colors change depends on a variety of factors.

All prints can be coated or laminated, which increases their life-span. For C-type and inkjet prints, a lacquer-based spray such as Premier Art Print Shield is highly recommended — it can double the life of a print.

Prints should always be stored in dark, cool areas and away from solvents and airborne pollutants.

Back in the heyday of graphic design, around the 60s and into the early 70s, designers had a seat at the Board table, so to speak. Our talents, skills and opinions mattered and were seen as valuable to our clients. Clients, particularly larger corporations, knew they needed what we provided and that, short of launching a design or art department, they couldn’t do it. Many valued the third party objectivity an outside designer or firm brought to the table. For others, it was simply a matter of costs. Salaries, benefits and other additional overhead such as office space and equipment add up pretty quick. It’s often less expensive to outsource projects to a designer or firm rather than bear the costs of a salaried employee or two.

Then came 1984 and the advent of the Macintosh. Computers are a great tool. I don’t know how I would do what I do these days without one. But, with it came a significant lowering of the barrier to entry into the profession. Now anybody with Creative Suite, or an open source application such as Gimp or Inkscape, can be a “designer.” And they do. So, as designers, we find ourselves competing with the likes of an 11-year old who has some computer savvy, an administrative assistant and a client’s next-door neighbor’s nephew who “does some really nifty graphics.”

Beyond this is the litany of skill sets employers and client companies are seeking these days. How often have we seen ads seeking a graphic designer with an excellent knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign? That’s fair enough. It’s when they start adding to the list that things get a bit dodgy. Many add in skill sets that include, html, Dreamweaver, WordPress, PHP, ASP, SQL, motion graphics, Powerpoint and more, along with answering the phone and making coffee. I had one consulting client who was even asked to babysit a client’s kid and another who was asked to include janitorial duties in their proposal. Huh?

If they’re feeling generous, they may offer a whopping $10 US/hour. Well … that may be an exaggeration, but one that’s probably not too far away from reality.

Jaded? Me, jaded? Perhaps a bit. Somehow I must have been absent the day they covered making coffee and babysitting in art school.

For example, here’s an ad I came across seeking a Senior Graphic Designer. I withheld the company name to protect the ridiculous.

[Company] is seeking a talented Senior Graphic Designer to join our Marketing team. Ideal candidates will be dynamic creatives who enjoy working in a fast-paced environment. The Designer position will elevate the level of [Company] marketing campaigns. This role is responsible for providing the design and execution of innovative visual communication materials, including catalogues, posters, sales materials, websites, digital materials, banner ads, multi-media, animation, video, and more.

Through excellent concepts and creative skill, this position will develop innovative materials and POP that communicate our brand portfolio concisely. Candidates should strive to effectively translate branding and marketing strategies for a wide range of product brands into creative marketing campaigns in both print and digital capacities. S/He should have the ability to develop design for both B2B and B2C audiences.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
• Translate corporate positioning and individual brand positioning into campaigns that marry with strategic sales initiatives.
• Develop and create innovative concepts while keeping within project scope: ability to understand marketing brief, strategic positioning, brand demographics, data, business requirements, timelines, and budgets.
• Complete project management: strategy, communication, estimating and budgeting for individual projects.
• Conceptualize, source and manage the development of POP that reflects brand positioning.
• Understand marketing initiatives of individual projects in relationship to overall company goals
• Photography art direction and management for product and brand shoots.
• Develop production specs and schedules on creative projects; manage production to completion.
• Extensive experience in digital design development; websites, tablet design, interactive. Skilled in Flash, HTML, Dreamweaver, and other web programs. Knowledge of apps a plus
• Full knowledge of current media channels including social media and all new media
• Team with writer to develop creative concepts for campaigns
• Extensive communication of marketing objectives to internal staff, customers, and sales force.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
• Superior knowledge of current Mac technology and production techniques.
• Portfolio including: POP, promotional materials, brochures, posters, website design, e-blasts, banner ads, micro sites, interactive, tablet design, video, etc.

EDUCATION:
• BA or BFA in Design, Art or Communications required.

EXPERIENCE:
• 6-7 years experience at in-house marketing, creative department or marketing agency
• Experience in direct to consumer and B-B marketing

PERSONAL SKILLS AND TRAITS:
• Ability to brainstorm with team members
• Creativity, confidence and the ability to collaborate and succeed in a dynamic multi-faceted organization.
• Ability to coordinate multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Advanced verbal communication and organization skills.
• Must be a team player who is very detail-oriented
• Ability to present information clearly and concisely, listen and understand actively

All Candidates should submit their resume and online portfolio.

Hmmm, if I’m reading this right, they’re looking for a print designer, web designer and developer, multi-media designer, animator, videographer and project manager all rolled into one. Oh … and there’s also that “more,” bit at the end of the first paragraph. Who knows what that might involve.

I don’t know what the salary range is for this multi-faceted position, but I’m guessing it’s nowhere close to the sum of those skills as individual positions.

AIGA and Aquent team up each year to provide salary ranges for a variety of design-related positions. Using their survey’s middle-of-the-road numbers for a Senior Print Designer and Senior Web Designer, typical salaries are:

Senior Print Designer: $62,000/yr
Senior Web Designer: $72,000/yr

Those total to $134,000/yr. But, that number doesn’t even include the myriad of other responsibilities listed above. The survey lists a Web Project Manager at $68,000/yr and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a Videographer at $48,400/yr. Is anyone interested in laying odds that this company isn’t planning on hiring some Renaissance person at $150,000/yr. or more?

I also find it rather interesting that the AIGA/Aquent survey also lists a Senior Designer, with an equally split focus on print and web/interactive, at $64,000/yr. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but it sure looks like some companies are getting a heck of a bargain when they consolidate several disciplines into one position.

I can appreciate a client’s need to save money in this less than wonderful economy. However, I take issue with prospects and clients who believe that all we do is tap a key or push a button and voila! Sorry folks, it doesn’t quite happen that way. Inasmuch as some clients see hiring a graphic designer as “rent a pair of hands to materialize my vision,” designers are, or should be, problem-solvers. Professional graphic designers see it more as, “rent a brain.” The computer is not the end all device for spewing out design solutions.

Here’s a case in point. A while back a company (I won’t even call them a client) decided to save some money and have an employee put together their full-color brochure. I was brought in to handle the pre-flight and print management. My silly mistake was taking on the gig. It seemed to be an in and out project that wouldn’t take too long.

I was wrong.

They sent over a disk and I opened it to find the employee had created the piece in Publisher. Oh joy! My heart be still. Sure, there are a few ways to get a Publisher file into InDesign, but, converting this and that and jumping through several hoops wasn’t part of our agreement.

Wait. It gets better.

Upon further investigation of this design that looked like it was thrown up by some demented reject from Pantone®, the employee hadn’t created it as a CMYK doc. They used 28, count ‘em, 28, spot colors. How’s that for a printer’s nightmare? So, a call was made to the [not quite a] client person. “Um … er … yeeeaah. You know that file you sent over? Well, …” Several hours and many cups of coffee later it was fixed and press-ready. But the cost conscious [not quite a] client, who was trying to save money, ended up paying way more to fix things than they would have if they had a pro do it in the first place. C’est la vie.

Aside from clients trying to be graphic designers, there’s the whole spec issue. We all know that drill and I won’t spend too much time on it. If you’re living under a rock and don’t know about how spec is hurting both designers and clients, swing over to No!Spec.

Over the years, as professional graphic design was increasingly devalued by many client types, spec work, contests and such gained popularity. So, we find ourselves competing against hobbyists, kids and low-ball designers who don’t give a hoot about the industry.

To add insult to injury, many clients companies don’t care. They simply want something to put up on the Web, mail out or distribute at a trade show. “Good enough” seems to be the mantra. When clients don’t give a hoot about how their materials reflect their branding and positioning, what’s a designer to do? Should we become swoosh-ready, clip art toting graphic decorators, working for a buck and a quarter, rather than strategically thinking graphic designers?

There will always be those client companies who do value good design that solves their problem-at-hand. They should be commended. But, those companies are becoming more difficult to find as the industry landscape becomes more and more competitive. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics cites a growth rate of roughly 13 percent for graphic designers through 2018. They also say the competition for jobs will be “keen.” As I understand it, those statistics don’t include the self-employed or freelancers who make up a large portion of the design community.

So, to close out this rant, my belief is that we have some work to do in educating our clients and prospects about the real value of graphic design as a resource to help them reach their business goals, if we are to survive as a viable industry. The computer is no more a solution-maker than a rapidograph,t-square or X-Acto™ knife. It’s all about strategy and how a graphic designer uses their tools to bring a client’s message to life and, ultimately, influence their audience.

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The story is set in the Arab Spring, and led by a fast paced monologue of an unidentified narrator, who we only know is “over-doped, over-caffeinated, overweight — trying to make sense of this history in real time.” It is based around a London writer watching and reflecting on the events of the Arab Spring and the wider global unrest that sparked from it such as the London riots, Occupy Wall Street and the Syria uprising through reports, news and information from his computer screen, not to mention newspapers and taxi drivers too.

The story is a satirical, witty cultural commentary and critique, using spinning digressions to weave stories of a group of interconnect characters in London and Egypt, all transformed by the idea and hope of revolution. The story goes back and forth between London and Cairo. Visual Editions say “It’s a poignant and very, very clever read and we’re thinking and hoping that you’ll love it as much as we do.”

Visual Editions describe the book as “A beautifully crafted object told in Thirlwell’s uniquely acrobatic voice, this is a visually immersive storytelling experience like no other”. Visual Editions work with what they call “visual writing”, saying “There is a rich literary heritage for this kind of writing and this very much forms the basis for what we’re setting out to do.” Kapow! invites readers to open and unfold pages, to follow text “leaking in and out of paragraphs” whilst inevitably becoming part of the story and feeling lost within the pace of the narrator’s whirlwind digressions.

“The way we think about visual writing is this: writing that uses visual elements as an integral part of the writing itself. Visual elements can come in all shapes and guises: they could be crossed out words, or photographs, or die-cuts, or blank pages, or better yet something we haven’t seen. The main thing is that the visuals aren’t gimmicky, decorative or extraneous, they are key to the story they are telling. And without them, that story would be something altogether different.”

London writer Adam Thirlwell has penned two novels, Politics and The Escape, and a book on the international art of the novel. He is also guest editor of an issue of McSweeney’s magazine which is set to come out in Winter 2012. The book was designed by London-based Studio Frith.

Cultural website It’s Nice That said of the book: “Kapow! by Adam Thirlwell is a thing of confidence – both in terms of design (by the ever-good Studio Frith) and writing. Moving you literally about the page, the words take a reader between Cairo and London, from the top of the page, down and diagonally across, it’s as dynamic an object as the story it’s depicting. A writer, reflecting on the events of the Arab Spring and the global unrest it spawned, uses a digressive and real-time written tactics to reflect the perspective of all the news, all-at-once while maintaining a “Bollywood style” love story. In a format that could only ever be realized in print, Visual Editions and their boundary pushing authors are keeping warm a spot close to all book-lovers hearts.”

Published May 2012
ISBN 978-0-9565692-3-3
Paperback

Relevance is what sells this logo but the fact that it’s type candy to look at makes it that much better. It’s nice to see Shutterstock keep evolving over the years and it’s exciting to see a brand keep topping itself.

The new Shutterstock logo presented in different colors, including the previous generation icon’s green.

The one constant in our history is evolution and reinvention. We like to keep what makes us great and improve upon what doesn’t. Over the last year, we have been challenging ourselves with the tough, thought-provoking questions that a good branding exercise is all about. Who are we? What do we value? And what do we really want to communicate? In the end, we wanted a visual identity that reflects those beliefs.

- Press Release

The application is cooling using the red viewfinder overlaying photography. The only thing that may have helped users understand the identity would have been to present imagery of people motioning their hands in a photo frame, although it could be argued that is too safe. The pictures used are stunning, eye catching, colorful and I think that Loppincott did a great job on making these two entities marry well together.

From the Lippincott case study:

Unleashing Creativity

In a world that is highly connected, digital, and hyper-communicative, there is a growing need for images and visuals to further aid our self-expression. Imagery colors our daily speech—we often speak of opening our mind’s eye, using metaphors to shed light on new meanings and weave contrasting concepts together. Shutterstock, as a leading stock image agency, empowers individuals to unleash their creativity through its constantly evolving collection of high-quality assets as well as its unique, intuitive tools and services.

Challenges

Experiencing accelerated growth and recent additions to the leadership team, Shutterstock wanted to evolve its brand and identity system to better appeal to its design-centric customers and contributors. A repositioning of the Shutterstock brand could also be reflected in its visual identity, starting with a logo that:

-Aligns with and signals the launch of the new positioning platform
-Differentiates Shutterstock from its competitors, who largely look and feel the same
-Focuses on positioning the brand around an emotional and functional payoff, rather than solely
a functional payoff

Check out the stunning video below highlighting the new logo:

As much as I miss newsprint ink on my fingers, I admit I haven’t read a physical newspaper as religiously as I used to, but when I do pick up the New York Times from the local newsstand for a quick glance on the subway, I find myself looking down to check my hands. As my journalism professor, Dr. Terry Clark, used to say, “I love the smell of newsprint in the morning.”

Looking around, gone are the days when reading the news meant picking up the half-soaked newspaper from the front porch to catch the 72-point, all too important, headline. Nowadays, all it takes is a couple of clicks on your computer or Smartphone, and voila! However, as the evidence shows, while we may prefer the convenience of our digital devices, most Millennials ARE reading and turning that page. And that is a refreshing thought.

Most newspapers now offer both print and online versions of their editions. However, how is this transition affecting the daily process and workings of a publication? According to Jack Shafer, former Slate editor and now Reuters columnist, the big draw to online editions is the savings of almost $600 in subscription costs. However, does it parallel in retention power? This is where we delve into how graphic design news works its way into a reader’s subconscious.

According to a study presented at the meeting for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the facts presented in the paper, Medium Matters: Newsreaders’ Recall and Engagement With Online and Print Newspapers by Arthur D. Santana, Randall Livingstone, and Yoon Cho of the University of Oregon, print readers remember more stories than online readers. Researchers have cited that the online design, which includes pop up ads and surveys, and additional clicks to get to the next page, may affect the reading experience.

So, does this design shift in conveying news alter the way print newspapers present their news? The Northumberland Gazette relaunched its paper from broadsheet to compact, further supporting the fact that improvements are made to both mediums to reduce the gap in functionality and readability.

The bottom line is there is no way to customize the vast flexibility of the web to the traditional periodical, even for the reader’s convenience. But in content, the Inverted Pyramid is still employed—as Dr. Clark compares it to a date, lead with the exciting and flirty look across the room, then the “getting to know the facts,” and finally the “goodnight kiss” to wrap it up. Newspapers also have to adapt to fundamental design principles that can be used in both mediums: white space, grid-based design, among others. The results may be quite similar but they function differently. White space in a newspaper is an ally. It clears the clutter, creates a more two-dimensional affect and focuses on the main element. Websites can mimic this design but with less effect. Ads and surveys usually frame the content, proving to be distracting and could easily lose the readers’ interest.

The news grid on a newspaper allows its readers to follow the text based on its significance; headlines, font size and format are all integrated into presenting the value of each story. Readers tend to scan the top left then down and finally the bottom corner. Websites, however, are limited to web-based fonts only and the grid-base columns restricts the spatial and placement of design elements on a page.

While interactive and digital newspapers are booming in popularity, most newspapers are adapting the digital flip-book version, which is converting the print PDF to a Flash-based online edition. Newspapers can distribute these to their subscribers via email and include links to advertisers and websites. Content will be more controlled and harder to plagiarize.

The other extreme is to ditch the print version, cutting cost in every way possible, and convert solely to an online publication. It is reader-friendly and cost-effective, but also very prone to content theft.

Of course, the hybrid approach would be the best solution, offering the readers the best of both worlds. The trick is to integrate the design across both mediums to show a cohesive format. Typography, image quality and sizing are all factors that change in this transition. Web-based fonts are limiting, and hi-res CMYK images are compressed to 72-dpi RGB.

I was editor-in-chief of my alma mater’s newspaper, The Vista, where I fondly remember late nights, getting the issue to bed, saving the files to a bulky SyQuest and running it to the Print Shop to make the deadline.

Almost 12 years later, the University of Central Oklahoma newspaper has gone from one-color to full four-color, compact to broadsheet and online. Presented in both print and flip-book, The Vista is part of the campus’ UCO360 media network, and offers readers to access content-based archives at their fingertips. Also present is the convenience of social networking where readers can follow updates via Twitter and Facebook.

With all this said, the joy of the reading experience is the satisfaction of knowing you’re receiving and reading the news at your pleasure. The New York Times began imposing monthly fees on its online readers for unlimited access to its stories. More newspaper may follow suit, like the Los Angeles Times. For die-hard readers like me, this may revert us back to the good ol’ days of print on my fingers.

DIY kids build portfolios of these things they make in the real world. Along the way kids learn new skills, use technology constructively, and begin a lifelong adventure of curiosity, and it causes them to spend time offline, too. If you notice them doing something creative in the real world, remind them to share it on DIY, too!”

Zach Klein is the founder and co-designer of Vimeo. He edits a blog called Cabin Porn, and invests in start up businesses through The Founder Collective.

The concept behind DIY is to replace work being hung on the fridge or on walls at home and to embrace the fact that the Internet is an integral part of life at home and at school for children. DIY offers kids the chance to showcase their work with pride, and to share with parent, grandparents and friends.

Work can be uploaded via computer or smart phone app, with a dedicated parental control panel for mum and dad to add stickers to show support whilst monitoring the safety of their little ones online.

““Adults are driven by a variety of motivations – careers and influence – but distilled it’s just acceptance that we all seek. Kids’ needs reflect this. They instinctively create – isn’t that wild! – and they just want you to hang their work on the fridge and tell them ‘good job’ and they’re charged to do it again. Now the web is becoming a part of their life at home and school – and there’s a new opportunity to connect you to their creations and cheer them on,” says Klein (via Tech Cocktail).

“Education is malaised. We want to bounce our ideas off of a fresh generation. Plus, admire some traits that come more easily to kids than adults. They’re not as easily crippled by criticism. They’re instinctively scientists and explorers. They’re quick to build using anything at their disposal. They transform their amazement of the world into games. They’re often drawn to learning that’s indistinguishable from play (think about bug collecting!). And, most important, they embrace technology effortlessly.”

Tina Roth Eisemburg, AKA Swiss Miss said on her blog “As a mother of two, and creativity being a huge part of my work life, I couldn’t be more excited.”