A fun and smart surprise for magazine “cover junkies” has arrived in my mailbox from across the seas: Jaap Biemans’ one-off magazine celebrating the most notable magazine cover designs of 2011. Be warned: despite the cleverly edited title, it IS “an addiction to creative magazine covers that you wanna lick.” Lush, inviting, and expertly crafted, [...]
Warning to coverjunkies:
Watch out for paper cuts!
Posted by Ron Reason on January 25, 2012
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2012/01/25/warning-to-coverjunkies-watch-out-for-paper-cuts/
Cincinnati Enquirer: photojournalism gets a more personal voice
One of the real joys of my newsroom visits is being able to see in print or online, sometimes immediately, the end result of our conversations about change in culture, creativity, the development of personal “voice,” and other topics that go beyond “design.” Two real-life examples followed my recent three-day visit to the Cincinnati Enquirer, to [...]
Posted by Ron Reason on December 13, 2011
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2011/12/13/cincinnati-enquirer-photojournalism-gets-a-more-personal-voice/
In Cincinnati, strategic prep
for the new ‘super compact’ format
The current Enquirer page size, left, compared with approximate dimensions of the ‘super compact’ canvas, right. The design is expected to change substantially. [CINCINNATI, Ohio] I’ve just returned from an invigorating three days helping to advise the staff of The Cincinnati Enquirer on the paper’s conversion (around October 2012) to a smaller format called “three around/ [...]
Posted by Ron Reason on December 6, 2011
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2011/12/06/in-cincinnati-strategic-prep-for-the-new-super-compact-format/
Goodbye to a lover (mostly)
of local newspapers
[Mom and dad read the daily papers. Photo circa 1980s.] La Porte County (Indiana) newspapers may have lost their most faithful reader with the passing of my mom, Carolyn Reason, on Thanksgiving Day. Sadly, crosswords will now go unsolved. Typos will go undiscovered. Comics, columns and coupons will go unclipped; the tomfoolery of local officials [...]
Posted by Ron Reason on November 29, 2011
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2011/11/29/goodbye-to-a-lover-mostly-of-newspapers/
Updated, expanded:
Magazine design, redesign resources
Seeking inspiration for magazine design and editing? Check out this updated and expanded collection of magazine covers, prototypes, and inside pages (not sexy, but oh so important), with links to associated case studies and blog posts. And check out more than 2 dozen blog entries related to magazine and tabloid design and editing.
Posted by Ron Reason on November 18, 2011
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2011/11/18/updated-magazine-design-resources/
Photojournalism survival tips from Tribune pro Alex Garcia
Considering a career in photojournalism, already entrenched in one but want to get better (or make fewer gaffes along the way), or just want an inside look at some do’s and don’ts from a pro? Check out the following blog entries from Chicago Tribune standout Alex Garcia: Photo tips you should know before you’re ready to [...]
Posted by Ron Reason on November 16, 2011
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2011/11/16/photojournalism-survival-tips-from-tribune-pro-alex-garcia/
Magazine redesign and cover design: Some basics
Whenever I work on magazine redesigns, or newspaper redesigns (or sections) that might lend themselves to exploring a more magazine-like direction, I wallow in the joys and challenges of designing covers. Here are four areas where I tend to concentrate my work, that may provide lessons for editors and designers struggling to create magazine covers [...]
Posted by Ron Reason on October 16, 2011
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2011/10/16/magazine-redesign-and-cover-design-some-basics/
6 things the news industry can learn from the Chicago Reader (print edition)
[ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 40TH BIRTHDAY] Last year I wrote an admiring post here on Seattle alt weekly The Stranger, praising the paper (as well as its integrated, smart and funny marketing and digital efforts), and pondering: This is a paper I’d really seek out if I lived in Seattle. What is it about [...]
Posted by Ron Reason on October 13, 2011
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2011/10/13/6-things-to-learn-from-the-chicago-reader-print-edition/
A business newspaper redesigns
‘from a position of strength’
[The first live edition of the redesigned newspaper. From the logo to the body text, all type was reconsidered. For the first issue, a more magazine-like centerpiece was planned to grab attention. See additional design variations in prototypes below, and compare the new look to the old look from recent issues.] [LITTLE ROCK] Arkansas Business, [...]
Posted by Ron Reason on July 28, 2011
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2011/07/28/a-newspaper-redesign-from-a-position-of-strength/
Tampa Bay Times name change:
getting the message out
Lots of emotional discussion last week, at least by alumni of the St. Petersburg Times staff and some readers, about the decision to change the name of the paper Jan. 1, 2012, to Tampa Bay Times. As Times Publishing Co. Chairman and CEO Paul Tash explained thoroughly in a letter to readers, the change is being [...]
http://ronreason.com/designwithreason/2011/11/07/tampa-bay-times-name-change-getting-the-message-out/