The latest commentary about newspapers and media from a design perspective
What if CraigsList and YouTube had a baby? That's RealPeopleRealStuff. It leverages all the features of Web 2.0 including media-rich content, adds the social networking and commerce of CraigsList, then it goes a step further than YouTube by incorporating a proven revenue model - making it the world's first Web 3.0 site.
Ever wonder why newspapers never tell advertisers how often their unique visitors actually visit? Because the national average is two times per month, if you calculate using the numbers published by NAA. That's right - two times per month. Where did I get data for this calculation? From Nielsen/Netratings - "The global standard for Internet audience measurement and analysis." While I believe that…
The much-awaited EyeTrack07 is here. For an industry much in need of help, it's much ado about nothing. Let's begin with Poynter's number one finding: "People in our study selected what they wanted to read, of course, and then - they read a lot! We were amazed by these numbers." The key word in this sentence is "selected." I don't believe EyeTrack07 provides any data that speaks to how or why test…
Warren Buffett: For newspapers that have pinned their revenue hopes on their Web sites, the economic potential of a newspaper Internet site...is at best a small fraction of that existing in the past for a print newspaper facing no competition.
Last week NYT Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. admitted that he really didn't know whether he'd be printing the Times in five years. Based on recent events, he is wise to admit what he doesn't know and to "Never say never." Before you say "never" about newspapers, consider this: Two years ago, Tony Ridder never thought he'd sell the company that bears his name.
See today's best-designed front pages and learn why each is a BFD, as well as the pages that fell a bit short, and why.
See the best-designed front pages each day and learn why each is a BFD, as well as the pages that fell a bit short, and why.
What is the judging criteria? Who were the judges?
The Virginian Pilot's Robert Suhay was the designer of January's Best BFD. He will receive $1,000 from Quark and software from Quark valued at more than $1,000.
Quark is the proud sponsor of Brass Tacks Design's "Best Front Design." Each month, Quark will award $1,000 in cash and more than $1,000 worth of Quark software to the designer of the best front page for that month.
Newspapers are all about numbers: buyouts, layoffs, staff reductions, newshole cuts and declining stock valuations. It's these all-important numbers that drove Editor Cate Brett of the Sunday Star-Times in Auckland, New Zealand to consider a redesign. She "didn't give a toss" for a color palette that was in harmony with the community or typography that evoked a bygone era or even story-telling…
See the best-designed front pages each day and learn why each is a BFD, as well as the pages that fell a bit short, and why.
See the best-designed front pages each day and learn why each is a BFD, as well as the pages that fell a bit short, and why.
See the best-designed front pages each day and learn why each is a BFD, as well as the pages that fell a bit short, and why.
Hartford has an elegant, formal design which is perfect for momentous occasions. This design makes for great posters, but does it engage readers and attract single-copy sales?
See the best-designed front pages each day and learn why each is a BFD, as well as the pages that fell a bit short, and why.
Admit it: You don't give a damn about classified ads. But you're in for some changes. Because not long from now, those ugly little ads are going to vanish, and with them will go 35 cents of every dollar in ad revenue your newspaper makes. And with the cash will go the news hole. And with the news hole will go pages to design, and money to pay designers like you. And then, sport, you'll be turning…
TV books have nothing to do with journalism and everything to do with the biggest hurdle newspapers face: fear of change. Connect these dots and you'll find my logic undeniable.
Much has been made of the staff cutbacks and newshole reductions Len Downie announced. But there's some good news for those of us who think that design is important: Downie announced that stories would get shorter and that there would be an even greater emphasis on visuals.
Newspaper Next bills itself as a blueprint for transformation and that's exactly what it is. But you'll never read it because it's 96 pages. So I've reduced it to 10 bullet points, because you need to know this:
A redesign may be the best tactic for shoring up margins while we struggle with circulation. If we're talking about redesigning for results, and that's the only reason to redesign, then Bakersfield and Waterbury are smashing successes because both saw significant increases in revenue as a result of their redesigns.
The Internet has changed everything. If newspapers want to play, and win, then we need to follow the new rules: Get real about the Internet, Tie journalists' pay to circulation, Ignore your loyal readers, Stop running news stories, Feed the cash cow, Drop the price, Solve the online revenue riddle, Promote as if success depends upon it, Join hands and sing Kumbaya
Everyone is doing everything they can to sell more newspapers, but virtually no one is succeeding. Why? Because almost every effort is too narrowly focused. What the industry needs is an enterprise-wide solution, beginning with a focus on the goal of selling more newspapers. Here are the ten steps:
KR's experience in Phila. and San Jose suggests two new strategies for boosting readership and revenue
The new NYTimes.com is better but it's not enough. Khoi Vinh, design director at NYTimes.com, calls it awesome. Even more awesome is the urgent need for effective design and advertising models. Newspapers aren't changing their sites enough or fast enough.
SND's contents should boost readership, not egos. A thousand awards a year. Gimme a break.
No one doubts the value of innovation, yet newspapers regularly co-opt each other's formats rather than develop unique solutions for their unique markets. In constrast, when something new and different comes along, it's often a winner (see sidebar). But most redesigns follow the latest industry trends rather than offering something original.
If you already have a hobby but still want to work for a newspaper, then you should ignore the glittering generalities of design experts and their impractical prescriptions for saving the business.