 Full index of past "Listen With Reason" columns   | ||||||
Browse the full index of
recent Listen With Reason columns Why a column like this? Because too many web sites seem devoid of personality. Because the world of newspaper design can always use a little more dialogue. And because, hey, it's my web site. So I thought, why not create the first regular online column about newspaper design, on the first web site devoted to newspaper design? Why "Listen With Reason?" Because "Listen to ..." sounded a little too preachy. Back to home page: www.ronreason.com (more tips on newspaper design, graphics and editing). |
[Note: This column
was simultaneously published in the Fall 2001 issue of SND's Design
Magazine. It was written before the events of Sept. 11.]Welcome to journalism, 2001: Newspapers, magazines
and web sites are slashing budgets. Scaling back coverage of some areas. Killing
sections. Laying off or freezing hires (in some shops, design and
copy desk ranks seem particularly slammed). Why would anyone
consider a career in this field, at this time? This was the question
I posed recently on this web site, seeking input from college students
and others. The following correspondence I received should reassure
even the most hardened cynics among us.
"I read your question about why young people would ever
want to work in visual journalism these days. I love my job. Because
it's not a typical job, because I work on something new almost every
day, and because I believe that if I'm good at what I do, I won't
have to worry about losing my job in the future. (Did you see the
movie "Artificial Intelligence?" What did the dad read at the
breakfast table? A newspaper. Not a futuristic, electronic,
hand-held version of a newspaper, but an honest-to-God,
fold-the-pages-as-you-go newspaper.)
"What draws me specifically to design and editing? It's an outlet
for me to express my creativity and appreciation for art, even
though I'm really not a skilled painter, illustrator or sculptor.
It's also a field that not many young people are interested in (no
bylines... no glory...). I got to start out at a large metro daily,
while most of my extremely talented writer friends struggled to find
jobs anywhere, not because they're not good, but because the
market's flooded with reporters.
"I do get frustrated with my job sometimes (doesn't everybody?), but
overall, I think visual journalism is pretty fun." From Francie Krantz, designer, The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News:
"I graduated from Mizzou six months ago and am now (thankfully)
employed as a newspaper designer. I've known I wanted to work in
newspapers since I was 11, even though it's been a short time since
I found my niche in design. Despite all the flashiness of the web,
broadcast and other media, I think the newspaper business is the
true womb of journalism. If you think of it, it's where journalism
was born. And despite the threats from its other siblings joining
the fray - radio, TV, internet, even Palm Pilots - it endures. It is
the granddaddy. And even today, it seems all of the other media are
still dependent on that age-old print establishment, the
Associated Press.
"As a designer, I think newspapers are the only place where my
talent can truly shine. The web is all a bunch of 0s and 1s and
complexity. There is nothing like the open blank page, even if it is
a bit narrower now. Sure, it's here today and gone the next, but a
career in newspapers is contagious, and once you taste the thrill of
a deadline and the rush of seeing your work in print, you're
infected for life.
"Yeah, my explanation may not make a whole lot of sense to some - I
have been here staring at a screen and designing for eight hours.
But then again, how much sense do you encounter every day in
journalism? We're all a bunch of nuts anyway."From Andrew Reese, copy desk intern, The Wall Street Journal (senior, Auburn University):
"All the college students I've met are entering the newspaper
business because they really can't think of any other job that's
quite as rewarding. This is a labor of love - not about getting
rich, maybe not even about job security. It's about being able to
get up in the morning (or, in the case of copy editors and
designers, at about noon) and looking forward to going to work,
looking forward to a day that's never quite the same - a day during
which you'll provide something of tangible good to readers.
"Maybe, if you're lucky, you'll play a role in righting wrongs and
stopping the bad guy. I know that's rare. But every day on a
newspaper, whether you're writing, designing, taking photos or
editing, you're contributing something to your readers. And the
privilege of doing that - or, heck, just watching it happen - is
something the MBAs of the world don't have the opportunity to do.
Sure, they've got money, but they don't get to be part of the
magic."Suddenly it's all coming back to me - the same reasons I
went into this crazy field nearly 20 years ago. I guess we can all finish
our web break now, and get back to being part of the magic!Footnote from Oct. 22: Was thrilled to meet a handful
of the 11 or so enthusiastic design students from Ball State
University this past weekend, while attending the annual SND
conference in Phoenix. Glad to see enthusiasm among our younger
ranks, glad to see them taking the time and effort to attend the
conference! |
Don't forget to peruse today's front pages from around the globe, in Live Newspaper Pages Online, updated regularly! | ||||
|
Bio/Contact | About Redesigns | Skills Training & Leadership Consulting | Tips, Articles, Resources | Calendar | Home Web posted: Oct. 22, 2001. design@ronreason.com
| ||||||