This is part of a series of essays focused on "Why It Matters." Poynter faculty members have written these essays with new journalists in mind, but we think their advice will inspire journalists of all ages and levels of experience.
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The Design Desk |
Poynter Design Editor Anne Conneen writes a column that showcases design ideas and examples. It is a good way to 'get inside the head' of your visual colleagues. Here are some places to start:
Choices
Why do designers treat themselves as second-class citizens?
Sharpening Our Vision
A designer's reading list.
More Design Desk...
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Dear young journalist:
The central act of journalism is reporting, the gathering and rendering of important information. But don't stifle your journalistic imagination. If you think of reporting as only a writer's act, you're missing the big play. A graphic artist who researches a diagram of how a new vaccine works is a reporter. A photographer who captures images from a war zone is a reporter. The designer is a reporter.
That last declaration may surprise some myopic journalists who think of designers as decorators, the artistic fringe of the news operation. But consider this definition: Design is the form of journalism that renders each element of news in its most interesting and accessible form, and combines them in the most coherent way. Design frames editorial decisions about what is more important on the page, and in the world.
If you are a writer, begin with your self-interest: if your story is well-designed, it will look more important and more people will read it. You would be a fool to ignore or belittle that power.
Here are some things you can do during your first year on the job that will help you learn and grow as a journalist:
- Take an interest in all the associated news crafts. Ask questions about the crafts of copy-editing, photojournalism, illustration, graphics, design, and new media. You need not be an expert, but it's your duty to be curious and engaged.
- Meet designers and visual journalists, face to face. Bring in some cookies. Learn their names.
- Ask your editor and visual journalists how you can help them while you are reporting.
- Learn what you need to see and bring back from a news scene that can be converted into powerful visual and design elements.
- Remember that good work takes time, not just for you. Learn to organize your time and meet your deadlines in a way that gives others time to do their jobs.
- Encourage early planning conversations that include visual journalists.
You are beginning your journalism career at the front edge of a media revolution, in which news is communicated across media platforms. If you work hard at your cross-disciplinary education, supporting the marriage of words and visuals, you will be preparing yourself for a future of collaboration, innovation, and creativity. And you can do this without sacrificing the enduring values of your craft and profession.
Keep learning about design in the newsroom:
