Design
Journey as a designer
I have only been designing for about 1 year. Prior to newspaper, I had no experience with InDesign or page layouts. So, when I joined staff, creating pages was the biggest challenge - I spent hours on InDesign constructing basic story packages and on Pinterest seeking new inspiration. Designing on staff was usually independent, so I had to rely on my resources such as Youtube videos and the Indesign website. Despite being largely self-taught, I eventually found my grove. I went from designing single-story packages to pages to full-on spreads after 6 months. Now as editor-in-chief, I oversee the designs of all 16 pages and design up to 6 pages per Issue.
My first published design, which took me 5 hours! Although I am slightly embarrassed about how many design rules I broke, I am proud of how far I have grown in the past 12 months. Now, I show this design to new designers on staff to show them anyone can improve - you just need to practice!
MY WORK
Click any image to enlarge
FRONT PAGE DESIGN
Front Page from Issue 2
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Notable Features
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The main dominant image draws the reader into the paper. I was inspired by Vox News's Graphics to create a digital collage using photoshop. The color scheme further emphasizes partisan politics and the election.
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I redesigned the preview box - I opted to use an outlined gray box with a brief description of the pieces. Based on feedback from the staff and readers, the redesigned box made the page feel lighter and felt was more usable to the reader.
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Smaller changes we made this issue were reducing the font size, adding a drop cap, removing lines from the design of the brief box. Overall, the cover felt more professional and utilized the limited space better
FEATURE SPREAD DESIGN
BLM Spread (Issue 6)
​Notable Features
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Breaking the column -- my advisor once told me that 'you can break the rules once you know them.' I decided to purposely break the column in order to confront the reader with the hard facts of police brutality. I wanted the quotes and stats to be impossible to skip over.
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Additionally, I introduced a new section 'The Emery Reads' to highlight important books that discuss police brutality. I also chose to edit the photostory in black and white to carry the heavy tone of the BLM topic.
The Second Pandemic (Issue 3) -- 2nd Place NSPA Clicks and Clips Contest 2020
​Notable Features
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The main visual of the spread is the dual silhouette illustration to convey the draining toll of the pandemic. I pulled colors from the graphic to create the spread's color scheme.
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Overall, I decided to approach the spread by building modules, similar to creating a yearbook page. Since I approached the spread with mods, the entire page was able to flow without feeling too crowded. Some of the modules I created to surround the stories were a Q&A, stats box, social media survey, and a helpline infomation.
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A+E / OPINION PAGES
Tableside (Issue 4)
​Notable Features
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The hand-drawn logo gives the page a causal magazine look. Additionally, I utilized circle pictures to give the page a unique flare. The sidebar, with the food ratings, gives an overall review of the restaurant for those skimming through the story. For the nondominant package, I created an alternative story package with a script headline, framing, and a hand-drawn logo.
Bubble Tea in A2 (Issue 2)
​Notable Features
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On this page, I approach as an alternative story package, similar to news-mag. The abstract fun color background sets a casual tone for the page while providing visual interest. Additionally, I used Photoshop to cut photos of bubble tea and to create the custom title with a graphic. For the bubble tea titles, I used circles to resemble the boba balls in the bubble tea.
Opinion Page (Issue 3)
​Notable Features
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This is an example of one of the more standard opinion pages. Typically, I approach each page as two separate story packages. For the top story package, I created the graphic using free-use UX designs and a custom checklist about internet safety to complement the argument of the story. For the non-dominate story package, I used a trumpet silhouette as a background of the page with an interactive code to access Jin's playlist. For both story packages, I try to create fun, interactive elements to draw the viewer to read the story.
NEWS PAGES
Looking Foward (Issue 2)
​Notable Features
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This page was made in collaboration with our designer, Bridget Jung. I sketched out a silhouette of the graphics and she was able to create beautiful illustrations using Adobe illustrator. From the warm tones, I extracted an orange/red/pink color palette for the page. For unity, I changed the header, quote box, and byline to complement the graphics. Additionally, we opted to use a bubble font for both the graphic and the headlines. Although this page was initially a challenge without pictures, it is one of our strongest news pages as a publication.
Standard News Pages (Issue 3+4)
​Notable Features
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(Middle Page) - News pages can often feel like solving a puzzle - this page is a perfect example. I was working with 5 stories that had to fit on our tabloid size page. For these types of pages, I rely on drawing an outline with pen and paper. For graphics, I had to use a zoom meeting screenshot and create a drawing in Illustrator, since we didn't have access to photos. Additionally, I designed a new reoccurring column called 'The Emery Asks'.
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(Right Page) - MIPA Honorable Mention News Paper Design. This was the first page that a designed to make it in the paper. I didn't have many photos to work with, so I made a graphic for the Rajput story, highlighting his progressive policies. The process of making the graphic helped me learn how to use Google Drawings.
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Feeback I gave to a designer's rough draft - I always give notes to anyone that reaches out for help!
Design Changes
1. Reducing the Font Size
We decided to reduce our font size this year from 12 to 11. This way we were able to open up more space for graphics.
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2. Creating Ground Rules
As we got better, we were creating more creative pages. However, the overall paper didn't feel united - because we were using so many colors and fonts. My Co-EIC Clara Bowman suggested that we create some rules to unify the paper. We decided to use the green banner and the same fonts for all pages, except feature spreads.
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3. Using Reoccuring Designs
As our readers return to read our paper, we want them to feel familiar with different sections such as our science column, The Young Scientist, our student column, Student Voices and our food review, Tableside. As a design team, we decided to use reoccurring designs in each issue to create a sense of familiarity and comfort.
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REFOCUSING ON PAGES AND DESIGNERS
As EIC, the biggest area my publication needed to work on was design. Below, I have outlined some of the changes we have made to make our In-Print Design Cycle more efficient.
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1. Adding a Design Cycle
Prior to this year, there was no real design cycle. Often, I would design a page, and the next day - it would be completely redesigned by the EIC or an editor without any communication or feedback. This year we added a design cycle, similar to our news cycle, to prevent miscommunication from happening. Designers will first have to submit a sketch for approval by the EICs. Then, after they design a page, staff designers will get feedback from our designer editor, EIC, and our advisor. Since we have added a design cycle, I have seen growth within our design team and overall higher quality pages.
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2. Feedback, Feeback, Feedback!
Although with having a plethora of edits, this year, we also have a feedback meeting each news cycle, where we go through each in-print page as a group. This way, we can talk about why we are making changes and get many eyes on the page for critiques. Additionally, I meet with new designers one-on-one to go over questions and work with them personally on their design. We also have a mentor system for new designers - so they always have at least 3 people they can go to if they have questions.
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3. Design Lessons + Support
For the first time this year, we taught the entire class how to use InDesign within their mentor groups. Since most of the editors were self-taught, we really wanted to emphasize design education in the classroom to improve and encourage next year's designers.