Comments on: Journalism visuals that knocked me out this week

By: paulbalcerak

paulbalcerak — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:48:08 +0000

It’s too bad the idea of multiple covers (like magazines do every month) isn’t really feasible in newsprint. Maybe it would be, once a week on Sundays or something, but I kind of doubt it. Because you’re right—it really comes down to what readers think. It’d be nice to be able to play with things in print the way we can online.

By: Curt M.

Curt M. — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:13:23 +0000

I’d be curious to know how readers see it. I bet it could have been just as effective if done a little smaller. And, that would have given you room for other content on the story to be out front as well. What about nesting the circles, one inside the other? I’ve seen that done and it works just as well but takes up less room.

I just think that that space is so precious that we need to be super careful how it’s used.

At the least, the question “Does this deserve this amount of space?” needs to be asked regularly. Knowing the Herald newsroom, I imagine that in this case it was and I respect their choice.

By: paulbalcerak

paulbalcerak — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:35:38 +0000

Those are all good points and I don't necessarily disagree with them. However, I think part of the effectiveness of the graphic is its size. Yes, it could have been done smaller—but I don't agree that it would have been as effective. The topic of a budget deficit is, to a lot of people (I only hesitate a little to say "most" people) boring, like I said. But this is a huge deal. The state is mired in billions of dollars of debt and, well, we're gonna have to pay it off somehow. But a lot of people don't care because we're talking tedious numbers and math. Blowing up the graphic to encompass the entire front page screams This is important and you need to care about this. There are a very few occasions when taking over the entire front page is a lock for reader satisfaction—major disasters, big sports wins, momentous political shifts—and I think the cover makes a statement from the Herald that "We're not simply acknowledging that something is huge, we're telling you that something that isn't yet perceived as huge is huge." If this were 2006 and The Wall Street Journal dedicated an entire front page to something like "Is anyone a little nervous about how easy it is to get a home loan?" people would question it. But a couple more years down the line....

By: Curt M.

Curt M. — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:00:08 +0000

Just to be clear: I’m not saying don’t do this graphic. It’s a great idea and it does get the point across well. I’m just questioning the wisdom of giving the graphic so much valuable space. I believe it could have been done in less space and still had the same impact. And allowed room for even more content on this store to be out front.

By: Curt M.

Curt M. — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:53:21 +0000

I’ll be the curmudgeon when it comes to the Everett Herald front page. Clever? Yes. Arresting? Uh-huh. Got the point across? Yup.

But: It took up HALF of the front page. Did it really deserve that much space? At a time when readers are complaining that newspapers are giving them less and less content, can we afford to spend half of our most valuable real estate in the paper on an info graphic that is mostly big circles and not much info?

My response would be: no. As a reader, I look at that A1 and I get it in a few seconds. Now, what else do you have for me? What is holding me here? Where’s the depth of content that justifies all that space? Could that same graphic have conveyed the same info in less space, allowing more content out there? Yes, I think so.

The days when we could afford this kind of display are, sadly, over. Designers love this stuff but I wonder: Do readers?

There it is. I’m the grump. Let me have your best shot! :)