Design
Online
I help create graphics for online and try to create cohesive design on Instagram story coverage. I also implement creative art in my online stories such as the linear and wavy lines for my personal narrative piece on perfectionism.
I made creative graphics for this web personal narrative piece on my realization on the non-linearity of life.
I designed this Web package header for an in-depth exploration on the need for gun control information in America.
When publishing my substance use disorder feature online, I worked with the Online EIC to help add pullout quotes throughout the story to make it more readable and visually appealing to the reader.
Front pages and center spreads
One of the primary focuses I had on design was to improve our front page and center spread / double truck layout. I started working with art editors much earlier to come up with ideas and having weekly to daily meetings and catch-ups with them to best determine how we could convey the message of the stories / issues.
I collaborated with the art editor to brainstorm art ideas for a doubletruck on the impact college rankings have on students. I also sent inspiration images from Pinterest to help her develop a vision.
In the two images above, I referenced editors to the NSPA Design of the Year site to show them examples of high-quality visuals that they could use for inspiration.
I started giving out design print templates that one of my mentors from McCallum provided me so section editors could think of layout ideas while they were pitching stories instead of waiting until much later. By finding inspiration early, the editors started thinking of what they wanted their design to look like in their head instead of figuring it out on the page.
This was a message I sent to my editors of a sample layout they could do to make pages look more cohesive.
Using the new page design / pitch brainstorming template we implemented with the help of McCallum, here were some of the inspiration photos that editors put in their documents that art / photo could use for reference.
The transformation…
During the Fall 2021 JEA/NSPA virtual convention, I watched courses on the best ways to work through the layout and design process. I learned about the brainstorming, sketching, collaboration, and layout process which served as the foundation for my growth as a designer for the next two years.
My print design examples
Armed with my belief that layout is one of the most crucial parts in attracting readership for the newspaper, I have pushed myself to learn the ins and outs of InDesign and rules for design. The examples below are some of the highlights in my design portfolio.
In this layout, I experimented with a form of design that was unique to what I had done before. I worked with my co-editor and photo editor to come up with and bring to life a shredding design (due to Banksy's shredding art piece), helping push the boundaries of what Eastside layout could be.
In my experience at the NSPA convention, I learned about the importance of looking for inspiration from outside sources like design websites, Pinterest accounts, and past layout. I found a ranking Community page from a few years ago that I really liked and worked to modify and adapt it to fit the nature of this story.
This page was a turning point in my role as a designer because it pushed me to experiment with new layout tools and art and media that I had not used before. To begin, I worked to make the crumpled paper look like it was falling out of the bin in the top right corner to add aesthetic quality to the page. I also worked with infographics, learning a unique way to demonstrate ideas presented in informative stories. Finally, the tree for the bottom story was a result of collaboration with my co-editors and art and media, which showed to me the importance of listening to everyone's creative ideas and trying to integrate them into a united one.
