Rethink.

I found this Web site called Issuu , a place to put your documents and display them in Flash format. Here is a look at Tuesday's edition of The Marquette Tribune : Open publication - Free publishing - More student media I laid out the news section and designed the MUSG Primary Election coverage page.

Post details: • Did a newspaper forget to include its masthead Wednesday? • How important are mastheads? • Have a good Fourth of July! Yesterday’s (7/2) front page of The Bakersfield Californian was missing a very important element above the fold. Or, one can ask, was it even the Californian? Yes, that’s right – it looks like the page designer Monday night forgot to include the paper’s Old English styled masthead. Maybe the designer could not decide on a color to match the “Hancock” photo, so that person chose invisible. Normally I disregard odd front pages I find on Newseum and attribute it to an error in uploading or some other type of malfunction. (Some days, a Newseum front page browser can find a full page ad or the sports page instead of that paper’s A1.) After receiving an e-mail from a friend and colleague interning there this summer, I figure the masthead really was missing. (By the way, I would like to congratulate my friend for TWO – count them, one, and two – bylines on t...

Post details: • A look at the new "Early Show" graphics CBS News has been trying to find its voice. Since Katie Couric debuted as the anchor and managing editor of the “Evening News” in September of 2006, the news division’s flagship program has struggled for ratings even hitting rock bottom with record low numbers towards the end of last month (May 2008), according to TVNewser. What began as a refreshing take of the news – meant, I suppose for a younger audience – changed into a somewhat lackluster carbon copy of its fellow evening newscasts – meant and mainly watched by a much older demographic. I note that this twentysomething writing this blog is a huge fan of Ms. Couric and of the newscast – including the graphics package, set and music composed by Academy Award winner James Horner. But today I’m not writing to focus on the “Evening News.” Instead, I want to look at another CBS News program: “ The Early Show .” The show is a youngling compared to NBC’s “The Today Show” ...

Post details: • A look at the similarities of newspaper design Looking through front pages on Newseum yesterday (6/3), I found myself with a case of déjà vu? Or was it? Starting alphabetically, I thought the Bakersfield Californian chose a great Associated Press photo of Hillary Rodham Clinton taken Monday by Elise Amendola in Sioux Falls, S.D., when Sen. Clinton, D-N.Y., was coming from her campaign plane. The paper’s designer utilized great treatment of the photo putting text on top (“Will she stay or go?”). Continuing my perusal of Newseum, I found the San Jose Mercury News went with an almost identical photo (the second in the series by Amendola) with similar treatment. This time the text was “Is this the end?” This was not the first time similar photos and treatments have been used on the same day’s front pages. Thus, I moved on. Then I came across the Cleveland Plain Dealer , which used the same photo as the Mercury News, along with very similar text (“Is it over?”). My reactio...

Post details: • Washington Times to stop printing Saturday edition • Redesign premieres today • Sunday Times makeover • Web site overhaul On its front page, The Washington Times announced Friday (May 30) that it would no longer publish a print version of its Saturday edition . Instead, subscribers will receive the electronic edition for free. Blame it on poor circulation. Executive editor John Solomon told the Associated Press that Saturday had the lowest circulation of the week. But again, this is not surprising. Last summer, Tom Pounds, publisher of the Toledo Free Press told me that the Saturday and Tuesday editions of the daily paper were basically worthless. Think about the last time you actually read a Saturday edition of a paper – or even subscribed to one. One of my family members subscribes to the local paper and receives the Thursday, Friday and Sunday editions. I thought it was odd, but it makes sense. This is not, however, the only change for the D.C. daily. Beginning today...