Design thread

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

DyePack: I'm sure the world will be waiting with breath that is bated.

As for the design, I'm not sure it works. There's just TOO much going on in this page for my tastes. Type on a photo, large pull quote with a mugshot, a silhouetted photo in the rail, and then this illustration.

There could have been a much simpler way of illustrating the same point - you could have used a non-blacked-out cutout, you could have done a panel of the jerseys that could be retired, or if you were hell bent on doing a cutout with the emphasis on the jersey, find a media day shot of Brown and just cut out his jersey and play that as your dominant art element for the centerpiece (or something along those lines).

It also never hurts to go with an entire photo either, if you have doubts about your illustration.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

Just the part of the world that cares about content. We know that excludes most of this thread.

The rest of your post, other than the final sentence, is simply the blathering of a myopic designer. Way to miss the forest for the trees, Car.

Your final sentence does have some sense. Using the entire photo, as was done in another part of the paper, would have been the way to go.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

yeah, i think the page is too busy up top.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

I think if there is one thing this entire thread tells us it is that the obsession with cutouts has gone waaaaaaaay too far.

They used to be used to have some additional impact. Now there just there because "well, we can do a cutout."

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

Amen, spnited. Amen.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

Too easy. Wayyy too pat an answer.

It's still useful if you don't go overboard with it. And the people who don't like it are the hardened journalists who are so close to their product that they say they've seen it 2,000 times before.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

shottie: spnited said the obsession with them has gone way too far. Not that they should never be used.

At times, they're perfect. They are something DIFFERENT that can add visual impact. But when you have a cutout every day, you lose that impact.

My old place had a designer who would try to do one on every page. Cut out a file photo of a football player to go with a basic game preview on like page 6. It was way too much, and she wouldn't listen.

But when used properly? They can be very powerful. Two skaters overlapping that small? Not powerful.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

Wow, DyePack, I was shocked to (finally) find something constructive on your Web site about the headline. Of course, you couldn't do that on the newspagedesigner site. It was all negativity as usual. When you got your News-Gazette on Saturday, did you read the story before you logged on to Wenalway.com to rip it or did you head straight for the computer? I'm guessing the latter.
For those who are curious, the story is about how Illinois has retired a total of zero jerseys. Not in basketball, not in football ... none. Bruce Weber, the basketball coach, wants to start hanging jerseys at the Assembly Hall. But they're not sure who to start with. Weber has suggested it be Dee Brown. We talked with Brown, Weber and an old-school Illini to get their opinions.
The idea came about in discussions with the sports editor. He liked it and let me run with it. If they had said they were going to retire James Augustine's jersey first -- or any other white or black athlete -- I would have illustrated it the same way ... with the black backdrop. We talked about other colors -- orange, blue obviously and white -- but none of them worked as well.
The headline was in discussion with the writer. It was just a take on Hang 10. Could have done better, obviously.
Thanks to those with constructive comments about this. Thanks to dyepack -- hater of all things design -- something to laugh about.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

Thing is, it didn't work. It's decoration. I didn't read the story, but there can be no possible way that it's about a piece of fabric with the No. 11. It had to be about the choices, obviously Brown in particular. Nothing was gained by obscuring his face. I also cringed at the racial aspect, when considering the headline.

And the rest of the page is a big ole mess.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

Wrong guy, but the way I read it, the guy made an effort to understand what you were trying to do, even though it was a disaster. He didn't just start calling you a racist and even admitted not seeing the problem with the headline (although that was because the illustration was so terrible).

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*

I don't think I can improve upon this.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 2/25*