“Design” Items

South China Morning Post Workshops, 1994

In 1994, I was invited by the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong to lead a series of visual editing workshops for the newspaper’s editorial and design staff. The sessions were designed to support stronger newsroom decision-making around visual journalism, and to help the staff explore how design intersects with ethics, credibility, and readability.

The first session opened with an overview of the seminar’s goals, which included addressing the challenge of serving readers more effectively—both in the present and as the media landscape evolved. We discussed readership issues and explored how international examples and “eye-track” studies could be applied to improve layout and communication. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of readership studies—not just as data, but as a way to understand how visual choices shape reader behavior and trust. These insights helped frame our approach to content hierarchy, engagement strategies, and evaluating layout effectiveness.

The presentation then turned to how design begins at the conceptual level, touching on topics like content hierarchy, the needs of different reader types, and the essential design elements: headlines, stories, images, color, and graphics.

The afternoon session examined how design choices unify a publication’s identity and meet the needs of its audience. We discussed how color is used in newspapers to set tone, reviewed industry examples, and explored how photography functions as a universal language for both readers and editors. A section on photo usage emphasized effective cropping, sizing, and placement.

The second day began with a discussion of how newspapers handle big stories, including both major and everyday events. We looked at strategies for using photos and graphics to support reader understanding. The conversation then moved into infographics, with a breakdown of functional types such as maps, charts, and diagrams. We emphasized that information—not decoration—should drive design choices, and reviewed common pitfalls like zero-base and time-shift problems.

The final session addressed SCMP’s competitive landscape, with specific reference to the Eastern Express, a sister publication within the SCMP group. While not a traditional external competitor, the Eastern Express offered a contrasting editorial and visual approach. We explored what SCMP could learn from its design strategies and editorial presentation. The discussion also turned to how newspapers were adapting to emerging digital formats, including fax, online services, and audio platforms. I offered a summary of the changing newsroom environment and how editorial roles were evolving alongside it. The workshop concluded with critiques of SCMP page designs and a group discussion.

The workshop structure combined lecture, conversation, and critique, centered on SCMP’s real-world challenges.

Other Materials

Participants were also given supporting handouts during the sessions. One of the key documents was titled “The Role of Newspaper Visuals”, which served as a summary of concepts explored in the seminar. It focused on the function of visuals in shaping editorial credibility, organizing content, and enhancing reader engagement.

Additional handouts distributed during the seminar included a one-page list titled “Thoughts About Newspaper Design,” which outlined guiding principles such as clarity, consistency, and audience-focused layout. Another reference sheet titled “Checklist for a Well-Designed Page” offered a concise set of evaluation points for assessing visual coherence, entry points, typography, and image use. These tools were intended to reinforce key ideas from the sessions and offer practical frameworks for daily design decisions.

Other handouts included a set of Guidelines for Handling Color, which outlined principles for consistent and meaningful color usage across editorial pages. These were paired with a Checklist for Color Usage designed to help designers evaluate when and how color supports the story, rather than distracts from it.

A separate handout titled “Effective Use of Informational Graphics” provided tips for planning and executing infographics with clarity and relevance. It emphasized that graphics should serve a storytelling purpose, be easy to interpret, and be rooted in accurate, meaningful data.

The final handout, titled “From Pages to PC Screen,” provided a short summary of emerging digital delivery formats.

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Related Posts
  • Newspaper Design in Transition (ASNE, 1995)
    A presentation delivered at the 1995 ASNE convention exploring modular layout, functional design, and how reader expectations were reshaping visual priorities.
  • Visual Editing: Textbook Reference
    Used as a conceptual foundation in the SCMP workshops, this reference provided guidance on the role of editors, structure of the news page, and visual decision-making.

AI Assisted Writing; Edited by Human

Malofiej Infografia Awards, 1994

In 1994 I was a judge at the 2nd annual Malofiej Awards for Infographics, which were organized by the Spanish chapter of the Society for News Design (SND-E) for accomplishments in journalistic infographics. The awards were given each March in Pamplona, Spain.
 
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The awards are named for Argentine designer Alejandro Malofiej, who made simple and creative graphics.[6]

The Malofiej were an essential reference for their prestige and drawing power. The Awards, considered to be the Pulitzers for infographics, the professional workshop “Show, Don’t Tell!” and the Conference in Pamplona annually bring together the best infographics artists from media (newspapers, magazines, agencies) from around the world.

On October 1, 2021, the organizers announced that the awards would be paused “while we open a period of reflection to think about how to continue with them in the future.”

The organizers published a book with the award winners.  One of the questions asked of the judges was “How do you see the present and the future of infographics?” Here is my answer:

Informational graphics use in newspapers is coming to an important junction. One direction is to continue on our present course, with much energy, effort and space spent on large, complicated and time ­consuming graphics. The other way would call for a re-examination of the overall purpose and value of presenting information via a graphic or visual form. I’m worried that if we continue on our present path, the fundamental strength and value of graphics will be diluted and devalued as editors, facing increased pressures to make the most effective use of space, will rebel against the often-excessive “mega­graphic”. A more optimistic view would have editors – visual and written- jointly decide on the most effective presentation method and the more appropriate use of resources, which include staff and space.

Writing/Graphics: Serving the Reader

In 1988, under the direction of Mario Garcia, The Poynter Institute held a seminar titled: Writing/Graphics: Serving the Reader. This three-day seminar kicked off with an opening “debate” between Garcia and Roy Peter Clark, associate director of the Institute. It was called “The Great Debate: Words vs. Pictures or Who’s on First?” The keynote was by Ed Miller, former editor of the Allentown Call-Chronicle, one of the more innovative newspapers at that time.

I had the honor of doing one of the morning breakout sessions: Collaborative Learning in the Newsroom. Frankly, I don’t remember the session but I’ll look around for my notes and maybe the presentation I used.  At that time I was assistant managing editor of The Arizona Republic.

Interesting footnote: A few days after this seminar, I would be at the American Press Institute seminar on the future of design in 2000

Looking to the Future: 1986 to 2001

In the past, journalism conventions serving management and editors, such as the Associated Press Managing Editors conference, were major events.  Hundreds of participants, dozens of panels and speeches.  So important that the APME published what the called the “Red Book.”  This was a record of the proceedings so those who could not attend would learn what was discussed.

In 1987, the Red Book reported on a panel held in Cincinnati, OH, on “Newspapers After 2001.”  The panel was tasked to look ahead 15 years.  Among the participants:

  • James K. Batten, president, Knight-Ridder, Inc.
  • Louis D. Boccardi, president and general manager, The Associated Press
  • John J. Curley, president and chief executive officer. Gannett Newspapers
  • Katherine W. Fanning, editor, Christian Science Monitor
  • Jeff Greenfield, media critic and columnist, ABC
  • James Hoge, president, New York Daily News
  • C.K. McClatchy, president, McClatchy Newspapers
  • Burl Osborne, president, Dallas Morning News
  • Eugene C. Patterson, chairman and chief executive officer, Times Publishing Company, St. Petersburg, Fla.
  • William O. Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer. Boston Globe
  • Chris Urban, Urban and Associates 

Reading over this edited transcript of the discussion, I was struck how little the panel got right. In fact, I think most of them missed the speeding “technology bus” that was about to crash into their newsprint based business and scatter their profits and employees to the wind. There was discussion about the declining readership — one panelist suggest the industry encourage literacy — and the fragmented advertising market. There were a couple of notable mentions of technology.  Here’s one from Kay Fanning:

We’re being increasingly bombarded by trivia and through the progress of technology it will get worse and worse. With all the world coming to our back door in terms of satellite communications and transportation, the link-up of the global stock market, all aspects of computer networking, newspapers will need a content that offers the citizen a pathway through this hail of trivia. That content will require more substance, more quality, offer more understanding rather than just a lot of information. I believe in the simple bromide of the better mousetrap. If we have a quality that is relevant to the citizens and to the public interest we can easily raise the numbers from 40 to 60 percent. 

I did like the comments from John Curley about improving the visuals of newspapers to make them more appealing:

Presentation is part of it too. Color, graphics, and our ability to do more in that area will be important. I don’t mean to pick on the Cincinnati Inquirer, since we own it, but in yesterday’s paper we went 11 pages in the Life Section without a graphic or photo. and a lot of the contents suggested that there could have been some there. I don’t think that is atypical of most newspapers, and it’s a weakness in a lot of our newspapers too.

Curley was the first editor of USA Today, hence he knew about color and graphics. USA Today was launched four years earlier, in 1982. in 1988, the American Press Institute had a major design seminar looking at the future of newspapers. It was called Design 2000.  Details are elsewhere on this site.  Lots of graphics and color in those prototype newspapers.

TV News’ Future

Also at the convention was Lawrence Grossman, president of NBC News. He gave a talk on “Television News After 2001.” He was sort right when he said:

My thesis is that if you look 15 years ahead to the year 2001, it will be much like what we see now in television news, just as when you look back to 1970, television news was basically like what you’re seeing now.

But take that out a few more years and he was very, very wrong.  He got a few things right.  It was an interesting read.

Straits Times, Singapore, Workshops

In 1993 I taught a series of workshops or training sessions at the Straits Times newspaper in Singapore.  These sessions were aimed at the copy editors and visual editors of the newspaper.  Attendees also came from the Business Times publication, the New Paper and two non-English language newspapers: Zaobao and Berita Harian. 

Actually, there were two weeks of training, with a different group for each workshop.

Workshop goals were:

  • The challenge of serving readers more fully today
  • The challenge of serving readers in the next century

And the topics covered were:`

    • Readership issues
    • Typography & readability
    • Designing
    • Photography
    • Graphics
    • Critique

At the end of each workshop, I looked at the Year 2000 and views of top designers and what the newsroom might be like.  This was based on an API seminar I attended and presented at.

I also did critiques of the Straits Times, the Business Times and the New Paper.

Presentation to Straits Times, Singapore

In July 1993, I was invited to give a series of workshops to the visual journalists at the Straits Times in Singapore. [Straits Times company also owned the Business Times, a tabloid call New Paper and two native language papers: Berita Harian and Zaohao.]

The workshop was for three days. Among the topics covered:

  • Readership
  • Typography and Readability
  • Ethics
  • Color [although we spelled it Colour]
  • Graphics
  • The Future [Year 2000 design, based on the work done at the American Press Institute seminar on the topic].

Membership, Instructions and More for API Design 2000 Seminar

I’ve uploaded a collection of memos about the American Press Institute’s J. Montgomery Curtis Memorial Seminar on the future of newspaper design. The collection starts with the invite / acceptance letter in April 1988. 

On July 21, API sent out the important information about the  seminar — a memo outlining a task for each seminar participant: design a front page of the future.

Each member is being asked to create a front page of the future, including content mix and design elements. These front pages (which will become a part of this year’s post-seminar publication) will be analyzed in advance by Roger Black, one of the most active and acclaimed publication designers in the United States, and discussed during the program.

There is also a schedule of events and information about discussion groups and the final round-table.

Here’s a look at the seminar schedule:

  • Monday, September 12:
      • 8:30 – 10:00 – “Newspapers in a Visual Society11
        Speaker: John Lees, Partner, Herman and Lees         Associates, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.
      • 10:15 – 12:15 – “The Front Page”
        Speaker: Roger Black, President, Roger         Black Inc., New York, N.Y.
      • 2:00 – 3:30 – Study I: “The Future for Newspaper Graphics”
        Speaker: Howard Finberg, Assistant Managing         Editor, Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Ariz.
      • 3:45 – 5:15 – Study II: “Color”
        Speaker: Nanette Bisher, Assistant Art Director, U.S. News and World Report, Washington, DC.
  • Tuesday, September 13:
      • 8:30 – 10:00 – Study III: “The Impact of Technology”
        Speaker: David Gray, Managing         Editor/Graphics, Providence Journal Company, Providence, RI.
      • 10:15 – 11:45 – Study IV: “The Role of Tomorrow’s Newspaper Designer”
        Speaker: Marty Petty, Vice President/Deputy         Executive Editor, Hartford Courant, Hartford, Conn.
      • 12:00 – 1:30 – The membership will be broken into small groups to discuss in greater detail specific issues raised during the seminar.
      • 1:45 – 3:30 – The membership will return to the API Round-Table to hear reports from each group detailing observations and any conclusion.

One other important document: the discussion leaders biographies.

The end product of this seminar can be seen in this slideshow.

 

SND European Workshop

One of the most unusual and fun workshops that I have participated in was a tour of four European cities on behalf of the Society of Newspaper Design in 1993. Between May 7 and 15, six designers and editors gave workshops on design, photography, infographics and more to 300 participants from almost 20 different countries. Among the cities visited  by Andrew Chapin, Juan Antonio Giner, Bill Ostendorf, Norvall Skreien, Deborah Withey and myself were Stockholm, Hamburg, Zurich and La Coruna [Spain].  Here’s what Bill wrote for an SND publication:

The EFS, patterned after SND’s suc­cessful Quick Course programs in North America, drew warm and enthusiastic responses from audiences dominated by top editors. Most attendees had never heard of SND before attending one of the workshops, but afterwards many wanted to join, help establish chapters and spon­sor more SND events in their countries.

…

“Everyone was very interested in what SND has to offer. And they were very pleased with our decision to bring our biggest workshop to Europe in 1995,” said Howard Finberg.

He added that now is the ideal time to foster better design in Europe. ”While there are pockets of very good design in Europe, there are also a lot of areas that are just on the verge of the kind of design revolution that swept the U.S. in the ’70s and ’80s. While we were in Germany, you could feel that same sense of excitement when you talked to editors who saw the need for attracting new readers.”

The full article is here.

 

Presstine Magazine Covers 2000 Design Project

The industry publication Presstime covered the results of the API’s design seminar in its October, 1988 edition. The article’s lede:

Two dozen movers and shakers in the field of newspaper design pondered the substance and form of 21st century newspapers at the American Press Institute’s annual J. Montgomery Curtis Memorial Seminar.

The round-table seminar, conducted at the institute in Reston, Va., Sept. 11-13, used as a focal point hypothetical front pages dated 2000 and beyond that were designed by participants and posted on the walls of the seminar room.

Ironic, isn’t it: “posted on the walls…”

I got a mention for my presentation on the future of graphics:

Howard I. Finberg, assistant managing editor of The Arizona Republic, said the overwhelming majority of editors he questioned predicted graphics will play a greater part in newspapers in the year 2000. But this priority seems to shrink when talk turns to money: The editors told Finberg they would spend 70 percent of any extra funds for reporting and editing, and only 10 percent for graphics.

Sad and not surprising.  Given the visual nature of the Internet, would newspapers be in a better position today if they had invested in something other than words? Just wondering.

API Design 2000 Seminar. The 1988 Invitation

In 1988, the American Press Institute invited a group of designers and editors to the J. Montgomery Curtis Memorial Seminar on the future of newspaper design. Here’s what the seminar leader, John G. Finneman, wrote to participants:

  • We will have a total of 22 invited members, along with API executive staff, at the conference table.
  • API will pay tuition, room and board for participants. You will have to take care of travel expenses.
  • All members will be asked to create a front page for the year 2000, so there will be a little advance work for everyone.

In your case, however, you will be taking on an even heavier responsibility. As I explained, we plan to have four studies presented during this program:

  1.  the future of informational graphics;
  2. color
  3. people
  4.  technology.

Each of the four persons taking on studies will be asked to make brief oral presentations during the seminar to go with printed results which will be incorporated into a post-seminar publication.

I took on the report about the future of informational graphics. It is included in the report / book from the seminar.