A Journalist, Activist and Researcher.
Design
Design is the first element that catches a reader's attention. I use design as a way to not only visually represent my writing but to also draw the reader in by positioning graphics and images towards the center of a spread. In doing so, I hope to strike the perfect balance among visuals and writing.
Teaching Design
As Features editor last year, I noticed that an area of growth for El Estoque was design. While some stories utilized the principles of design, such as dominance, contrast, eye flow, balance, alignment and unity, many others did not and relied more on the text to tell the story. The result was a magzine filled with an abundncce of text-heavy stories - a natural detterent to readership and consumption by our audience. Thus, I did my first lesson as a Managing Editor on the importance of design and how best to showcase our stories in design format.
Page Design
As a first-year staff member in my sophomore year, I found that the hardest part of journalism for me was page design. Being more of a writer and reporter as opposed to a page-designer, I naturally leaned towards simpler page designs and visuals. The spreads below showcase my evolution as a designer for El Estoque, going from easy-to-do spreads to more complex ones.
2019 Rewind: As my co-reporter and I began brainstorming page designs for our timeline describing the best and worst moments of 2019, we realized that it was difficult to incorporate creativity and color to create a well-designed and visually-appealing timeline. After several Marriage of Element (MOE) meetings, we decided to go for a pop culture-type spread, where the colors and typography would be utilized to draw the reader in and the white space would serve to break up the design and give a minimalist/modern look. The timeline was also drawn in a diagonal manner to break away from the normal straight-line-type design and to lead into the page and headline. Read the complete story here.
Cheating: This page design utilizes typography and open space for several reasons. One, it helps to amplify the source's beliefs about cheating, helping the reader understand right away that the story dives into academic honesty at Monta Vista HS. The use of the color gold to bolden the phrase "You need to cheat" is also purposeful, as it is a continuation of the package describing Monta Vista HS' cultural evolution over the course of the past 50 years. The black-modernist look is meant to clear up the clutter and present the page design in a sophisticated manner. Read the complete story here.
ACT Superscore: While brainstorming design ideas for this page, I wanted to stray far away from the typical ACT logo and pencil illustration that usually accompanies print stories about standardized testing. After going through several Pinterest boards for design inspiration, I decided that a unique way to design this story would be to take a minimalist approach and capture an image of a traditional testing desk with a water bottle, eraser and two number 2 pencils and overlay the text on top of the visual. Read the complete story here.
When fact becomes fiction: The design inspiration for this spread originated from a quick look at Facebook and its advertisements. Since the story explores students' need for media literacy education in high school classes, I wanted to incorporate design elements that a student might have seen previously on the Internet. Thus, the idea for "fake" and "real" advertisement visuals emerged. The ads are interspersed and contain popular news events/celebrities so that the reader is drawn in and encouraged to read the full text. Read the complete story here.
The weight of change: The design for this story is very simplistic and professional; the purpose of choosing a design plan of this type is to give more space for the text to shine. The black outline around the pages is a recurring theme that appeared throughout the Features package on motherhood and eases the transition from one story to the next. It also serves as a leading point for the reader, who's drawn to read the headline and deck and inevitably the rest of the story. Read the complete story here.
Alt Copy Design
The infographics shown below each served as alternative copies for a larger respective story. Alternative copies are unique in that they don't tell stories in traditional formats, such as the inverted pyramid or the long-form narrative. They rely on visuals to deliver their own mini-story, which I believe is important when a journalist is covering a multi-faceted issue and needs different ways to present the information.
