As a newspaper editor, I quickly had to get a basic understanding of design in order to help create a comprehensive publication. Although I was at first intimidated by the InDesign horror stories, I eventually was brave enough to embark on some graphic design work of my own.
Design
Page Design
Spreads did not fly hot off the press in the same way that stories did for me. InDesign was a beast that took a lot of tears, keyboard shortcuts and late nights to get through.
However, I eventually got the hang of it and began to not only take on newspaper pages of my own, but pick up the slack of some of our new (and old) designers.
Spread by Zana Kennedy
Cover Design
The greatest strength in journalism comes from collaboration, and that's exactly how The Budget’s covers are made.
While I am not behind the sketches that are digitized into the beautiful and innovative cover art, I work extensively with the designers behind them to bring the vision for the theme to life.
Cover by Wren Jay
Cover by Lily Norton
Planning cohesive packages
One of the most important parts about being a newspaper editor is coming up with unique and engaging content plans every cycle.
Themes can help give the newspaper a cohesive visual appeal and add consistency for the reader through related stories.
Infographic by Brandon Parnell
Spread by Morgan Sailsbury
The first newspaper package me and my fellow editors created was to help understand our First Amendment rights. It was inspired by the raid on Marion County's local newspaper.
To come up with art for the cover, I worked extensively with the cover artist. After a long brainstorming session, we had come up with a plan.
The cover featured Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty planting a flag into crumpled newspapers to represent government infringement on First Amendment rights.
I made sure the rest of the issue heavily featured design work. This issue included an infographic about the First Amendment, and how much students knew about it. I worked with the designer to match the style with the rest of the issue. I also made sure the rest of the designs in the issue were just as engaging.
This package helped The Budget win third place Best of Show from NSPA at the 2023 fall National High School Journalism Convention.
Graphic Design - Sidebars
There are so many elements of design that most people wouldn't give a second thought about: sidebars, whitespace, and the little graphics along the way.
Here are some examples of how I have worked with designers to smoothly incorporate other elements of design into print. One of the hardest parts of design to learn is incorporating secondary coverage, or sidebars.
Click on gallery to see full sidebar and more information!
