SND Region 1 Blog

Happy 200th, Concord Monitor

2009-05-18T09:46:00.005-04:00

Part of the New Hampshire paper's 200th celebration is giving readers a look at life in 1809, via paperdolls. SND member Charlotte Thibault, who designed the dolls and created a Flash page for the Web describes the project:
In the paper we have them to clip out and on the web we've
developed a flash application to dress them with backdrops and period
music. On the story page, there are links to the flash ap and also to
downloadable pdfs so they can be printed on your choice of paper
(newsprint isn't the best material for paperdolls!)
See it here. Enjoy the music.

Help getting to Buenos Aires

2009-05-15T17:16:00.002-04:00

If you plan to attend the 31st Annual Workshop in Buenos Aires, register by June 15 and your registration could be free! The Orlando Sentinel has donated one free professional registration, a $395 value. We'll hold a drawing from all the names of professionals signed up by June 15 and give the freebie to the winner. So don't delay! Go to
http://www.snd.org/events/events.lasso?ID=314

Copy editing seminar ... cheap

2009-04-30T23:44:00.002-04:00

The New England Newspaper Association will hold a seminar on copy editing in the online age on May 14 at The Telegraph in Hudson, N.H. And it's just 39 bucks. There's a limit of 30 people.
Find a registration form here and more details here.

Some comforting news ...

2009-04-30T11:12:00.001-04:00

I just spoke to the kindergarten classes at my daughter's school and I asked them if they get newspapers delivered to their homes each morning. Out of about 44 kids there, at least 35 or more raised their hands. Honestly, I was prepared for just a sprinkling of hands. I told them to all go home and thank their parents.

New look in Atlanta

2009-04-28T12:41:00.001-04:00

Big changes in Atlanta today ... and I don't mean another truckload of Yankees moving into town.

Who's going to Buenos Aires?

2009-04-19T08:01:00.003-04:00

Is anyone planning on attending SND's 31st workshop, this year held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sept. 21-24? If you are, how and why? If not, why not?
** Addition: After hearing the presentation from the organizers here in Orlando this morning, I'd recommend you go if possible.

2009-04-14T14:40:00.006-04:00

From the home office in North Kingstown, R.I., ...
SND's regional Quick Courses continue to win rave reviews but these days not everyone has a travel budget. So SND has created partnerships that give our members discounts on design-related Webinars. Learn new skills at your own computer!
First, SND member Sara Quinn of The Poynter Institute will offer "Moving From Print to Web Design: 5 Things You Need to Know," a Poynter/NewsU Webinar, 2-3 p.m. EST April 22, 2009.
SND members get $10 discount on $24.95 fee by using the code
PSNDWEB09 (that's a zero 9) when you register.

Also, for the next month, newspaper technology guru Kevin Slimp is offering a variety of webinars. Sign up using the code PRASSOC and get 15% discount on $79 fee.

Two SND regional groups are gearing up for spring events.
SND Scandinavia takes its annual meeting to the online-games capital Oulu, Finland, for Oulu24, where networking days last 24 hours! Sessions are in English.

Region 17, Russia, holds its annual Russian-language design competition May 16-17, and judges include SND Past President Gayle Grin and members Marco Grieco and Svetlana Maximchenko.

Spaces remain in all five upcoming spring Quick Courses, in Bellingham; Orlando; Toronto; Vermillion,S.D.; and St. Petersburg, Fla. Review the list at www.snd.org and take control of your career!

This ain't the Beaver

2009-04-11T08:43:00.003-04:00

Here is today's 1A from the Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass. Only one story, lots of teases. Hard not to check out the lead package, huh?

Designer of the Week

2009-04-09T23:15:00.005-04:00

This week it's Vada Crosby, a graphics designer for The Hartford Courant, where he has also worked as a reporter, copy editor, layout editor and assistant op-ed page editor. He's an SND-award winner and was the Courant's 2008 Graphics Artist of the Year. Vada is a frequent speaker at seminars and workshops around the country, addressing issues of editing, page design and newsroom diversity.
But that's not all. He's also a justice of the peace and an adjunct professor of writing with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Fordham and a master’s in religious studies from Hartford Seminary.
Truly stunning work. I'm jealous.

UConn wins!!

2009-04-08T09:47:00.009-04:00

OK, last night I predicted they'd win by 40. I feel stupid after a measly 22-point championship victory. Here are some Connecticut pages. I only posted a handful of fronts (see them all at the Newseum) but I'd like to get some sports covers. Send 'em to sgriffin@rep-am.com.

Bridgeport pages added, 1:50 p.m. Journal Inquirer sports added, 2:18 p.m.

Charles Apple has a collection from the men's game here.

Comedy News Network?

2009-04-02T23:34:00.001-04:00

New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller threw out this gem Thursday about CNN:
It's hard to remember that the letters stand for Cable News Network when reporting is replaced by "juries of commentators" behind laptops on a set that looks like "a parody of a 'Daily Show' parody" of a news set.

Designer of the Week

2009-03-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

Our next designer of the week is Katrina T. Lallier. She's been working at Metro US since August 2003 and is currently Editorial Art Director in Boston. Two of the last six years she lived in NYC and led the U.S. design team (for Boston, Philadelphia and New York papers). Katrina focuses on features pages for all three cities, news, special coverage, as well as pages for international use (Metro has papers in 16 countries.) She writes dance reviews, too. Before working at Metro, she interned at the Albany Times-Union. Katrina graduated from Union College with a BA in political science and earned a certificate in book and magazine publishing from Emerson College in 2005. She's a Quark junkie and self-taught newspaper designer. See more clips at http://www.ktlallier.com/.

Sad news

2009-03-30T00:46:00.005-04:00

I'm truly sorry to pass along this news. Jim Kuykendall, the Hartford Courant graphics artist who I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, passed away Saturday morning. There is a memorial service Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Church of Christ in Newington. Read more here.

Bad news for former Maine guy

2009-03-25T18:36:00.001-04:00

Paul Wallen, who was managing editor for visuals in Lewiston, Maine, when the Sun Journal wone 22 SND awards, has been let go at the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale because of a job elimination. Saw him speak at a workshop in Hartford several years ago while he was in Lewiston. Smart guy. Tough news. Read more here.

Designer of the week

2009-03-25T11:09:00.003-04:00

This week we've got a self-described nuts-and-bolts designer: Charlotte Thibault of the Concord (NH) Monitor. She's an illustrator and graphic artist. Here's Charlotte's autobio:
I got my first mac in 1987 and have been stumbling through life ever since, always something new to learn, not always learning it right the first time. Still falling on my face about as many times as I do it right. I live on the river, same one as the graphic, about 3-4 miles upstream, surrounded by a farm where I just bought a half gallon of maple syrup for $22. Can't beat that.
Here's her work:

She also does some Flash work.
Click here to see her page descriptions >>>.
The gooseberries and currants are for a B-1 rail item (the state is allowing us to have some disease-resistant types now.)

Lehtinen, a recreational bridge the snowmobilers bought and constructed on old railroad bridge and gave it to the city. It connects a park to a state forest over the
Contoocook River.

OilPrice: Another rail item, the end of a series with current oil prices that ran throughout the winter.

Mountain path: illustration for a viewpoints Sunday piece about a local pastor who befriended a homeless woman, kind of about the path she's on. Pothole: rail again, soliciting readers for the worst pothole.

PSA: chart on the prostate screening studies.

Love those nuts and bolts

2009-03-24T10:08:00.005-04:00

** As of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, I've got one sports agate page**
I got an e-mail this morning from someone who sort of dismissed herself as a nuts-and-bolts designer. That got me thinking about the importance of those nuts and bolts. You wouldn't take off down the road in a car without 'em. So let's take a look at some of those nuts and bolts of design.
My first newspaper job was putting together the sports agate page at the Northwest Florida Daily News. I absolutely loved it and devoted nights to making sure it was perfect. Everything lined up, all the tabs in the standings straight as an arrow ... just anal as could be. I even did the cutting and pasting myself some nights. And this was before pagination. This was glue and strips of paper and razor blades and proof after proof to see if tab measurements were aligned. (I'd say "back in the day," but I hate that phrase.)
So let's see your sports agate page. Please try to send me a jpg over the next couple days and I'll post them later this week.

The haunted blog

2009-03-23T11:25:00.005-04:00

On the front of the R-A today is the house that inspired the soon-to-be released flick "A Haunting in Connecticut." It's in Southington, a neighbor of Waterbury. On the right is a house that is, with a few exceptions, very similar. Same builder most likely, around 1920, and the owner is dying to do some spring yardwork. How do I know? That's my house.

Some other pages from this morning ... New Haven goes big with basketball. Norwich goes big with bowling. And Lewiston goes big with a refer headline for a breaking news.

Day Of The Big Heads

2009-03-19T08:41:00.004-04:00

Big doings in Washington on Wednesday, so roll out the big heads ... the Boston Herald being the geographical exception.

Talk back time

2009-03-18T10:18:00.004-04:00

I'll be heading to the SND board meeting soon and I need help from you. Please reply to these questions:
1) How do you see SND and what does it (or should) do for you?
2) Any interest in a New England "meetup" similar to one in New York recently? It's similar to a seminar or quick course with speakers, etc.
If you aren't an SND member, tell me why.
Please reply sometime this week. Send e-mails to sgriffin@rep-am.com.

Designer of the week

2009-03-17T10:00:00.007-04:00

Our next designer of the week is Babette Augustin of The Providence Journal. Babette's been in Providence as a photo editor and designer since 1993. Unlike most papers, the photo editors there also design pages. Interesting. She has also designed business, sports, local, the Sunday paper, travel, arts, food etc, as well as working the photo assignment desk. Babette has an undergraduate degree in photojournalism from Boston University and an MFA in imaging arts from Rochester Institute of Technology. Before Providence, she worked as photojournalist in upstate New York and Washington, D.C. She lives with two beagles and a crazed Jack Russell terrier. Check out the pages ...

Previous DOW: Michael DeSalvo from Danbury, Conn., and Jill Blanchette of New London, Conn. Want to be next? E-mail me.

NENA awards

2009-03-13T21:49:00.006-04:00

AP -- Ten newspapers were honored Friday in Boston for outstanding reporting done in the spirit of courage and independence of Publick Occurrences, the nation's first newspaper, by the New England Newspaper Association. The winners included the Republican-American's project about Burmese refugees who wound up in Waterbury. The series became a subject of one our Newspapers Matter ads.
Winners included:
If you've got any nice pages from these stories, I'd love to post them.
— The Sunday Telegraph, of Nashua, N.H., for its series, "For rent," which examined the woes of rental housing in Nashua, with an in-depth report from the perspective of both landlord and tenant.

— The Republican-American, of Waterbury, Conn., for "Refugees add life to Brass City," a year-long series on the integration of Burmese refugees to Waterbury. The series prompted the U.S. State Department to look into the practices of a long-standing refugee resettlement organization, which resulted in the revocation of its contract.

— The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press, for its investigation of the kidnapping, rape and slaying of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, allegedly by her uncle with the help of her stepfather and the online social networking site, MySpace.com. The paper's coverage led to the governor's push to pass legislation that would keep tighter reins on repeat sex offenders.

— The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass., for "Healthcare in the Berkshires," a three-day series examining the state of healthcare in the Berkshires.

— Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H., for "Defused," the gripping tale of a man who took hostages at a Hillary Clinton campaign office.

— Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, for its reporting on Rumford, Maine, which provided detailed but fair coverage of nutty small-town politicians.

— The Keene (N.H.) Sentinel, for "Without a Net," a 360-degree look at the way businesses get around paying worker's comp insurance and the consequences when workers are injured.

— The Standard-Times, New Bedford, Mass., for "The New Immigrants," a comprehensive look at the newcomers who helped make the city of New Bedford, from Cape Verdeans who worked the cranberry bogs in the 1910s to Guatemalans who work the seafood plants today.

— The weekly Provincetown (Mass.) Banner, for "Shifts, Myths and Truths," a look at how Provincetown businesses might thrive in a downturning economy—plus rebuttals from business owners who can't find good help.

— The weekly Goffstown (N.H.) News, for "Healing together," the story about a mother and daughter who got help from modern medicine and from their community.

Who should own newspapers?

2009-03-13T16:39:00.000-04:00

Super-rich philanthropist Eli Broad talks about newspapers -- "You can't afford to lose newspaper journalism" -- and how they "ought to owned by foundations or wealthy families not looking for any real great economic return." See the video here.

Late-night Garden party

2009-03-13T15:09:00.011-04:00

** UPDATE: Syracuse's coverage **
Wow. It's Friday morning and I just found out UConn lost to Syracuse in six overtimes. SIX! I left the office at 12:30 a.m., with a few minutes left in the third OT and the Huskies up several points. I left the front page so a co-worker could just plug in a score for our second (and final) edition. Since I don't have AM radio in the car -- thanks to a falling branch disconnecting the antenna embedded in the rear window -- I went to sleep assuming UConn won. What a finish I missed! Anybody stay late to get in the score? How'd your paper (1A and Sports) handle the late, important game? Speak up, please.
Click h ere to find out about the Courant's Sports cover, from designer David Holub. Their page went out about 1:55 a.m.
David wrote:
"Like any deadline-threatening game, we had a photo that would work for either a UConn win or loss for first edition that we would sub out for later editions. We had a columnist writing at the game and had two column options for first edition: If they won, we would have the column for all eds. If they lost, we had a plug ready. We also had separate charts ready to go for a win or loss.
For the first OT, the pressroom was set to let the pages go late.
When it went to a second OT is where things got interesting. I had to scrap my original game design and substitute a terrible, terrible, terrible standalone plug photo to take up the entire space of the UConn package. However, we had to have the original package ready to go at a moment's notice, win or lose, for when the game ended. Then we waited patiently during the third and fourth OTs.
Once the game hit four OTs was when it started to get that historic feel. The night sports editor, Scott Powers, made the call to scrap our now-modest package for a six-column head-and-photo package and I began feverishly re-designing, complete with a new win photo and lose photo.
I believe we flipped the page in about 15-20 minutes and had the all-new 6 OT game page at 1:50 a.m., 20-something minutes from the game's end. Much to the amazing teamwork of the Courant reporters and sports copy desk.
Now, anything less than six overtimes will just feel . . . meh."

Anyone else?

Thoughts and prayers needed

2009-03-12T12:25:00.007-04:00

This certainly isn't the type of thing I expected to write when I began this blog for SND. I learned last night that Jim Kuykendall, a terrific graphic artist at the Hartford Courant, has been moved to a hospice because of the pancreatic cancer he's been battling for some time. Melanie Shaffer, design director at the Courant, said the news was stunning. "He has been so upbeat and lighthearted about his condition, always cracking little jokes, but then we got the news today," Melanie wrote.
Send a card or flowers here: The Connecticut Hospice 100 Double Beach Road, Branford, CT 06405; (203) 315-7500
If you never checked out Jim's portfolio on the old Newspagedesigner, you really missed some nice work. I met him at a New England awards banquet a year or two ago. Nice guy and a fellow native Floridian. Here are a few samples, plus a photo of Jim in a triathlon back in 2000. If anyone has a link to his work, please pass it on.

Designer of the week

2009-03-11T09:35:00.006-04:00

This week's featured designer is Michael DeSalvo of The News-Times in Danbury, Conn., right on the western edge of New England. Michael arrived in Danbury in June 2005 as a Dow Jones copy-editing intern after graduating from the University of Missouri. His 10-week internship turned into a full-time job. Outside of work, he enjoys watching movies and sports, reading, playing guitar and experimenting with Web design ... not necessarily in that order. Help the dude out and pitch some comments.

Want your work featured here? E-mail me at sgriffin@rep-am.com.

See a previous DOW here.

Stuff from the weekend

2009-03-10T12:29:00.001-04:00

Click here for some sweet hookups from the SND meetup at the New York Times last Saturday. It includes a monster pdf of NYT election graphics.

Name that site

2009-03-09T15:02:00.004-04:00

The good folks at SND, the new home of Newspagedesigner, want some help disassociating the old NPD from a nasty bit of Germany's history. Suggest a new name or sign up if you haven't.

Mondays with Teddy

2009-03-09T09:43:00.003-04:00

There are a few ways to interpret this page with a quick glance. And they're all humorous.

Big and scary

2009-03-06T11:35:00.005-05:00

There's a big movie opening up in Bangor. Meanwhile, over in Burlington, the readers get a fright from the creature formerly known as Michael Jackson.

Do we matter? Hell yes.

2009-03-04T13:16:00.013-05:00

Newspapers Matter.
That’s the name of a series of ads we’ve begun here at the Republican-American. The project was created by Anne Karolyi, one of our local section editors, and myself back in the fall.
It’s based on two ideas: 1) Newspapers do matter and we want readers to realize what they'll miss if they're gone. So tell them. 2) Our newspaper is its own source of free advertising. Use it. So, we came up with six examples of the Republican-American making a difference in the lives of our readers. And Executive Editor Jon Kellogg was a big help with suggestions and PR efforts in the big office.
We recently ran our second set of six ads.
The ads have told readers about a Macy’s coupon they might have missed; we’ve told them exactly how many fundraisers, fairs, chicken dinners, etc., we wrote about in a three-week stretch; we reminded them of our dedication to covering local sports; and we even shook things up with a photo of a burning flag and the declaration that we’re protecting every citizens’ rights and, therefore, democracy.

You can see them all here: www.newspapersmatter.com.
Our goal is to keep readers and hopefully gain readers. The results, based on feedback, has been positive. Readers have said they enjoy the ads and we’ve challenged reporters to write stories that qualify.
>> Another newspaper -- the Fosters Daily Democrat in Dover, N.H. -- took our idea and ran wild, adding "commercials" on the Web site and going in different formats. It's been a big hit with staff and readers as well. See what they've done here.

I am persistent

2009-03-02T23:35:00.002-05:00

I'm still hoping someone wants to be this blog's next featured designer? Several e-mails and a post last week have brought no response. Zippo. ... Somebody is out there. ... I know it. E-mail me at sgriffin@rep-am.com if you're interested.

2009-03-02T23:29:00.001-05:00

Ten good lessons about newspapers -- a tribute to the Rocky Mountain News.

Sunday front

2009-03-01T18:14:00.004-05:00

Here's an eye-catching Sunday front page out of Danbury, Conn., although I'm not sure the value of having Sunday so large.

Goodbye, Rocky Mountain News

2009-02-26T22:20:00.001-05:00

Damn.

Newspagedesigner is back

2009-02-26T11:16:00.000-05:00

And it's now part of the SND site.
Find it here.

A new fisherman

2009-02-25T12:31:00.002-05:00

Here's more New England news that I got from a guy in Virginia. There's a new fisherman topping the paper in Gloucester, Mass.
Read more here ...

Portfolio wanted

2009-02-25T10:08:00.006-05:00

Anyone want to be this week's featured designer? I've e-mailed several people in the last few days and gotten no response. I'm either being ignored or, worse, they've been let go.
E-mail me at sgriffin@rep-am.com if you're interested.

Some live looks

2009-02-24T09:31:00.006-05:00

Here are three New England front pages from today that I thought were interesting.
>> One of the newly redesigned from Worcester, Mass. Maybe it's just a jpg/pdf problem causing rules to vanish, especially between the top two stories. What do you think about the size of the coins?

>> And from Portsmouth, N.H. A nice package sure to startle the old timers. An interesting ad at the bottom of the digest (?) box.

>> And, finally, this from Quincy, Mass. I'd like to see more of the lead story on the page. Any thoughts on the astronaut package?

The world's best

2009-02-18T10:16:00.006-05:00

Here are SND's World's Best-Designed Newspapers:
Akzia, Moscow, Russia, biweekly, circulation 200,000
Eleftheros Tipos, Athens, Greece, daily, circulation, 86,000
Expresso, Paço de Arcos, Portugal, weekly, circulation 120,000
The News, Mexico City, daily, circulation 10,000
Welt am Sonntag, Berlin, weekly, 400,000

Here's New England's scorecard:
Boston Globe: 24 awards
Hartford Courant: 10
Cape Cod Times: 5
Check here to read more.
Got an opinion?

>> Newspagedesigner.com is down. Hope you backed up your portfolios. More news on the replacement as it happens.
>> We've got a request for live pages to post here. If anyone wants some feedback on a page not found on the Newseum site, send a jpg to sgriffin@rep-am.com.

Designer of the week

2009-02-16T09:21:00.010-05:00

I'm going to try something new, and, hopefully, make it a weekly thing. It's a pages profile of one New England's SND members.
I sort of drew a name out of a hat based on the e-mail list I received from the folks at SND and the debut designer is Jill Blanchette of The Day in New London, Conn.
She's got a really nice sense of space and clarity. Good stuff. She also tells me these are before the redesign about a year ago.
** Bio update: Jill's been in the biz about 20 years, starting as an obit clerk, then beat reporter, entertainment section editor, copy desk chief and features designer. She's worked in Westerly, R.I.; Norwich, Conn.; and New London.**

What do you think? How about some critiques.

This is also a good way to remind everyone that newspagedesigner.com, which is where Jill's pages were found, will be shutting down at some point and moved over to SND. So back up your portfolios!

Redesign news

2009-02-15T18:21:00.002-05:00

Dohhh!!! A newspaper redesign debuts here in New England and I have to learn about it from a guy in Virginia.
Read about the new look for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette here.
If anyone's out there reading, let me know, especially if you have some news like this.

World's best judges arrive

2009-02-13T21:58:00.002-05:00

The 5 people judging the SND's World's Best-Designed Newspaper competition arrived in Syracuse today. One of the judges is a New Englander: Bobbie Roessner, managing editor at the Hartford Courant.
Read more here.

Let's hope she keeps the newspapers ...

2009-02-13T21:55:00.003-05:00

Our governor here in Connecticut has apparently come up with a way to save $40K: No more magazine subscriptions.
Read more here.

SND in NYC

2009-02-12T15:22:00.003-05:00

The folks next door in Region 2 have an interesting event set up ... and it's free! They've planned a gathering at the NY Times on Saturday, March 7, from 1-5 p.m.
Speakers will be Joe Hutchinson, Nigel Holmes, Sarah Slobin and a member of the NY Times visual staff. Each speaker will go about 45 minutes, then answer questions. Some cocktails provided afterward. More details to come but click here for more info.
Sounds like a great event.

Your turn

2009-02-11T10:53:00.000-05:00

Anyone want to send a jpg that will be posted for group critique? Send it ASAP to sgriffin@rep-am.com.

SND judging

2009-02-09T23:41:00.001-05:00

The final day of the SND judging has wrapped up in Syracuse. The top 10 winners by number of awards are the Los Angeles Times, the National Post (Toronto), The New York Times and its magazines, The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, La Presse (Montreal), The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, the Boston Globe, Zaman (Istanbul), The National (Abu Dhabi), and three newspapers tied for No. 10: The Buffalo (N.Y.) News, the Chicago Tribune, and Clarin (Buenos Aires).
Read more here.

Bronx cheer!

2009-02-09T13:58:00.003-05:00

Not much else I can write about this little gem.

Jet for sale

2009-02-08T09:43:00.002-05:00

It appears Copley Press, owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune, is trying to dump its corporate jet. This story reports the plane has only been used in the past few months for trips from San Diego to the French Riviera, St. Maarten in the Caribbean, Palm Beach, Fla., and the Virgin Islands. Times are tough. A similar plane is on the block for $17 million. Anyone?

Sunday morning coming down

2009-02-08T09:38:00.002-05:00

A quick glance at New England's front pages this morning on the Newseum showed nothing special. Anyone have an inside page you'd like me to post? Sports? Features? Commentary? ... Send a jpg to sgriffin@rep-am.com.

Are we essential?

2009-02-06T17:33:00.005-05:00

CNN's Jack Cafferty asks the questions today, are newspapers worth saving? Are newspapers essential?
One commenter hit the nail on the head in my opinion: Yes, they're essential because there's a huge difference between an informed opinion and forming an opinion.
Read more here ...
What do you think?
Thanks for the tip, Katrina.

What's a designer to do?

2009-02-05T10:28:00.006-05:00

Wednesday was a big state budget day here in Connecticut (and Rhode Island). Not an easy, inspiring day for designers, at least in my case. Even with the sky-is-falling message from our governor, it's tough trying to pull something out of these stories that will grab people around the throat and scream, "READ ME!!!!"
So here's a look at what the Nutmeg newspapers (and Providence) offered up today. You think any scored with non-budget fans?

What's your opinion?

Nudity and ice

2009-02-04T15:30:00.003-05:00

>> Got lots of technical skills and don't get enough chill from New England's winters? Check out this job posting.
>> Sam Zell spreads good cheer through male nudity and self-destructive prophesies.

Random picks

2009-02-04T11:39:00.007-05:00

Here are a couple of pages that caught my eye this morning.
Hard not to look at this eagle photo. Sharp.

Is this a message to my buddy Alan Jacobson?

Monday's sports cover from the Record-Journal in Meriden, Conn.

Any thoughts? I miss any standouts?

Super Tuesday

2009-02-03T08:33:00.004-05:00

Here's another Super Bowl sports cover. This is from the News-Times in Danbury, Conn. Send 'em to sgriffin@rep-am.com if you want 'em posted.

Super Monday

2009-02-02T14:50:00.009-05:00

Here's just a quick glance at how New England papers handled the Super Bowl on 1A. Without the Patriots involved, things were obviously toned down.
** I've added the Boston Globe's 1A and Sports covers (thanks, Dan).
*** If you've got a sports cover I can include, send a jpg to sgriffin@rep-am.com.

And then there's this genuine New England sport: Polar Bear Plunges!

Some videos about type

2009-01-31T21:24:00.006-05:00

Here are links to a couple youtube videos I received today:
Motion typography

Tipografica

And if you haven't seen the film, Helvetica, do it.

The First

2009-01-31T21:13:00.007-05:00

Hello, SND members from Region 1. I’m Scott Griffin, the region’s new director and the design editor at the Republican-American in Waterbury, Conn. I hope everyone here in frigid New England is coping with winter and you’re as eager to see spring arrive as myself.

After the previous director, Kristen Lenz, departed the region, I applied and made promises of things I would try to accomplish based on a Quick Course I chaired last spring. The Quick Course was, frankly, poorly attended despite an all-star lineup of speakers: Charles Apple, Bill Ostendorf and Darren Sanefski. Many people I spoke with before the event said finances – surprise! – would prevent them or their staff from attending. I even heard that from a newspaper boss just 30 miles away.

So, what do you do if you can’t bring the horses to the water? Take the water to the horses. Here’s my plan: This blog will not only be a way to spread news but also be a learning tool. I want you to interact, to critique and to share.

If you’ve got pages you’re proud of, send me a jpg to post. If you’ve got a page that didn’t come together like you’d hoped and you want advice, send that too. If you’ve got news (job changes, redesigns, etc.), I’d like to post that as well.

That’s all for now. I wanted this first installment to be short and sweet. Maybe next time I'll try a charticle.