Month: January 2010

Categories
Design HCId

Folder structure for an organized design workflow

Sloppy content management will likely lead to sloppy results. I learned a great folder structure system from Kurtis Beavers when I was working at the IU School of Journalism. He picked up this 4-folder structure while at Finelight. It’s great for web and print production; other structures are better for websites and action script Flash.

Workflow folder structure
Above is a photo of my workflow for a magazine I am coordinating and redesigning.
Keep one folders for each individual project and remember to save multiple versions!

ART
Store photos, screen shots, linked graphics and other images.

INFO
Store documents of text/copy, research, guidelines, styleguides and possibly a copy of your freelance contracts.

LAYOUT
Use This folder for working documents like Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator and Indesign.

FINAL (PDF, JPG, SWF, ETC)
Documents that can be submit or shared. This is handy for reviewing multiple versions.

Other Structures
Developing a Sensible Folder Structure
Folder Structure and Project Organization Best Practices
Project folder structure for a web designer

Categories
Design HCId Journalism

Digital news devices disregard the digital divide

Many journalism blogs and conversations are suggesting that E-readers, tablets and new devices will be the future of journalism. These will save news. I disagree. Below is a repost of a comment I made on the Society for News Design blog post about these readers. Matt Mansfield post reports on Roger Fidler, program director for digital publishing at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri, and his work and reviews of these tablets. Matt has been an important mentor for me in my journalism and design career. I’m not sure where he stands on this issue but I believe him to be someone who does value the user’s (reader’s) needs, society and quality content.

Much of the comments before my response celebrated these devices; though “LdF” eloquently reminds readers that content is king. My response reads

@LdF I agree, Content is king. I think everyone will agree with that.
@Adam Levy I’m struggling with the idea that E-readers are the only possible option. If we think from user’s perspective, how many people are running out to buy, yet another, device to carry around with them? And that’s not even considering the monetary cost of buying an e-reader device. Which brings me to my point about the digital divide.

Sure, there are the people who can afford to buy an e-reader, those people likely have smart phones. I’d be curious to know how many people who take a phone, charger, laptop, camera (maybe), wallet and their lunch to work also want to lug an e-reader around with them.

Then, what is the news solution for people who cannot afford an e-reader? Sure, news is online, it’s free. I think that’s excellent. It works for me. I think we, journalists, designers, need to have some conversation about readers without mobile devices, without internet connections at home (or at least fast ones). Yes, we are designing for the future, but people with low-incomes will exist in the future, too.

I am not arguing that we need to fire up more printing presses for those without internet connections. Because those people, likely, are not buying the newspaper too (because of cost, not interest). So, let’s remember to also design for the future of news on the other side of the digital divide. If we don’t, I predict we’ll see an educated Bourgeoisie and a proletariat without access to news.

Coming back to my point: I have a smart phone, it costs a lot of money, it let’s me read the news without having to buy anything more.

Just playing devil’s advocate…

I do plan to return to the media, journalism community during my career, sometime. I will practice my skills as an HCI professional in other fields, first. I just hope, by that time, news information is not a luxury item that is only available to those with access to high technology. Let us not create a society where only the elite have the opportunity to be educated about their economic, political, social, local and cultural news.

Categories
Design HCId Journalism

Let’s get connected and hired! Elect Nina Mehta for 2010-2011 GISA Research and Professional Chair

Nina Mehta

Classmates, Colleagues and future SoIC alumni,


Let us continue the great work that has been done by former Graduate Informatics Student Association officers and carry on the tradition of excellence.


I request of the School of Informatics and Computing bio, chem, human computer interaction design, music and security informatics graduate students to elect me to represent them as the GISA Research and Professional Development Chair. It is a natural fit for me.


According to the Cornell University Career Services, up to 80 percent of job openings are unadvertised. Professionals are hired through connections and this School has those connections. In collaboration with the Career Services Staff, Faculty, students, other university groups in Bloomington an of course alumni, I will work to further connect my colleagues.


I will work with the administration, faculty and Career Services staff to facilitate what needs to be done to get SoIC students jobs, internships, research, teaching and other positions to further their professional development.


I am an HCId Master’s student with an undergraduate degree from IU in Journalism and a second major in Political Science. I graduated in December of 2007. I worked full-time for a year at The Indianapolis Star and took a six-week professional leave to attend the Poynter Institute summer Fellowship program to intensively study digital storytelling and collaborative working on a full scholarship. I then worked at the IU School of Journalism Communications Department, The Kinsey Institute, Oliver Winery and now am a full-time Graduate Assistant in the Office for Women’s Affairs. I was hired for all of these jobs in 2009 alone, all through connections. I will do what I can to help SoIC students get connected within and outside of Bloomington. I am also currently working with the small team of students, Pete Bucklin and Erik Stolterman to influence the future HCId design space.


My goal is to learn more about the alumni network that Jeremy Podany has already cultivated so well. I will work to understand what can be done to strengthen that community for current students to join upon graduation. I have experience, connecting, preparing and hosting multiple alumni events from my experience working at the IU School of Journalism. I do not know someone who works at Intel, IDEO or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but I will work with the staff to find someone who does. This gets jobs.


I am a written, oral and visual communicator. I have professional experience with both graphic design and media writing. With these tools I can express the wants, needs and interests of SoIC students with a polished look and a garnish of fun.


I invite the School of Informatics and Computing graduate students to elect me, Nina Mehta, as the 2010-2011 Graduate Informatics Student Association Research & Professional Development Chair such that students who vote for me will formally express their research, professional wants, needs and interests.


You may review my portfolio, resume and this letter at
http://ninamehta.com/
http://ninamehta.com/NinaMehtaResume.pdf
http://ninamehta.com/loves/gisa.pdf


Thank you,
Nina Mehta


Read about the GISA Elections

Categories
Design

H&FJ’s work doesn’t translate to web

I began a typography course today. Working for a few years in newspapers, really drives the simple concept home that so much of design comes down to content and communication. Legibility in news typography is the most important (except of course for a concept illustration). It will be nice to have a venue to dive in and and truly engross myself in a world of Egyptian slab serifs and kerning theory.

Andy Clyme / NYT

With that I’ll share a NYT piece @nickd shared about H&FJ. The shift from print to web for many design elements has been exciting: color, light, legibility, image size, interactivity (of course) and of course type. I went to a conference two years ago where Font Bureau broke down the pixel problem bit by bit.  What a treat. Here’s what the NYT has to say:

Imagine that you are a super-successful movie director, who’s been given hundreds of millions of dollars and lots of whiz-bang technology to make a cinematic epic. Sounds good? Not once you are told that people will have to watch it on fuzzy old black and white television sets.
Something similar happens to the text that appears on your computer screen whenever you log on to a Web site.

Imagine that you are a super-successful movie director, who’s been given hundreds of millions of dollars and lots of whiz-bang technology to make a cinematic epic. Sounds good? Not once you are told that people will have to watch it on fuzzy old black and white television sets.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/arts/11iht-design11.html