This week, I was assigned to design the feature for Mandated Reporting. It's a tough story to cover, and I only had a full spread to include a 1,500 word story, two side bars, two info boxes and graphics. I chose to nix a side bar and one info box because the page was much too cluttered. For the theme, I'm mimicking a style that Vox did in the May 12, 2011 piece on Murder. If you haven't seen the piece, it takes newspaper clippings about the topic and kind of modge podges them onto the page. I like the ideas that I have going, but I'm not sure that I'm in love with the flow of the story. It's difficult when I don't have photos to go off of and when the story has such a serious tone. We have our feature meeting this Friday, so I'm hoping to get a lot out of it. Check back for updates!
The mandated reporting story is off to a great start! I think you handled the subject matter and lack of photos really well. This is a solution I probably never would have thought of. I love the touch of the ripped newspaper in the upper left corner, as well as the use of the grid to make the spread look like a newspaper.
ReplyDeleteThe statistics side bar looks a little disconnected from the spread to me. Perhaps adding in a subtle newspaper element somewhere or just drawing on the color palette of the newspapers for the numbers or something ... I think that would help. Also, if you do add the infobox and make it have a newspapery feel, that would really tie things together.
Good job!