redkeg asks: I'd argue that the selected cover is the right decision. The article isn't about the stuff that goes behind voters' bedroom doors, sexy naked flesh, whether or not Republicans view masturbation as a sin or prying into the sex lives of the candidates (or Romney's fertilized egg, gross). It is strictly about the political football of contraception—specifically who pays for the most expensive version of it, birth control. The other designers missed the point. Completely.
» SFB says: (In reference to this.) Totally feel you for the story-related reasons, but one thing to keep in mind is that if Andrew Sullivan had written the story a bit more broadly, not focusing on the current controversy and angling towards a broader rise of the culture wars, some of those other covers might have worked out a little better. Newsweek’s note itself said that the illustrators work on these before they get the full story. Visually, I’m a huge fan of the condom one, but in this case, you’re right. Newsweek picked the right option for the story. — Ernie @ SFB
An unsung journalistic hero: Before Louis Silverstein, newspaper design was a trade, not a profession. With the many changes he made as art director of the Times in the 1960s and 1970s, he helped change that. White space? More ambitious typefaces? Larger fonts? Abstract illustrations? Those were all his doing. Many of the conventions that modern newspapers now take advantage of came (in part) from Silverstein’s work. It took a lot of pushing, but Silverstein sold editors on these ideas. As a result, the Gray Lady is (and many other papers are) a lot less gray. And graphic design and news aren’t separate entities. Silverstein died Thursday at 92. (Also worth a read:The Society for News Design has a lot of anecdotes about an important figure in visual journalism.) source
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
