First interactive best & worst

Just thought I'd post a link to my attempt at an interactive "Flash" Best and Worst graphic....

Probably needs a few bells and whistles to spice it up, but I think I finally nutted out a few things that had been bugging me because I couldn't get 'em to work before.......

Anyway, let me know what you reckon I can do to make it look better, or more user friendly.... (Les)

Tips for improving as a graphic designer

I found this article of a site called The Design Cubile. Not a bad read. The writer has some good points for improving design skills and ideas. While we mightn't want do everything on his list straight away, it's certainly food for thought....

A "self improvement guide".... you can use some of it in your next performance review anyway!!

We've done the "blog" part at least ;-)

You can read the whole article titled 16 tips to improve as a graphic designer here

Page 1 goes live

Yesterday saw the first attempt at one of our "new" page 1 graphics..... As predicted, it arrived with late notice, but the lateness of the decision to run a graphic on the front page was due more to the actual timing of the BHP/Rio Tinto announcement driving the graphic rather than any indecision about whether to graphic or not graphic. The late news also created a fair bit of page changes for the subs inside the main book, along with a couple of extra graphics to boot, including a timeline and graphic size changes.



The actual page 1 graphic didn't seem to present any major dramas for the guys though. Clear communication, a simple idea, short, sharp text grabs (and not too many of them) all helping in the end. The BHP Billion share price line also fitted nicely around the photo of BHP chief Marius Kloppers.

A solid start (well done team) which will no doubt encourage the decision-makers to use more graphics on the front page in the future I'm guessing...... (Les)

The more links, the merrier!!

If you come across any interesting graphics links, please add them to our list of links!! The more links we have, the more useful this blog will become I reckon, even if we only end up using it as a gateway into other sites.....

Links to other graphics sites or blogs, map references, page and graphic design sites, fonts sites, illos, photos, even Illustrator & Photoshop tips and tutorials that could come in handy. Anything you can think of I'm sure we'll be able to use somehow... (Les)

US election graphics

There was no shortage of US election graphics going around the world this week.... most of them containing a US map of course. We ran a map of the US almost everyday in th AFR. During the weeks building up to the election with predictions etc, right through to the latest results were reported on the Wednesday night.



This year we also produced a US election map for the online guys.... it was nowhere near as sophisticated as the one the graphics guys on the New York Post produce like this one, but it was a start I guess. We updated our map 3 or 4 times through the afternoon to try and keep up-to-date with the latest results. This was the final 3pm update.



Most of the election graphics going around were fairly similar... there's not too many ways you can draw a map of the US after all!! It's a fairly recognisable shape, and all the details needed are contained within the individual states. I saw one graphic that stood out simply because it looked different. It was in the Sydney Morning Herald on the Thursday morning. Pictured below, each of the states is made up of a series of squares that represent each college vote. While the look of the actual US map is distorted somewhat, the graphic was simple, informative, and a very effective way to display all the information. (Les)

Page 1 samples

With the recent volatile share market activity, we've been asked to come up with a few ideas of how "graphics" could be used on page 1 of the newspaper in place of a photograph. Here are a few samples we've worked up so far as potential ideas. Each example tries to keep within the usual AFR style of including 3 or 4 stories on the front page, along with a few pointers and the usual masthead and pointer box across the top.

Obviously the page 1 graphic of the day (should they eventuate) would hinge largely on the information provided, and the accompanying photos available. Clear communication between all parties involved is paramount to maximise the time available for the best result possible..... (Les)