“Redesign. The mere word can strike fear into a veteran adviser.”
By Ron Johnson
Indiana University
The adviser to The Maroon, said he was looking to give the newspaper a boost.
Michael Giusti, Student Media Adviser at Loyola University New Orleans, said the newspaper had a strong tradition, but it was time for an upgrade.
“We have traditionally done well in many areas — ones that I am personally strong in as a professional journalist — writing, editing, story selection,” Giusti said.
“But we were missing the whole package. We found that people didn’t tend to consume that great coverage because they weren’t drawn to it.”
Design was the piece that would pull it all together, Giusti said. “But I wasn’t the guy to lead it. I joke that when it comes to design, I am a technician, not an artist.”
Well, I’m no artist, either, but I signed on to help the folks at The Maroon in spring 2014. From advising my own newspaper staffs at three universities of different sizes, I knew the potential. I also I knew the pitfalls. Continue reading “The nuts and bolts (and more) of redesign in a collegiate setting”