A Dose of Irreverence
Newspaper Layout • Graphic Design • Marketing
Creative Brief
The Syracuse New Times had deep roots in the arts, entertainment, dining, and community events, covering a five-county geography in Central New York. As one of the oldest alternative newspapers in the country (1969-2019), it delivered a weekly dose of insight and irreverence to the region. I worked as a graphic designer, and was promoted to Creative Services Manager during my tenure with the publication.
What did the work look like?
Editorial Design
Working from a rough template, each issue of the Syracuse New Times was put together by a team of two designers in two business days. An issue ranged from 26 to 64 pages. Reporters and editors would breeze through the Creative Services Department on press days and toss their 2 cents into the page layout, which resulted in a delightfully collaborative—though sometimes chaotic—process.
Advertising Design
As a free publication, the Syracuse New Times depended on advertising for the bulk of its revenues. Most of the advertisers did not have large budgets. The design team had to partner with the sales force to conceptualize, plan, and execute bold advertisements that would stand out next to the articles and photos.
The Redesign
A new logo. A new branding system. A new style system. I worked alongside an experienced design consultant to build a “new” New Times. The consultant would bring in sketches, and I would translate them into an InDesign template. Together we built a new production workflow, and successfully rebranded one of the oldest alternative weekly newspapers in the country.
Browse Projects
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Reflections
Best Moment
As Calvin & Hobbes famously said, “ ‘You can’t just turn creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.’ ‘What mood is that?’, asked Hobbes ‘Last minute panic.’” Each week we would have roughly 16 hours to put together 48 pages of content along with a custom cover. Sometimes the cover design would come together in a morning, and other times it was last-minute panic. Every time, though, it was a magical feeling to sit down and force myself to push through deadline anxiety and just create.
Greatest Challenge
Every designer has an infamous typo. The cringe-worthy mistake that somehow made it through. My worst typo to date was printed in my second issue of the Syracuse New Times and the Exececutive Director feature story on the cover. Did you catch it? I didn’t, and it was printed 30,000 times and distributed across Central New York. The editor in chief approached me later and let me know that we all make that mistake exactly…once. I haven’t made it since.
Unexpected Lesson
The Syracuse New Times ran stories with opinions and gusto from quirky reporters. Balancing the desires of the art team, the editors, and the reporter whose cover was to be featured is the closest I’ll ever be to a foreign diplomat. Going into the job, I had no idea that managing the expectations of all those parties would be a part of the weekly duties, but I can confidently say—it was the most valuable skill I gained in the position.