Gannett started the conversation when it announced that it was going to centralize the design function of many of its papers at five regional hubs.
As might be expected, newspaper designers, led by the Society for News Design, complained in a loud voice.
SND complained that designers are critical to the success of newspapers and then tried to give reasons why design is important.
Design IS important, but designers are not. A lot of designers, and SND itself, created this problem years ago when designers began acting like art directors for magazines. Many newspapers, especially the large ones, hired design staff. Then they began justifying their own existence.
Newspapers don’t need art direction. They don’t need pages that look like magazines.
What I think is important here is the distinction between being a designer and being a visual journalist. Being a good visual journalist, helping to tell the story is what is important. This can be done from a central desk. It’s not optimum, but it is do-able.
I think newspaper design is a crucial part of being a good newspaper. I just don’t think you need “designers.” It may be a matter of semantics, but it is an important distinction.
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Owner, News Design School