Observation From a Distance

Bong (Burned Out Newspapercreatures Guild) Bull, AKA Charley Stough, has this to say, among many other things, in his latest issue:


Can we go ahead now and admit that page redesign isn't going to save newspapers?

One is tempted to call this the future of newspapering, but in fact it's the past. Among other warning signs in BONG Bull's premier edition in 1988, 700 editions ago, was the query, "Did you ever make your calls from the loading dock because of all the carol singing in the newsroom?" In your office it could have been cake-cutting or Hawaiian shirts, but the distractions were universal.

They didn't work. Still the managers bought into something called civic journalism and paid $1,000 a day to design consultants. Careers were built on committee skills, and team playing trumped fact checking. Better a moving column on lost puppies than a boring old 5-Ws thing on corrupt building inspectors.

Clear View, Shorter Distance

In this NYT magazine piece about the development of a new font that improves readibility of highway signs and is moving quickly into use in various print operations, I am especially impressed by how it cuts distance in half. (If you've ever driven across horizontal Pennsylvania, you'll appreciate the draw of shorter distances.)

Some of the improvement probably results from new, cleaner signage but no doubt the new font is easier to read.

Watch out, page designers--some of your managing editors who have read this story in Sunday's paper are going to be looking for this font.