Design
Designers and writers alike have different creative processes that cater to different needs. With my lack of experience in design, I have to be extra cautious to consider the opinions of designers on staff and create systems that work for everyone. Here are a couple of design-related processes that we changed this year, and what I appreciate about all of them.
Round 0
Round 0 is a day used to brainstorm angles, sources, and design concepts for articles. In previous years, Round 0 consisted of a couple of Google Docs where people went from article to article and typed in their ideas. Although this process was efficient, I often felt like the naturally collaborative part of brainstorming was missing. This year, I came up with the idea to turn Round 0 into small group discussions. Groups of 4-5 meet and discuss each other’s articles and scribe their session in a Google Doc.
Maestros
After Round 0, we conduct 5-10 minute meetings called maestros where we discuss the content of the articles and design inspiration. During these meetings, my Co-EIC and I are able to take quick notes of potential concerns articles might run into, and everyone gets on the same page about the article’s angle. In addition to providing guidance to writers, I get to learn about the design and what ways I can assist with creating a cohesive page.
Design Circles
One of the biggest changes we made to the design process is changing design comments to design circles. Instead of designers providing feedback via Trello on each design, they get into circles and go around the circle to share their thoughts. These discussions not only clarify what feedback designers are providing but also allow for problem-solving to occur as a team effort, instead of isolating designers with a ton of feedback. As writers are doing comments on article deadline days, it is nice to hear the chatter of the designers working together to improve their designs.