Publishing systems

Redesign Greater Greater Washington. Work with site organization, the reader’s context, page layout, and type and images; and design small parts that fit together as a larger system.

Issues

• What audiences does the site serve? In what contexts?
• What is the site’s purpose?
• How is the site organized?
• What do individual stories look like, for key story types?
• How will readers move on, once they finish reading a story?
• How can readers find stories about particular topics?
• How will people can browse stories?
• What do readers see when they first arrive? (Where do they arrive?)

Deliverables

• A single-page document with text and graphics explaining the intent of your redesign
• Site map (turn in as PDF)
• Desktop/laptop-sized clickable prototype for at least 12 different screens, including the home page, two different types of section home pages, article pages. Have refined type, image, and layout. (Turn in as link to prototype, along with a PDF.)
• Smartphone-sized clickable prototype of the same level of polish and scope (turn in as link to prototype, along with a PDF) (optional)

For due dates, as with all projects in this class, see the course schedule.

Evaluation

Your final project will be graded on craft and execution, the quality of graphic design decisions (issues like image choice, type handling, layout), and on interaction and user experience questions (issues like site structure, usability, and navigation). Present work for each critique—process is also part of your grade.

Notes from classes

• GGWash evaluation notes from Oct. 3rd

Other sites

Sites to consider:

• Baltimore Banner
• Baltimore Brew
• The Intercept
• October
• Food52
• Serious Eats
• Pro Publica
• The Marshall Project
• Design Observer
• Working File
• 99 Percent Invisible
• New York Times
• Nowness
• Triple Canopy
• The Great Discontent
• A List Apart
• McKinsey Quarterly
• Yale Environment 360
• Quartz
• Field Notes subscriptions
• Bunk