Convergência virou démodé?

Em seu blog, Mario García conta sua experiência em Dubai, no jornal Gulf News, sobre convergência. Apesar de a redação do jornal ser estruturada de modo que os editores discutam por quais plataformas a notícia será contada, ainda é difícil emplacar a idéia de convergência/integração de mídia na redação. 


Um dos papas do design de jornal no mundo, Mario García sugere: "please discuss the story as such, let it fly over the hub table for a while, then ask the question: which is the best platform to tell the story.  If more than one platform make sense, then discuss how the story will be presented".


Entretanto, vale a pena ponderar as questões de convergência em vigor: na realidade, não vão além de power point com mídias distribuídas. O que leva à seguinte (contra) pergunta: em tempos de redes sociais, de fazer rede, de informação circular, de plataformas transmídia, é legítimo ainda discutir convergência nas redações mundo afora?


Porque a web tem uma dinâmica própria e certamente não é pautada pela remediação (BOLTER; GRUSIN:2000), mas por uma nova linguagem visual híbrida (MANOVICH: 2008) graças, sobretudo, à migração da cultura de página para a cultura de dados (BERNERS LEE: 2009). 


E você? Ainda aposta em convergência de midias?

O jornal de 2020, por Mario García

Já está no blog García Media a versão atualizada do Pure Design. O tema é o jornal em 2020. Uma das dicas, porém sem explicar de que modo, é que os publishers têm de linkar suas versões de papel à mídia digital, como CD e websites.

Anyway, isso já acontece em grande parte dos conglomerados de mídia. É a tal da convergência, que depois virou integração, mas que continua repetindo metáforas analógicas.

É preciso ir além de estar conectado à internet, é preciso criar estratégias de fazer rede, baseadas na noção de cooperação associada.

A pensar,

LM

Mario García para download

Imperdível. Da série Tem de baixar no seu HD. Mario García compartilhou na rede as primeiras 33 páginas de Pure Design. Dá para enviar a amigos, replicar nas redes sociais ou arquivar no computador.

LM

"Think text first"

A dica é do papa Mario García:

TAKEAWAY: "Typographically speaking, nothing is more important than text, which constitutes about 75% of what one will see in a contemporary newspaper or magazine. Legibility is key here, especially when catering to audiences which may include older readers. Our Pure Design installment today tells you how to make good text type choices. " +

LM

Vem aí "pure design" digital

Mario García começa a publicar dicas de design para revistas, jornais, livros e websites a partir do dia 1 de julho em seu blog. Inspirado na edição impressa de "pure design" (2002), García fará notas curtas inspiradas em "fable-inspired". O conteúdo será postado em pdf no Issu viewer.

LM

Uma palavra para definir a nova Newsweek

O que pensa Mario García sobre a mudança anunciada pela Newsweek: "desespero". Escreveu em seu blog: "normalmente, os psicólogos aconselham pacientes a não fazer mudanças drásticas em tempos de crise, pois podem lamentar mais tarde. O mesmo se aplica a revistas e jornais. Com a reforma, a Newsweek perdeu o que seus redatores fazem melhor: a narrativa. Isso em uma época em que é urgente realçar o modo como as histórias são contadas para uma audiência impaciente, bem informada e totalmente indisciplinada no modo de lidar com o texto."

What I think of the new Newsweek look

Typography:

The font utilized is not strong enough to carry the type of content that goes here; it is skeletal, so minimalist that it does not engage you by just looking at the headlines; the content here is stronger than the way it is presented.

Storytelling strategies: Blocks of text are thown on the page with little , if any, attempts to enhance storytelling—-except for interesting and detailed time lines and other elements that usually appear at the very bottom of the page, totally disengaged from the story they accompany. This seems to be a pattern. I doubt that the designers doing this (studio called Number 17) thought of this project as a journalistic design. I have seen fashion magazines—-and catalogues—-in the Scandinavian countries that resemble this type of approach. In their case, however, the publication is there to showcase photos of models, the text is not even secondary. At Newsweek, text is what we buy the magazine for, or at least that is why I continue to subscribe.

In my view, storytelling took a dramatic step backwards here. Were any editors involved in the process? The old dog in me says that this became a Design with capital letters sort of project. More than a reinvention, this was a revisualization—with not such good results.

Preserving the mag’s DNA: In terms of conveying the spirit of Newsweek (or preserving it?), nothing like that happened here. While the new Newswekk perhaps aims to be hip, it is sort of “retro confused”-—part tabloid, part The Economist wannabe, part advertorial supplement (big time).

Content restructuring: The magazine’s division into four content areas is good, and I do like that, especially the Scope section, which moves fast and seems to have been the most journalistically designed of all; however, the design for each opener is a disaster in terms of navigation. Indeed, there is a sort of belt, in red, that crosses the page with headlines of what ‘s inside that section. Great idea. Execution? Not clever at all. Type too small, no sense of hierarchy. Like with type elsewhere, there is a great disconnect between utilization of type and type functionality. When this happens, the entire concept collapses. It does here.

True, this is only their second issue. Design evolves. Editors take a good look at what they are doing, and fix things (my hope). They also listen to what readers tell them.

Why I keep my subscription
I have been an avid Newsweek reader for decades. I will continue to subscribe, primarily because I like the stories, and, especially whatever Fareed Zakariawrites about. I will follow Zakaria even if he writes his stuff in five point Futura on the back of a subway system map (that is a stretch).

Which goes to show what we have said all along: it is all about the content.

However, nobody should have to suffer a bit to access it.

I mentioned earlier that my reason for writing this blog is to sort of question the intentions behind the Newsweek project? I welcome comments from anyone associated with the project, of course.

LM

Narrativa multiplataforma

Páginas de jornais viram navegadores (com pouco texto), ruptura da cultura de página no design, repensar o fluxo de informações, acabar com a metáfora analógica do infográfico e a importância de manter um consultor nas redações com habilidade para treinar profissionais a planejar conteúdo multiplataforma.

Esses foram os destaques do IFRA design realizado em Paris nos últimos dias 27 e 28. Mario García esteve lá e cobriu o evento pelo twitter. Vale a pena arquivar no bookmark os highlights do ponto de vista de um dos mais importantes nomes design de jornais do mundo.

LM

Developing the ability to think multi-media

"Our approach comes directly from what journalism/new media leaders said was most needed: the ability to “think” multimedia. That ability to conceptualize goes hand-in-hand with knowing what can be done and with what ease. Our new professional masters program starts with immediate immersion into a bootcamp that features multimedia accompanied by “print” and broadcast reporting."

Dr. Leslie-Jean Thornton, da Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, em entrevista a Mario García

A pensar,

LM

Does your newspaper Twitter?

O Twitter está mesmo na ordem do dia. Nomes de peso do design como Mario García e Alberto Cairo criaram contas no microblog. 

García anunciou sua estreia explicando aos navegantes o que é o serviço e aconselhando aos publishers a entrar lá: "Does your newspaper Twitter? If not, get going. Most importantly, get journalists to Twitter. No better way to get interaction with readers. In Sweden, a majority of newspaper editors Twitter. Most write blogs as well, by the way." Já Cairo usa o espaço para destacar notas postadas em seu blog.

meu comentário: pesquisadores de design informacional agradecemos à entrada de García e Cairo no Twitter. Sem dúvida, seguí-los fará toda a diferença para pensar a composição na cultura de rede. 

LM

LM

What will come

Boa leitura traz Mario García sobre o que virá em 2009:

Consolidation of content
—-More newspaper editors and publishers worldwide took a good, hard look at how they present information, and considered different ways of merging related content, and, in some instances removing sections and departments no longer viable economically, or as a result of online coverage.

Specifics that come to mind:
*Stock listings—-in some instances, four pages of these numbers were brought down to two.

*Classifieds—this is one area where many newspapers studied the section to eliminate categories, or extend offerings through online.]

*Mixing of sections—-it is not unusual these days to combine sports and business, for example. With proper guidance, readers don’t seem to mind when changes in the “flow of the book” are made.

—Change of page format
—-While European newspapers continue to turn to the compact formats to facilitate use of the newspaper, while saving money, several newspapers in the United States, including The Oklahoman, adopted the narrower 44” web. More traditionally broadsheet newspapers worldwide also switched to “tabloid” format for supplements inserted in the newspaper.

—More attention to navigation
—-If there was one issue that all newspapers turned their attention to was how to make the reader’s trip through the newspaper easier. Editors everywhere asked us for the ultimate navigational tools, not only on page one, but also through the entire newspaper.

—Integrating print/online
—-What was basically a matter of choice only two years ago, the idea of fusing print and online operations has become a must. I am happy to say that every one of our clients is keenly interested in establishing the type of newsroom where news is seen as protagonist on a multiplatform stage.

—Storytelling strategies
—-This was a peak year for editors everywhere to rethink how their reporters and editors tell stories. More attention has been paid to creating strategies that allow for better utilization of secondary readings, brief items, photo galleries and info graphics as part of the storytelling process.

—Advertising innovations
—-Perhaps it was the dismal economy that ruled the day in this area, but I had never seen so much experimentation with various advertising sizes and configurations by newspapers everywhere. From wrap around ads, to island ads, to silent ads, and, of course, page one ads in various sizes, all made a safe landing in 2008. I predict we will see more of this in 2009.

—Mobile telephone platforms
—-We have only seen the very early start of mobile telephones as part of the multiplatform environment of the newsroom. However, newspapers of all sizes are looking at mobile phones for breaking news. 2009 should be a prime year for the continuation of this trend. The iPhone and the newly revamped Blackberry pave the way. One tip: make text on mobile phone units short, and let the images flow in!

—Online editions: ready for 2.1?
—-This has been an area of tremendous growth in 2008, but the next year should see newspaper operations turning their attention to how they can best explore the potential of online editions beyond the “news” component, and more into aggregate sites, interactive modules, multi media packages and advertising experimentation.

A pensar,

LM