Pagination

Posted on June 10, 2010

My journey into layout and design started my senior at UNH when I was wrapping up a degree in Journalism. I knew reporting was not for me very early into the program so I focused on becoming an editor. I landed a full-time paid internship at the North Andover Eagle Tribune in the editorial department. My first assignments were copy editing social calendars and writing obituaries (not my calling, thankfully). Gradually, I was able to take on more responsibilities and moved to letters to the editor, features, and finally editing hard news. Although I have always had a keen eye for editorial work but I felt unfulfilled. Not to say writing 7-10 obituaries daily doesn’t take some finesse and creativity, but I wanted to be more involved with the design process.

After my internship ended I was hired as a night desk sports editor and got my first taste of layout. There are a surprising amount of rules that to be considered in layout in terms of flow and what you want your audience to take away from your publication. It is easy to be caught up in an amazing design but produce something that is disorganized or confusing. From fonts to image size and resolution, every night at the sports was an awesome learning experience. Working the sports desk is one of my favorite jobs that I have ever had (right under movie projectionist) but the graveyard shift was not for me.

So I moved on to the Community Newspaper Company (now Gatehouse Media) as a Pagination and Prepress Technician where I did less editing and more layout and design. At CNC I switched from the news of one section to laying out advertisements and designing whole publications. I produced 18 weekly newspapers for towns and cities in MA, meeting about 12 deadlines a day. This was an interesting position because even though the publications were for the same company, every town was independent and each editor had separate requirements and expectations for their paper. Here I got to work with, and more importantly learn from, design experts such as Kate Dempsey Knowlton, Jason Angel, and John Lockwood, who are all insanely talented.

At this point I knew for sure that I wanted a career in publication and technology. So I went back to school for Photography (which changed my life and perspective completely) and became educated on the best lighting practices, the best Photoshop techniques, event shooting, studio design and management, digital story telling, digital work flow and file management, etc … Although I no longer work for the media I have not stopped designing and paginating. Now I temper my photo skills with layout for musician album design, flash videos, web design, photo album design, and flyers and advertisements. Also I layout publications for organizations like Friends of the Fells and volunteer my services for non-profit organizations like the Point After Club. Below are a few samples of work that I have done. Enjoy!





“AHH.. It’s my first photoshoot!”

Posted on May 18, 2010

Rellllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaax.

It’s going to be okay.

I’ve been working with Erin for 4 years, doing lighting, set design, carrying the heavy stuff, and holding people up when in dangerous places.  When Erin was in school I was also her go to test subject, so there’s quite a few frames of me out there.  I hope I’ve learned a few things I that can help you at your photoshoot.

Photo Shoots 101

1-  To smile or not to smile, that is the question. The answer is both.  Try to stop worrying about which shot will look good.  We’ll take a whole bunch.  At the end of every session you are able to pick the photos you want retouched.   It’s pretty simple and usually fun.

2- Location, location, location.  Headshots in the studio are great.  Come to ours at Vernon Street in Somerville, Ma.  Or think of a great spot you’ve always to have a shot.   A favorite park, a cool room in your house, etc.  Photographers can come to you for something unique.

3-  Bring music, especially if we’re going to be doing studio shots with us.  An ipod/MP3 player works best.  People usually end up dancing.

4- Ironing is your friend! – Most of the time you won’t know what to wear.  So you’ll want to bring a few options.  Sometimes a few is a lot.  And a lot if hard to carry. So you throw them all in a bag..  they fit well in the bag.. and then you add more!   Wrinkled mess.   Clean, ironed/wrinkle-free clothes work best.

5-  Looking through the Lens – Many times the amount of focus in your eyes can make a major difference in a good photo and a great photo.   It is important to understand that the lens of the camera is picking up the image at the back of lens, not right at the front.  Many people like to look at the front of the lens creating a slightly “off” look in their eyes.   This can be remedied by looking “through” the lens (often times you can see where the shutter hits the sensor in camera.. look there!).  A good way of describing it is that you want your eyes to connect with the viewer’s eyes on the other side of the photo.

6-  Relax.  Seriously just relax.

7-  Bring a bunch of changes of clothes. The same shirt in 2 colors works, but doesn’t really show off your different sides.  Get creative.

8- Are you a band?  Come up with a concept.  We can help too.  Bands look good in fronts of walls, but even cooler painted blue.  Also, unlike normal photos, wrinkles can be good.  Think about it.

Check out some examples on our portraits page.

Hope all has been well,

Joe K.





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