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Graphics opportunities: When to say no

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By Warren Watson
Associate, American Press Institute

Published: Tuesday, November 28, 2000

Picking your shots is important for the small-newspaper graphics specialist.

  • A primer on informational graphics

    • When not to use a graphic:

  • When the information is too obvious or too simple.
  • When the story is too complicated.
  • When words say it better.
  • When there is no time to do the graphic well and/or correctly.
  • When you're simply doing the graphic to add color to a page.

    When to Say Yes

    Jerold Council, graphics editor of the Sun in Baltimore, relates it all back to the traditional five Ws and How. His formula:
  • A who story suggests a bio box or breakout of the characters.
  • A what story suggests a breakout of the provisions.
  • A when story suggests a time line or schedule.
  • A where story suggests a map.
  • A why story suggests a pro-and-con breakout.
  • A how story suggests a table, chart or diagram

    Types of Graphics

    Graphic opportunities often fall into several categories, says Mary Peskin, design director of the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. They include:
  • Trends — Numbers showing change over time.
  • Comparisons — Numbers compared or a parts of a whole.
  • Maps — Where things occurred.
  • Diagrams — The most complex form of a graphic. They explain processes or complex events.

    •  

    wwatson@bsu.edu

    Warren Watson is former Vice President of Operations and Extended Learning at the American Press Institute. Send e-mail to Watson

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