Atlanta Journal-Constitution unveils AJC Sunday

From Shawn McIntosh, AJC public editor:

The new Sunday AJC debuts this weekend, packed with in-depth local content. The new Sunday mission includes explaining the “why” behind the week’s headlines, holding officials accountable with more watchdog reporting, providing an in-depth cover story in every section and providing readers with a relaxing weekend experience.

This Sunday’s newspaper delivers on that promise.

Check out the AJC's new interactive site for ajcSunday at http://media.ajc.com/unplugsunday.

You can watch the TV ads and other parts of the Atlanta marketing campaign at http://media.ajc.com/unplugcampaign/tv.html.

Now, for the pages (click on the image for a closer look):

A3



A1

A2

B1

B8 (Part of the new "Community News" pages)

C1


D1
D2


E1
E12
E16
E22

Editors have been talking with readers online all week at http://www.ajc.com/conversation.

New daily Atlanta Journal-Constitution debuts

After two years of research and development — focus groups and online communities with thousands of readers — the Atlanta Journal-Constitution launched the first part of its transformative redesign today. Not just a new look, the paper has reorganized the newsroom, reallocated resources and rethought how the print product should work for readers who love newspapers. Here’s a glance at today's new daily AJC, compared with pages from Monday and April 27, 2008. We’ll show pages from the new AJC Sunday on May 3. (Click on the images for a closer look.)








From AJC Editor Julia Wallace:

Print is a powerful medium. We know that more and more people are getting their information in a digital format. But we also know that many still love and enjoy reading a newspaper.

Nearly two years ago, we set out to chart a course for the future. As information habits changed and more of our print audience shifted to the Internet, we knew the status quo was not an option. A struggling economy only added to the challenge before us.

We thought the best answers would come from our readers. We talked to thousands of them. They guided us to the new product you’re holding in your hands today.

This daily newspaper is one designed for newspaper readers. For years our industry has chased those elusive nonreaders. Our market research led us down a different path. What we’d have to do to win over those nonreaders risked driving away our core readers. We believe we can thrive by increasing the satisfaction of those who already engage with us regularly. So … you see a newspaper that looks and reads very much like a newspaper.

We’ve invested millions in press upgrades, more color and a more newsy, sophisticated look. We hired an award-winning design firm, Lacava Design, from Montreal to help us create a newspaper that is easy to use and filled with information.

Also along the way, we found ways to do things more efficiently. Our reader feedback proved valuable when economic necessities forced us to scale back plans and coverage. It was our readers who helped us set priorities for what to keep and what could be sacrificed.
We’ve already rolled out most of the content changes the last few months. Today’s print redesign is the culmination of a lot of hard, sometimes painful work that at its heart reflects the optimism and dedication to a long and prosperous future in this community.



What’s the overall design philosophy?
The new look could be called “Modern Classic.” It plays off the best of traditional newspapers, but with a modern, more colorful feel. What you’ll see is a newspaper that has been built with our readers and advertisers in mind. The AJC will be a newspaper for newspaper readers, those with a true affinity for print. The new design balances their needs with the efficiencies we need.

Will the daily and Sunday newspapers look different?
Yes, slightly. We know that readers use the paper differently on weekdays and Sundays. Our new design offers a sweep of news and topics quickly on weekdays when readers are busy. On Sunday, it has a more relaxed look that invites readers to settle in and spend some time with the newspaper.

Did you change the fonts?
Yes. We’ve simplified our typography, taking our cues from classic American and European newspapers. The primary font, Publico, customized for the AJC by Christian Schwartz, is exceptionally readable and easy on the eyes at all sizes. It is named for the Lisbon, Portugal, newspaper that first used it. Our secondary font, Boomer, is used for information boxes, photo captions and calendars. It was originally developed for AARP.

Is the newspaper smaller?
Yes. The redesigned AJC is narrower, printed with soy ink on 100 percent recycled paper. Many American newspapers have narrowed their formats in recent years. The new pages are more compact, but because of denser layout and improved typography, content is not sacrificed. It saves trees and reduces one of our largest business costs.

Who did the redesign?
An in-house team that is led by product design chief Will Alford collaborated with Montreal-based Lucie Lacava, a celebrated designer of more than 60 publications across North and South America, Europe and the Middle East.

When was the AJC last redesigned?
Changes are nothing new for newspapers. Most go through a facelift about every five years. The most recent comprehensive redesign of the AJC occurred in 1999.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution redesign launches tomorrow

Find a sneak peek of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's redesign that launches tomorrow (Tuesday, April 28) at http://www.ajcsundaysneakpeek.com and also at http://www.youraudiencedelivered.com.

The AJC 2.0 redesign crew, led by design chief Will Alford, worked with Lucie Lacava of Lacava Inc. See what AJC newsroom leaders have to say and what questions readers are already asking at http://www.ajc.com/conversation.

Editor Julia Wallace will be blogging about the redesign and taking questions there Tuesday, April 28. Alford will be online Wednesday, April 29, and Lacava will be blogging Monday, May 4.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Check back here and at http://www.lacavadesign.ca tomorrow morning to see the new look as the redesign goes live and to get a closer view of the changes.

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Some of the previews the AJC has been running recently in the newspaper:

Sunday, April 26: "Delivering for our readers"

It’s Sunday. If you are like many of the readers we have listened to over the past 18 months, you have a little more time to spend with the newspaper today than you do on other days. And you expect a little something more and different from your Sunday paper.

As we have worked to make sure the newspaper meets the key needs of our readers, many told us of their rituals with the Sunday newspaper: how many cups of coffee they drink while reading; where they like to sit (den, kitchen table, porch); how the sections get divided among family members. They look to us to recap and explain the week’s events, let them know what’s coming up and help them save time and money.

For many readers, the newspaper reading experience is different during the week. They are time-pressed and want a broad sweep of the news fast, before they dash out the door and into the busy world. Others like to keep up with the news online and rely on ajc.com on weekdays; but enjoy the Sunday newspaper.

In every way possible, we’ve kept these differences in mind as we have set about to build smarter, more efficient news sources for you.

Throughout the process of reviewing and then improving, we have had to balance what readers want with current economic realities. While we can’t deliver everything readers say they want, we have preserved those things readers say they value most.

You’ve already seen many of the changes, from our new format and logo on ajc.com to several new features in the newspaper.

On Tuesday, we will debut an all new look for the daily newspaper and on Sunday, we will debut the new Sunday design. Let us know what you think. We want to keep the conversation with readers going.

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Monday, April 27: "What to look for in Tuesday's newspaper"

News you want: We will continue to bring you the latest in international, national and local news. Our sections — Metro, Sports and Living —have been designed so you can find your favorite features and stories faster.

Watchdog: Readers have told us that they want us to hold public leaders accountable for their actions, so we will continue to monitor how government is working — or not working — and present the information in a way that’s timely and easy to understand. One of your favorite features, Take to Task, is still in the Metro section and still helping you cut through local government red tape.

Easy to find: Navigate to the information you want with color-coded sections, at-a-glance headlines and consistent, clear organization.

More color: We’ve invested in our future with significant upgrades to our presses in Gwinnett County. This gives us the capacity for more color on news and advertising pages. Each section of the redesigned AJC is color-coded, which helps readers navigate the pages to find what they want to read.

Easy to read: We’ve simplified our typography, taking cues from classic American and European newspapers. The primary font, Publico, customized for the AJC by typographer Christian Schwartz, is exceptionally readable and easy on the eyes at all sizes. More straightforward headlines help readers scan stories and absorb more information. And no, we have not shrunk the type!

Follow Region3

Keep up with SND Region 3 events and industry news on Facebook with the SND Region 3 group or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sndregion3.

Region 3 moving / shaking.

There have been several member moves in Region 3 lately!

This just in from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's design director, Paul Wallen:

I'm very excited to announce yet another terrific addition to our visuals team!

Nuri Ducassi will be joining us in mid-June as Features Design Director.

Nuri is currently the Design Director at the Montreal Gazette, where she's responsible for the overall presentation of the paper. She led a total redesign of the Gazette in 2006 and her staff to 33 SND awards over three years.

Widely recognized as one of the best designers, illustrators and teachers in the country, Nuri has an incredible track record of success at the San Jose Mercury News, Hartford Courant and Miami Herald. She has been a visiting faculty member at Northwestern University, Poynter Institute and American Press Institute. In 2006, she was an SND World's Best judge for the 28th edition.

In taking this position, Nuri returns to her "roots" in several ways. Professionally, she will get to focus on her first love - features design. Personally, she is coming home to South Florida, where she has family and many friends.

Nuri will be relocating from Quebec, along with her partner Nauret, three dogs (Barolo aka Pablit, Frederika aka Fritzi, Paco aka Puki aka Bebe) and two cats.

I expect Nuri's talent, energy and infectious personality to make a big impact and help us elevate even further what we do on a daily basis.

Please join me in giving Nuri a warm Sun-Sentinel welcome!

You can find some examples of Nuri's Miami work at NPD.

The Sun-Sentinel also recently hired Tim Ball as Sports Design Director. Catch the details here and his portfolio on NPD.

AND Kevin Wendt, an Assistant Managing Editor at the San Jose Mercury News, will become the editor of the Huntsville Times in Huntsville, Ala. You can read all about it at SND Update.

Congratulations to Nuri, Tim, the Sun-Sentinel, Kevin and the Huntsville Times on some exciting moves! Welcome to Region 3!

Story Forms Boot Camp in Region 3

A two-day Quick Course on alternative story forms is coming to Region 3 at the end of this month.

The schedule looks incredible: The case for doing alternative story forms, EyeTrack results, developing stories for a true "charticle" form, and how to dissect information so it's easier for readers to digest. All this, and get help brainstorming story ideas or even making an ASF with a story already in the works at your own paper.

Trainers include Josh Awtry of The Salt Lake Tribune, Stephen Komives of the Orlando Sentinel and Denise Reagan of the Florida Times-Union.

March 29-30
Freedom Forum
John Seigenthaler Center, Vanderbilt University
1207 18th Ave. S.
Nashville, Tenn.

Find information on how to register at SND.org.

Tiffany Hurt to the AJC

More member moves in Region 3 ... this time from one Region 3 paper to another! Tiffany Hurt will be joining The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a designer from the St. Petersburg Times.

Dee Dee D'Asaro, Print Senior Editor/Visuals at the AJC, said in a memo to the staff:

Tiffany Hurt joins The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's design team as a news designer starting in late April.
Tiffany comes to us from St. Petersburg Times, where she designed mostly A1 and local news fronts in addition to planning duties. Before that, she was a news designer at the The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla.
Tiffany brings her considerable skills to Atlanta at a critical time as we rethink our weekend paper and hone our digital objectives, among other initiatives. We are thrilled to have her with us!

You can check out Tiffany's NPD portfolio here.

Congratulations Tiffany and the AJC!

'Intern' finalist Bill Couch moves to USA Today

Bill Couch, a finalist in SNDOrlando's "The Intern" competition, is leaving the Orlando Sentinel for the nation's newspaper, USA Today. Bonita Burton, AME/Visuals at the Sentinel and SND Treasurer/Secretary, sums it up far better than I could in a memo to the staff:

“I’m sorry to announce that William Couch is leaving the Sentinel for a position at USA Today. At the nation’s newspaper, Bill will create online graphics, data-driven Flash applications and other new technologies exclusively for USAToday.com. His last day in Orlando is yet to be determined, but he will be starting work in McLean, VA on April 1st.

Bill’s time with us has been short but very sweet. He first came on our radar 18 months ago as one of 10 national finalists competing for design internships at SND’s annual workshop in Orlando. During this high-profile event, Bill distinguished himself as a media junkie well ahead of his time (see his video). His slick multimedia campaign won over the crowd and secured a coveted internship at the Arizona Republic. The Poynter Institute also took notice and offered Bill a prestigious 2007 summer fellowship. It was fresh out of that program that we snagged him for our new hybrid design & graphics team eight months ago.

While Bill never did get the benefit of that hard-won internship out west, he hit the ground running here defining a job that never existed before. Assignment No 1: our first newsroom-generated Flash graphic, an interactive map to accompany the UCF stadium opener. Determined to bring something new and useful to the report, Bill spent an entire afternoon timing the hot walk between each parking lot and the new stadium. He next teamed with Tory Hargro to tell the back story of Col. Mike McCoy through photos, videos and interactive animations. Then he really got cranking with quick-turn Flash graphics that explained how Odyssey Middle School was built on a controversial bombing range and how a deadly 70-car pileup unfolded on I-4. Up next: a rich interactive presentation on global warming’s impact on Florida’s sea levels. Bill has also regularly produced 2-D graphics for the paper and found technical shortcuts that cut production time of our TV grids in half.

We’ll miss Bill’s infectious energy, imagination and good humor. Most of all, we’ll miss the wacky noises he unconsciously makes when on the verge of a creative breakthrough. At least we still have his Twitter feed (297 followers), his Facebook page (780 friends) and Flickr albums (more than 8,000 pictures, including a set titled “Food Porn”). And there’s always something happening at WilliamCouch.com.

Please join me in wishing Bill well in his new adventure.”

Congratulations, Bill! We'll miss you in Region 3.

SND29 ... back from the Cuse

The SND gang is finished with judging for the 29th Annual Best of Newspaper Design competition in Syracuse, N.Y. In case you haven't seen the coverage, there is an incredible amount of videos, photos and blog updates at various places on the interwebs (including the newly-designed update.snd.org).

update.snd.org
flickr
designhawg and design monkey

The database will be updated soon, so we'll all know how papers in Region 3 did. For now, the St. Petersburg Times is in the top 10 for awards out of nearly 15,000 entries and about 1,100 winners.

Congratulations!

The World's Best Designed newspapers will be judged next weekend in Syracuse, and those results should be available by Tuesday, Feb. 19. The SND Update Blog will have live coverage of that judging, too.

Quick Courses coming our way

SND has announced trainers for the 2008 Quick Courses, and there are several opportunities in Region 3.

>>> STORY FORMS BOOT CAMP

January 18-19: The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, FL
March 29-30: Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, Nashville, TN

More publications are using alternative story forms, but everyone is still struggling to get it right. Learn what kinds of stories lend themselves to what forms and how to visualize them. Learn how to write, edit and design these forms. Learn how Interactivity and social networking functionality can be applied to news gathering. Bring your own story ideas and execute them as ASFs in the classroom.

Trainers: Josh Awtry, The Salt Lake Tribune; Stephen Komives, Orlando Sentinel; Denise M. Reagan, The Florida Times-Union


>>> FLASH: BEGINNER

March 14-15: University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL

In this two-day seminar, you'll learn the basics of multimedia storytelling, including how to pick a project, set up your team and develop an effective workflow. In addition, you'll get an introduction to Macromedia Flash, the standard for multimedia storytelling. And because this is a hands-on seminar, you won't just see the program in action, you'll actually get to try it yourself in our computer lab.

Trainers: R. Scott Horner, Swarm Interactive; Don Wittekind, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

You can find out more about each course and read speaker bios at the SND blog, or register at SND.org.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Looking through Newseum, I find it interesting to see how everyone handles holidays in the mast. Ignore it? Play it small? Or blow it out?

Here's how randomly selected Region 3 papers played it:









And some papers from other regions:








How does your paper handle holidays on A1? What do you think?

Think you're qualified to be an SND judge?

Or know someone who is?

Here's your chance to be involved with the annual Best of Newspaper Design competition. The Society is looking for nominations for future judges, and they DO NOT necessarily have to be an SND member or work in newspapers to be qualified.
If you'd like to nominate yourself or someone you know, please send an e-mail to Susan Santoro at the SND office with this information:

NAME
AFFILIATION
WORK TITLE
MAILING ADDRESS
TELEPHONE NUMBER
E-MAIL ADDRESS
NATIONALITY

And, for each nomination, please include a few sentences about the person to help determine which areas the person might judge.


OTHER COMPETITIONS NEWS:
The deadline for book cover entries is Nov. 27, so hurry if you'd like for your concept to be considered. (Not only will your work be on the SND 29 cover, but there's also a prize.)

OTHER DEADLINES:
The call for entries will be sent out around Thanksgiving, and the entries are due in Syracuse on or before Wednesday, Jan. 16.

AJC redesign: Lucie Lacava

Breaking news from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
This memo went out from Dee Dee D'Asaro, Print Senior Editor/Visuals to the visuals staff:

Wonderful news!

We are near the end of negotiations, and it looks like Lucie Lacava of Lacava Design Inc. will most likely be helping us redesign the Sunday newspaper.

Lucie is known for her elegant use of typography and architecture. Her portfolio includes over 60 projects, and the largest paper she's worked on is the Chicago Tribune. She was instrumental in designing/launching the National Post in Canada six years ago amid a highly competitive national market. More recently, she redesigned the Baltimore Sun and the Telegraph-Journal, and is finishing up a redesign of La Libre Belgique in Brussels. She is the originator of the much copied "hot L" concept for teases. I remember being inspired years ago by her use of spot color in her first major redesign: Le Devoir in Montreal. Three of her projects have been voted among the "World's Best Designed" by the Society of News Design for a grand total of 10 times.

The staff met with Lucie today and looks forward to all the changes in the future.
In the meantime, check out Atlanta's work at AJC.com and Lucie's portfolio at lacavadesign.ca.

Design a cover, win a prize

The SND committee that brings you the annual Best of Newspaper Design competition each year is having a little competition of its own -- to find a design/concept for the 29th edition's cover. The committee is looking for a concept that promotes award-winning news design. They encourage a cutting-edge design as long as the content relates to newspaper design.

HOW TO ENTER:
Please submit full-size, high-resolution concepts (9.25" x 12.25" -- measurements allow for a bleed trim of .25" on the top, bottom and right side). All images must be 300 dpi at the size they will be used. Designers must provide written permission to use all images and fonts included in the cover design. A full-size PDF file may be sent as an entry but an editable QuarkXPress or InDesign file will be needed within seven days if your cover concept is selected as a winner. Full color is available and, if needed, the 29th Edition cover can include embossed area(s).

WHAT YOU GET:
The first-place winner's cover will be used on the 29th edition (available in October 2008) and he or she will be recognized at the annual awards dinner at the Las Vegas conference. He or she will also win a prize in recognition of having the winning cover design, assuming the designer fulfills the competition requirements. All designers submitting a cover design will receive a certificate recognizing his or her work.

DEADLINE:
Nov. 27, 2007. For additional specs or questions, please contact: Marshall Matlock, SND competition committee director, mmatlock@dreamscape.com, 315-263-8899, 3464 16th Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33713. All entries will be acknowledged via e-mail as soon as they are received by e-mail attachments (for PDFs) or mail (if CD or DVD) with all required files including two match prints, if possible. Please include your name, job title, preferred mailing address, phone number with area code and e-mail address with all entries.

LEGAL STUFF:
The SND Competition Committee and its book editor reserve the right to ask the cover designer to make changes if deemed necessary, and the designers have the right to withdraw his or her cover from the competition if he or she does not wish to make the changes. No entries can be returned, and non-winning entries remain the property of the designer. Winning entries become the property of the Society for News Design, which may decide to use the cover on future publications with proper designer credit. The judges reserve the right not to select a winning entry or to reject any entry that arrives after the Nov. 27 deadline.

Sun-Sentinel creates new multimedia dept.

Now that Comcast has brought that series of tubes to my new place in Atlanta, I'm up and running again with the SND Region 3 blog!

The first bit of (slightly delayed) news comes from Tim Frank, DME/Visuals at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. They've just created a new multimedia department that will combine online's video staff with the newsroom's visual staff. Scott Horner is the new multimedia director.
From his memo to the staff:

We're pleased to announce that Scott Horner has been named director of our newly created Multimedia Department, effective immediately.

Scott helped put the Sun-Sentinel on the multimedia map, with TheEdge, and as one of visual journalism's leading teachers of Flash and multimedia storytelling. He recently returned from a Knight Fellowship at Stanford University, where he studied documentary filmmaking and immersed himself in digital culture.

Scott has the talent, experience and vision to lead our ambitious effort to tear down the walls between print and online in video, photography, graphics and design to create what we expect to be one of the most innovative multimedia departments in the country. Our goals are to:

• Give multimedia the emphasis we give photography, graphics or print design.
• Increase the volume, immediacy and quality of online video, photography and interactive graphics.
• Promote a cohesive vision for all online visuals.
• Integrate video into the newsroom.

As the multimedia director, Scott will oversee the video team led by our new Online Visuals Editor, Wanda Wright, and establish an overall vision for online presentation. Scott will work closely with all departments producing work for online, directly manage video and focus on keeping the Sun-Sentinel way ahead of the curve for innovative visual storytelling.

Scott, who is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, joined the Sun-Sentinel in 1996 and has been assistant graphics editor for almost eight years. He will report to Tim Frank and Sherry Skalko.

Congratulations Scott and everyone at the Sun-Sentinel.
Keep your eyes on Sun-Sentinel.com!

Off to Boston ...

Region 3 is heading to Boston!

One quick reminder: If you're going to the annual workshop, there are so many avenues to get involved with the Society. An easy way that many people may not know about is to bring your ideas to committee meetings (all SND members are welcome). Here are the times and places ...

Competition: 1 p.m. Thursday, Stuart Room
International: 2 p.m. Thursday, Hancock Room
Diversity: 3 p.m. Thursday, Hancock Room
Publications: 3 p.m. Thursday, St. James Room
Education: 4 p.m. Thursday, Hancock Room
SND.org: 4 p.m. Thursday, St. James Room

Quick Course: 9 a.m. Friday, Hancock Room
Educators Brown-Bag Roundtable: 12:30 p.m. Friday, TBA

SND.ies: 12:15 p.m. Saturday, Hancock Room

Check back for updates from the workshop!

Fire destroys SmartNews building

SmartNews, the startup free daily paper in Fayetteville, N.C., is in temporary quarters after the building that houses its offices burned down early Monday.

Investigators haven't pinpointed a cause, but this from Managing Editor Jim McBee:

No word yet on the cause of the fire -- as I type, State Bureau of Investigation and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents are poking through the wreckage. The building's owner called SmartNews owner and publisher Randy Foster at home in the wee hours to tell him the building was on fire. And then he called me. Not much sleep, but we're getting out Tuesday's paper per usual. Thankfully, critical laptops were not in the office when it went up, and we contract out our printing.

Hopefully, no one was hurt. Jim, you and your staff are in our thoughts! Please keep us posted.

Sunday's Special Reports

Remember series?
Several region 3 papers launched series or special reports today, and I noticed they all had some pretty hefty multimedia elements, too. I'm still trying to figure out how to post like a blogger pro, but you can take a closer look at these pages either at Newseum or their Web sites. Here's a glance:


ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
LIFE OR DEATH, four-day series

The murders illustrate what a two-year investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has revealed: Getting the death penalty in Georgia is as predictable as a lightning strike. Thirty-five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the death penalty nationwide after finding it was arbitrary and capricious in Georgia.

It still is. Reforms that persuaded the high court to reinstate the death penalty have fallen far short of the state's promises, the Journal-Constitution has found.

At AJC.com, they have video of a victim's father, analysis of the crimes and racial factors, and databases and multimedia presentations. (FYI, you have to register ... but it's free!)

THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
THE WAR, seven-part series

One of PBS's most ambitious programs ever launches Sept. 23, a documentary on World War II that for seven nights promises to transfix the nation with epic sweep.

It chronicles the defining struggle of the 20th century while serving as an extraordinary salute to the ordinary people whose fading legions hold the last living memory of history's deadliest epoch.

The Observer is running seven profiles of local World War II veterans whose experiences are similar to those portrayed in the program. At Charlotte.com, you can find video to go with the local veteran profile and a look at the PBS filmmaker.


THE STATE
SAVAGE METH, three-day series

James Matthew Quattlebaum was sure he was finished. The Indiana transplant sat in his car at the side of a Lexington County road, stopped for a traffic violation. On the seat, wrapped in tinfoil, was methamphetamine. On the floorboard were boxes of Sudafed. In the trunk, cans of ether.

The deputy charged Quattlebaum with driving with a suspended license and impounded his car. But when Quattlebaum got the car back, the meth, the Sudafed, the ether — all of it — was untouched.

“The car was full of ingredients to cook dope — and they didn’t know,” Quattlebaum said. “They had no clue.”

TheState.com has an interactive map that shows how widespread the meth problem is in Lexington County, S.C. It highlights where meth labs have been found -- including in a house or vehicle, around children, or at a hotel or motel. You also can read a profile of a family torn apart by the drug and several other stories.

If you're in region 3 and your paper has a special report or series coming up, let me know. And if anyone from the AJC, Observer or The State has some inside PDFs they'd like to share ... please do!

Komives named SND Quick Course Director

More great news from region 3: The new Quick Course Director is Stephen Komives of the Orlando Sentinel.

Stephen has a long history with SND. His work has won multiple SND awards, including a silver medal in 2006 for a four-page papal timeline "From St. Peter to the New Day." In 2002, he helped judge the 14,000+ entries in SND's international competition in Syracuse, N.Y. Later that year, he rescued SND's annual workshop by reorganizing it from Buenos Aires to Savannah, Ga., in a matter of months when the Argentine economy collapsed. In 2006, he served as President of the Jury for the prestigious Malofiej Infographics Competition in Pamplona, Spain. And he was very instrumental in bringing SND's annual workshop to Orlando last year, securing $15,000 in grants for student journalists. He's also been a speaker at several SND and industry events.

You can read all about it at The Blog.

Congrats, Stephen!

Nick Masuda to the Orlando Sentinel

This is a little old to be considered "news" ... but better late than never!

The memo from Bonita Burton, AME/visuals at the Orlando Sentinel:

I'm pleased to announce that Nick Masuda will join the Sentinel as a senior designer on Sept. 28.

Nick is a highly decorated visual editor who has spent the last year and a half overseeing the design, graphics, photo and Web operations in Lewiston, Maine, in addition to their sports coverage. Before that, he was a sports and news designer at the San Jose Mercury News and deputy sports editor at the Santa Barbara News-Press.

Some of Nick's work:

In related news, Alan Jacobson posts over at BestFrontDesign.com:

Recently, I have been unable to complete my daily posts because of other overwhelming business demands. As a result, it has become impossible to critique pages with the frequency I began and that you had grown accustomed to. But there is a silver lining. During the course of BFD there has been one voice that seemed to show the reason and logic necessary to not only produce fine design, but to explain through his comments, the "why" that will let others learn how to make their pages better. His name is Nick Masuda. Nick will be taking the lead on BFD sometime in October after he completes his move from Maine to Florida.

Congrats, Nick, on the move to Florida and the new BFD gig!

Welcome to region 3!