A whole new look for The Cordova Times

Today I am so pleased to share my latest project — a complete re-design of The Cordova Times. When the editor of The Cordova Times bought her own newspaper in August I shot her an email wishing good luck. But I never expected three months later I would be staying up all night putting the finishing touches on the re-launch of the newspaper complete with a new look.

In the process leading up to the redesign we talked a lot about the tight-knit community of Cordova and what it wanted out of it's newspaper. Even though it's a small weekly tab, we decided to create faux section fronts for Schools, Fisheries and Lifestyles. As well as a weekly standing doubletruck called Around Town. The whole paper is big on local content and big on advertising too, for a publication of it's scale. The community really stepped up and told the editor, "we want our paper to survive, how can we help." It re-invigorated my faith in the future of journalism. Local, local, local.

We did something unusual. There were companies in who care about Cordova's access to local news, but didn't necessarily have a huge stake in advertising their name in Cordova. And some who simply wanted to support the newspaper above and beyond their regular advertising commitment. So we offered "sponsorships" of sort. Yearlong advertising commitments that included logos directly tied to content like tide tables in the Fisheries section and Kid Corner in the Schools section. We tried to keep it strictly to somewhat neutral content.

We completely re-mixed the Classified with big headers, a splashy Photo of the Week and free listings under a certain word count — on a space available basis — for newspaper subscribers. The old Cordova Times commonly had no Classifieds at all on any given week, and often had only two or three listings.

I'm completely proud of this project and think it looks even better in print that on screen. What do you think?

Kern This: First Alaskans October-November edition

Check out what's new on Kern This Studio: Some of my favorite pages from the October-November edition of First Alaskans magazine. I'm so proud of this one because we pulled it off in a crazy short timeline after Calista decided to liquidate all it's publications. Then First Alaskans Institute swooped in and saved the magazine by purchasing it and putting together a kick-ass team to keep it going. Things are moving along on the next edition and I'm so thrilled to be a part of the action.

Also, it's T-Minus one week until the official RE-LAUNCH of The Cordova Times. We are hitting the streets next Friday with a fully re-designed newspaper. #ilovemyjob

Open for business

Well, it's official. I am a full time freelance graphic designer and photographer. In a series of amazing events, my dream of taking Kern This Studio from a side project to a career became a reality — months, perhaps years sooner that I ever dreamed possible.

Some of the great folks I worked with at Alaska Newspaper and Camai Printing have kept in touch and connected me with some great opportunities. I have taken on the design of the weekly Cordova Times and First Alaskans magazine on a contractor basis.

I have an especially courageous woman to thank for offering me what seems like the best visual journalism gig in the country — at least for me. When Calista Corporation announced it was closing Alaska Newspapers she couldn't bear the thought of Cordova, Alaska losing it's hometown paper. So she bought it. And then called me and asked me to help. So I agreed and here I am typing away at my new Mac sitting in my HOME. I love it.

The last couple weeks have been a blur of setting up my home office, learning about taxes as a sole proprietor, bookkeeping, private heath insurance and all kinds of other fun stuff.

I'm thrilled to begin this new step in my life and have found a personal silver lining a difficult series of events that included the closure of the company I worked for in August.

I have been incredibly inspired by several woman business owners, entrepreneurial spirits and freelancers out there and would like to publicly thank them for their guts and creativity. So thank you:

• Jennifer Gibbins of The Cordova Times
• Victoria Barber, writer, editor, photographer journalist extrodinaire
• Beth Skabar of Beth Skabar Photography
• Margie Bauman, the quintessential Alaska journalist
• Meghan McCausland of Entrepreneur Alaska
• Allison Doty of Allison Doty Graphic Design
• Sara Gray of Sara Gray Photography
• Jonalynn McFadden of Turn Up the Rad Creative

I will also be forever grateful to my parents for their support, encouragement and go-for-it attitude about my decision. As well as their lifetime of being great examples of entrepreneurs, hard workers and all-around fantastic people.

I also owe everything to my husband and son enough for: (1) Putting up with me when I madly thought I could run a business AND work a full time job, and (2) equally supporting me when I decided to quit my job and focus on my business.

Well, I think I hear the speech "wrap up" music now.

It's here: Entrepreneur Alaska

My lovely friend Meghan called me back in August and told me she needed more journalism in her life. So we decided to start an online magazine: Entrepreneur Alaska. It's an online publication dedicated to celebrating the success of business owners in our great state.

Today, our first feature is up. A story about the inspiring triathlon trainer and athletic event planer, Lisa Keller. Read her story here. Meghan wrote it and I made the pictures. I'm having so much fun with this and hope you take a moment to check it out, leave a comment and come back for future stories.

Our goal is a new feature every Monday, plus supplemental content throughout the week. Stop by and let us know how we're doing!

Thanks and have a wonderful Monday.

A moment for Steve Jobs

They call him a visionary. A giant. Someone who revolutionized how we use our phones, our computers, talk to each other, find directions, read magazines.

For people in my profession, he shaped much of what we do and how we do it. In more ways than I can imagine my life is easier and my job is better because of Steve Jobs. Thank you and rest in peace.

Insert metaphor about doors and opportunities here

Thursday was my last day at Alaska Newspapers. They will shut their doors for the last time on Aug. 31. With the exception of the Seward Phoenix Log, which publishes one more time this week, I was there for the final run. After production that day several colleagues collected at a bar downtown to share pitchers and memories.

Above I'm holding my last set of newspaper proofs for an indefinite period of time. Hopefully not forever. I love journalism and will always be a journalist. But I'm going to try something new for a while.

This Thursday I start as the marketing coordinator for a construction management and consulting company. The company has overseen some pretty recognizable projects in Alaska including renovation of the Anchorage Museum, Dena'ina Center, and remodels of the Anchorage and Fairbanks airports. The exciting part is I still get to design and edit ... the kind of work I love, only applying them to a whole new field.

I am sad for my company closing down, hopeful for the new owners of a couple of the publications and those staying on with the new versions of those publication, and wishing the best for those job hunting. Insert appropriate metaphor here.

Fun fact: My first ever photo byline is on the front page of the final Tundra Drums.

Stories must be told. People must be heard.

I've spend the last year designing editorial, ads, collateral, making graphics and doing the occasional commercial print design for Alaska Newspapers, First Alaskans magazine and Camai Printing. On Friday, our parent corporation announced they will be closing the doors to this company on August 31. The board voted to liquidate the entire operation in the interest of it's Native shareholders.

Here's the ADN story.

While I was stunned but the news, I wasn't surprised by the decision. This is a difficult time for publications everywhere and, really, a difficult time for any kind of business. Most of us were not blindsided by the announcement.

I only have good things to say about the employees here and the work they do. I would personally vouch for each and every one of the great journalists and business people here who chose the road less traveled and in some cases, the location you cannot reach by road at all. Our in-boxes and voice mails have been flooded with condolences, offers for support and sadness for the loss of the service we provide rural Alaska.

I truly believe in community journalism and the mission of the rural newspaper chain. We were telling the stories of people who otherwise might not have their stories told. Printing newspapers for people that might not read the news elsewhere online. Some of our papers reached places where internet service can be slow and unreliable. Our magazine was truly one-of-a-kind, covering business, culture and lifestyle of Alaska Natives. The only publication dedicated to that community's stories. Stories that are numerous and important to this state.

I wonder who will tell these stories in the future. Who will bring news to the most remote corners of Alaska where print is not only still alive, but loved in a way you don't see everywhere?

The company has offered tremendous of support to the nearly 40 employees who will be searching for work. Severance packages, unemployment counseling, resume critiquing and use of company time to attend job interviews.

I am circling my resume through the local media industry and am feeling optimistic. I cannot thank my friends, family, and colleagues past and present who have called to offer their support and encouragement during this time of questions and confusion. I also hope to pick up some more freelance work during any interim to help bridge any gap in employment.

I feel greatly for all my friends and colleagues in newspapers who have experiences layoffs or closures of their companies. This is not enough to shake my values or devotion to this career I love. I still believe in community journalism and print newspapers. I hope to see new or replacement ventures spring up to replace the need for news and information in these communities. Stories must be told. People must be heard.

Media Monday: bin Laden front pages

I love taking a moment to peruse Newseum on a big day in news like today. It's always interesting to see what kind of choices editors and designers made on deadline. Last night I was picturing headlines as I watched the cable new networks try to fill the minutes at 1 a.m. EST. I prefer headlines that focus on reaction and project the story forward, instead of just stating the fact that he's dead. But those were far and few between today. And really we probably didn't have the stories written to support a headline like that. Tomorrow with tell more.

Any that used "justice" were nice as that seems to be the catchword of the day after the President used it in his speech:

Some fronts were simply shocking:

Media Monday: Language of news design

Mario Garcia has a simple, eloquent post on his blog today and I thought I would share it too. Garcia is an international leader in news design, doing consulting and redesigns for newspapers worldwide.

His message today:

What are some of those universal values that apply to any publication, regardless of language?

• Make the information easy to find. 

• Make the type easy to read. 

• Make it attractive.

Well said. Read the full post here.

Media Monday: Alaska Press Club highlights

I attended the Alaska Press Club conference over the weekend and am feeling inspired. Listening to Kim Serverson of the New York Times, Susan Orlean of the New Yorker and John Moore of Getty Images reminded me why I got into this profession and movtivated me to go out there and get 'em! And sometimes you need to have a little time to reflect and feel inspired.

Here are some highlights of the weekend events:

• An audience member asked Kim Severson if she felt bad that a particular food review she wrote closed the restaurant. She answered, "My review didn't cause them to go out of business. The crappy food did." She did acknowledge the challenges of writing food review in a small community with challenges like Alaska's food shipping costs, etc. and the community's effort to support local. You tend to look at everything through a "it's GOOD, for Anchorage" lens.
• Susan Orlean said to always make that last phone call and follow every lead. She told two stories where she followed one last lead that she thought would result in nothing and ended up with the most important part of her story. She emphasized how easy it is to be lazy and how easy that turns into missed opportunities.
• John Moore talked about how much canned tuna he ate while covering the front lines in Lybia, how it feels to be a journalist in the war zone, and how lucky and humbled he was when his replacement was captured as a war prisoner just weeks after he left the country. All while showing slides of his wonderful photos.
• My company is small, but mighty, and took home a slew of awards including best weekly for The Tundra Drums. Congratulations to Alex DeMarban, Roy Corral, Victoria Barber, Nadya Gilmore, Steve Quinn and Wayde Carroll for various wins. I personally took home first place certificates for the following categories: Best Magazine Cover, Best Overall Magazine Design and Best Newspaper Graphic. I am honored.
• A hanger that doubles as an online newspaper office makes an excellent place for a party with a bunch of journalists.
• Hearing the first-hand story from the editor who was handcuffed by a certain Senate candidate's security crew for asking questions at a public (depending on who you ask) event last fall.

I also want to give props to my fellow Evergreener and dear friend Brielle Shaeffer for her award for Breaking News Reporting for covering a shooting for the Peninsula Clarion in Kenai.

Friday Fun: It's going to be a media-licious weekend

Happy Friday! Sometimes it seems like all the fun stuff is happening at once. This weekend is one of those times. Here's what's on the docket in my world:

1. The Alaska Press Club Conference is happening in Anchorage. We have some prestigious names in journalism here in Anchorage to lead workshops, including Kim Severson of the New York Times and Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute.
2. Additionally, my company entered a few pieces I worked on in the Press Club Awards contest and we're going to the awards cocktail reception Saturday night. Cross your fingers for me.
3. My dear friend Brielle is in town for the conference and we got to squeeze in some quality time over red wine and delicious food last night. We go back to college, it's always nice to have old friends near.
4. We have tickets to see the Anchorage Opera's opening production of South Pacific tonight. The opera is doing one mainstream opera/musical crossover each year and this is it.
5. I'm crocheting like a mad woman in every spare second to finish a special project in time. But more on that later since it's a surprise for the receiver.

Do you have any exciting weekend plans? Have a wonderful weekend?

Media Monday: Should we power down?

Seems like everybody is talking about "hyperconnectivity" and information overload in the past few days. Friday night I heard Josh Tesh ask on his radio show if the internet is making us stupid:

Is Google making us stupid? It sounds harsh, but some experts say yes. Neurologists and psychologists have discovered that when we read, our brains process Internet pages differently than they process printed pages. A difference that affects how much we learn – and even alters the way our brains work. That’s because the human brain “rewires” itself depending on how it’s used, something that neurologists call “plasticity."

Tesh argues that we need to turn off the computers and allow time for critical thinking and analysis of the vast amount of information we're reading online. Time to process and create our own thoughts and opinions about the subject matter, instead of consuming more and more short blurbs, news-bytes.

Another article on Poynter addresses this issue. The writer, Steve Meyer refects on his South by Southwest Interactive festival saying:

The challenge at an event like South by Southwest is that you spend all your time packing new ideas into your head and not enough time processing them. William Powers, author of “Hamlet’s BlackBerry,” would have told all those people to stop running around and staring at screens, and instead create some mental space to unpack everything they had seen and heard.

Meyer also quotes David Carr of the New York Times on "hyperconnectivity" saying he's so busy keeping up with email, twitter and RSS that:

“Lately I’ve been so busy promoting what I do,” Carr lamented, “that I don’t do what I do.”

So media friends, what do you think? Do we spend too much time consuming on a superficial surface level and not enough time reaching a deeper level of analysis and critical thinking?

Media Monday: Twitter celebrates fifth birthday

Twitter's fifth birthday is today. The microblogging website asks users to post "what's on your mind" in 140 characters or less. To celebrate the social media landmark, some fun Twitter facts:

• FIRST POST: "Inviting Coworkers"
• CREATOR: Jack Dorsey
• TWEETS PER DAY: 140 million
• ORIGINAL NAME: twttr
• EMPLOYEES: 400
• NEW USERS EACH DAY: 450,000
• USERS: 200 million
• DAILY SEARCHES: 800,000

 Sources: The Atlantic, Wikipedia

Media Monday: State of the Media 2011

The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism released it's State of the News Media 2011 this morning. It states that the news industry is beginning to recover from the economic downturn but still faces major challenges, not only in adapting to new technology and connecting readers to revenue generating products, but also in it's vast uncertainty.

"Beneath all this, however, a more fundamental challenge to journalism became clearer in the last year. The biggest issue ahead may not be lack of audience or even lack of new revenue experiments. It may be that in the digital realm the news industry is no longer in control of its own future."

The report covers a study on community news websites specifically focusing on Seattle, which is dear to my heart being the big city in my home state, Washington.

Wander on over and check out the state of the industry.

Media Monday: Is Gannett re-branding in poor taste?

Gannett is launching a major re-branding effort today with a new label "A Gannett Company" on all it's publications mastheads. You'll see it on their online sites as well.

Charles Apple has an excellent roundup of the launch including clips from the 100-page re-branding handbook.

His take of the re-branding efforts:

"The timing of all this, though, seems poor. Given continued furloughs and the additional — and perhaps unexpected — layoffs, is this the right moment to spend an ungodly sum of money for a team of consultants to develop a branding campaign of this scope?
I’d rather see the money spent on something that might directly result in better journalism. Something that might benefit the readers."

IN OTHER MEDIA NEWS: Anyone tired of the media cashing in on Charlie Sheen's media meltdown yet? Do you think it's excessive? It's kind of like watching a trainwreck ... I feel the same way about anything Kardashians. Can't. Look. Away.

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Media Monday: Rocky Mountain News staff - Where are they now?

John Temple, former editor/publisher/owner of the Rocky Mountain News, has compiled a series of stories on his blog on where the staff is now, two years after the paper's closure. It's an interesting read and fantastic collection of veiw points, reflections and thoughts on how the media industry has changed since the start of the Great Recession. He surveyed the former newsroom and compiled several statistics based on the reponses showing how many have remained in journalism, how many are making more or less than they did two years ago and how many think their quality of life overall is better or worse than before the newspaper shut it's doors on Feb. 27, 2009.

In his main post he wrote:

Perhaps the most surprising finding was that despite the general decline in income, roughly the same amount of people reported that their life was better today than that it was worse. In fact, of those who responded to the question, more said it was much better (12) than much worse (5).

The Rocky Mountain News website is still online, and looks the way it does they day the newspaper closed it's doors.

I don't want to take up much more of you time, because today you might just want to head on over to Temple's blog Temple Talk and immerse yourself in his stories and findings.

Media Monday: Anchorage Borders store among about 200 closing

The line extended from the front of the store to the back and began to curl around the other direction at Borders on Sunday. Tables next to the line were littered with books that people changed their minds on buying and discarded on the nearest surface. Everything is on sale at the Anchorage Borders bookstore, one of nearly 200 that are closing after the announcement last week that the company is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Borders is in financial turmoil between the pressures of slow consumer spending and expanding e-reader competition such as the Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook. A friend of mine posted on Facebook Saturday that Borders was closing, everything was on sale and "it's crazy here."

I called Sunday before we headed out to check on the deals and the sales associate who answered said the store would be operating for up to eight more weeks, depending on a variety of factors.

When we arrived, giant red, yellow and black signs screamed sale prices in all caps. Tables piled high with sale books, while some shelves had gaping openings and looked downright empty. The popular stuff seemed to be selling out fast. I'm sure the sales will get better, but it might be down to quirky, oddball stuff by then.  Go-back racks were stacked high and the staff was too busy to keep up with the high traffic filing through the store. It was harder than usual to find specific books since so many hands had dug through shelves and put books back in the wrong place, but we still found plenty of gems.

We purchased seven books, a calendar and a magazine for less than $60. Our wait to check out lasted nearly an hour. We saw friends walk in as we neared the front of the line and advised one to get in line while the other browsed and then switch.

The Washington Post reports the company is getting ready to jump on the e-reader bus:

"It hopes to emerge from Chapter 11 with new focus on e-books and products other than books. A $505 million dollar loan from GE Capital will fund its operations - with 17,500 employees - while it reorganizes."

We own Kindles at our house. So we mostly shopped for books high on visuals. A coffee table book on U.S. presidents for Josh, a photography book for me and a guitar instruction book with fret charts for Davin. Perhaps bookstores need to focus on the novelty, specialty and highly graphic if they want to weather the changing technology and consumer spending crisis.

Media Monday: Send your Valentine a custom Google map

I love the modern art Google logo on the site's homepage today.

Show your Valentine some love the 21st Century way with a Google map Valentine. Simply click on the link on the Google homepage that says:

Remind your Valentine of a special place you’ve shared.

It will take you to a page that allows you to make a heart-shaped Google map with a message about that special place you've shared with your sweetheart. You can even choose street view for a picture instead of a map. Add your darling's e-mail, preview and send!


We have a zero-dollar Valentine's gift rule at our house to keep things simple and sweet. So that means getting creative, and you can bet my Valentine will have one of these in his inbox today.


How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?

Media Monday: Keith Olbermann and Aaron Sorkin team up!?

Aaron Sorkin, creator of "The West Wing," and "Studio 60 on Sunset Strip" and writer of "The Social Network" is gearing up for his next big project: a behind the scenes drama about a cable news show, according to MediaBistro's TV Newster. It's to air on HBO. And the best part? It appears that Sorkan may be asking Keith Olbermann of the recently ended "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on MSNBC to write some "rants" for the new show ... if you can believe when you hear from Entertainment Weekly.

In related news, I was disappointed to hear of Olbermann's end-of-contract with MSNBC  announced last Friday. I enjoyed his authoritative rants, special comments and Edward R. Murrow-inspired broadcast style. I look forward to seeing what future projects he takes on. And hopefully see a little of his style injected into Sorkin's new drama.