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.

New on Kern This Studio: Never Sets certificates

 The folks at the Never Sets Film Festival asked me to design certificates for the winning films last weekend. The logo and other marketing materials we so sharp, I couldn't say no. Friday night we wend to the screening and awards. There's some true film-making talent in Alaska and some really great people involved in this event.

See more about these and other Kern This Studio projects over at my design and photography studio website.

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: 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.

Newest issue of First Alaskans out this week

The February-March issue of First Alaskans, the magazine I design at Alaska Newspapers comes out this week. We had some really awesome stories and alternative storytelling pieces that were super fun to design. Maps, timelines, food step-by-step and artist bios from our fabulous writers and photographers. Pick up a copy or read it online.

New business cards!

My design and photography biz officially has business cards! What do you think? Let me know if you need business cards or promotional materials for your company or freelance endeavors. Find out more about Kern This Studio here.

Beyond the Road Calendar

MY LATEST PROJECT: With the help of Alaska Newspapers' amazing photo editor I designed this 2011 calendar at work this fall. It features images from across Alaska inspired by the Beyond the Road photo feature from First Alaskans magazine. Above is the cover and below is the back with thumbnails of the spreads. It's my first calendar and I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. However, it's easy to design with such amazing photos.

Our web editor is working on getting online purchasing information up. I'll update with post with a link when it's ready.

Scapegoats

Oh the fun of working with a bunch of graphic designers. Our web guru Steve Keller (not pictured) is a bit of a Photoshop wizard. He created this propaganda-inspired poster of our production crew for the fun of it. The Russian text says scapegoats. Left to right: Dave, Germaine, Frank, myself and Nadya. The face lurking the the background is our boss, Tim.

92 pages of ink, sweat and tears

My latest and greatest: Alaska Visitors' Guide in which I was editor and designer. Follow the link for an interactive, readable PDF.

Fairbanks, Chena and North Pole, Alaska

I traveled to Fairbanks with a co-worker this week to report for the Alaska Visitors' Guide. It was unseasonably warm, with highs in the 50s and no signs of snow. Fairbanks is about 6.5 hours from Anchorage by car. Don't plan on stopping between Trapper Creek and Healy -- the businesses at Denali Park Entrance are pretty much boarded up for the winter.

I had a guided tour of Fairbanks' new pride, an auto museum. This is the Ford Model-T Snow Flyer.

This is "Wander Lake" a play on Wonder Lake in Denali National Park. The hotel owner who turned this land into a wildlife preserve saved his visitors' view from tuning into a landscape of Wal-Mart and various other big box stores by buying up more than 70 acres.

Musk ox chow down at University of Alaska Fairbanks Large Animal Research Center.

Hand painted signs adorn a shop in Pioneer Park home to Fun in the Midnight Sun summer festivities. Fairbanks has 24 hours of functional daylight around the Summer solstice. It drops to only 3.5 hours of daylight on its darkest day.

Entrance to Pioneer Park.

 

Pioneer Park reminded me of an Alaskan Disneyland minus the giant mouse.

 

Chena Hot Springs Resort is just more an an hour's drive northeast of Fairbanks. The waters are believed by some to have healing powers.

North Pole, Alaska is just 11 miles outside Fairbanks. This is the Santa Claus house on St. Nicholas Drive. Here, it's Christmas all year long.

Make it Monday media chat

I went to an Anchorage Chamber of Commerce "Make it Monday" forum yesterday to hear local media pros talk about the changing landscape of media, challenges they are facing and what they predict for the future. Aside of the fact I scored tickets to the Spanish Harlem Orchestra as a door prize (ironically donated by Anchorage Press) I also picked up a few clever quotes. Matthew Felling, CBS anchor here in Anchorage, is longtime media critic, former CBS "Public Eye" blogger from D.C. and self-proclaimed "media utilitarian."

A few gems from him on Twitter:
"You need to give what you have the moment you have it."
"Brand yourself as the person in the know."
"Twitter is turning everything into the world's largest cocktail party."
"Give people a well-balenced diet: A little fun, a little protein of hard news and a little bit of ruffage of hard-to-process information."

I think that last one can apply to all kind of media.

Showing off

September was a busy month for me at work. Here's a few links to interactive PDFs of my projects.

Alaska Pulse, a re-invention of the ADN's Healthy Living and Health and Fitness tabs.

Classified's employment team puts on a semi-annual Job Fair and I designed the promotional tab.

And the 2009 Best of Alaska voted by Anchorage Daily News readers.

More of what I do

We published a contracted special section for Social Security and Medicare on Sunday and I designed it. Here's a link to an interactive PDF.

A peek at what I do

The Anchorage Daily News published it's annual Back to School section Sunday. I assigned the stories, picked the wire content, edited, designed, wrote headlines etc. It can be viewed here.

Other projects I'm working on are: A new health and fitness magazine called Alaska Pulse, reader voted Best of Alaska Awards, a fall arts guide and more. I'll post links to sections as they publish.

Anticipation

Good timing turned the departure of a coworker into a step in the right direction for me. The ADN's special sections editor left the paper for a technical writing job and I happily accepted the job after several meetings with my boss and the executive editor.

Since NewsPageDesigner.com shut down, my digital portfolio is limited to my CollegeFrontPage.com account. Luckily the Evergreeners have such smart, innovative friends as Joe and Brian to invent a Web site that helps us share ideas and showcase our work. I have you both to thank.

Until they fill my current position I've got one hand on the mouse and the other on the drawing board. I'm looking forward to writing, designing and editing once again. Writing, I'll be composing something more than cover letters and blog posts for the first time in a long time. Editing, designing and planning the sections is a chance to do all my favorite things in the same job. I've got lots of ideas and a bit of a learning curve to get my arms around our 107 yearly special sections but I can hardly wait to begin.

So here's to anticipation.