Job cuts at the New York Times

Juan Antonio Giner analysis is spot on again

Here is a snippet of Bill Keller's memo to the staff of the New York Times

Let me cut to the chase: We have been told to reduce the newsroom by 100 positions between now and the end of the year.
We hope to accomplish this by offering voluntary buyouts. On Thursday, the Company will be sending buyout offers to everyone in the newsroom. Getting a buyout package does NOT mean we want you to leave. It is simply easier to send the envelopes to everyone. If you think a buyout may be right for you, you have up to 45 days to decide whether you will accept it or not.
As before, if we do not reach 100 positions through buyouts, we will be forced to go to layoffs. I hope that won’t happen, but it might.

Not so long ago, Keller said on further layoffs at the NYT, "The answer is no... No I do not see another round of newsroom staff reductions on the horizon."

Giner's statement on this: MORE CUTS, LESS CHANGE

Read his post @ www.innovationsinnewspapers.com

2012 London Olympic pictograms

The Olympic event icon's were launched last week [image 2]

No easy task, to draw, and to even re-render past pictogram's

Some [image 1] have been design classics in particular the 1972 Munich games, which were produced by Otl Aicher, the German designer

While I am behind the news, I first read about this on the Telegraph website yesterday

Also, Creative Review have some interesting observations, not all good

Designed by SomeOne group, the icons work quite nicely when viewed huge - like all bad design

Although we must applaud the attempt to create 'dimension' by introducing perspective (something I have not noticed in previous Olympics) most are rendered 'flat'

The resulting package is one of inconsistency, and a catastrophe for all decent London-based designers

They look worse when produced 20mm x 20mm, the size they most likely will appear in print

Unfortunately we have to live with these design 'bum-notes' for the next few years

And worse than the London2012 logo itself, unbelievable

Catching the infographic bug

The Independent on Sunday is at it again

Infographics that are fun by Cath Levett and Richard Burgess

A light news story that lends itself to visual reporting

A huge thanks to Ciaran Hughes for sending this quality work

He says:

Great design, layout, integration of image into graphic. Looks effortless. It has it all!

Graphic View

Nice job from the Times

Labeled 'Graphic View' in the folio across the top of the page, the infographic is accompanied by a 300 word piece, on a single 'Opinion' page, left hand side

It is a breakthrough of sorts

An editorial decision by the Times to inform their readers with a package of well researched textual and visual narratives

The Times' prolific graphics department is headed by Geoff Sims

Bold editorial thinking

Boner!