Resources
To be an editorial designer today means being prepared to learn continuously and relentlessly. Here are some of our recommended resources for ongoing education, which we'll add to and update over time.
Typography
On Web Typography
This book by Jason Santa Maria (former creative director for Typekit; co-founder of Editorially, now with Vox Media) looks at how typography impacts the act of reading on the web.
Fontsinuse.com
This “independent archive of typography” is community-populated, but its contributors posts fascinating type stories on the blog.
The Form of the Book
A heavily principled guide of essays on typography by Jan Tschichold, first published in 1975 after his death, translated in 1991 by Robert Bringhurst, and reprinted in 1997.
Book Typography: A Designer’s Manual
This comprehensive reference book by Michael Mitchell and Susan Wightman also addresses the design, editing, and production process as a whole.
Web and Mobile Design
“The Web Is a Customer Service Medium”
You might think you already understand the web and what users want, but Paul Ford sums it up perfectly: “The web is not, despite the desires of so many, a publishing medium. The web is a customer service medium.” Might as well read everything on ftrain.com while you’re there, too.
UXarchive.com
The UX archive saves screenshots of user flows for a range of tasks on the iPhone. When we suggested adding “Reading” as one of the tasks, cofounder Arthur Bodelec (also one of the creators of the news reader Feedly) happily obliged. Compare how different apps design the read- ing experience and note the changes in iOS versions.
Boxesandarrows.com
Boxes and Arrows is one of the longest-running peer-written online journals for information architecture and interaction design.
Contents
Contents is an online magazine “at the intersection of content strategy, online publishing, and new-school editorial work.” Edited by Erin Kissane (author of The Elements of Content Strategy), the site features smart reads such as Paul Ford’s “10 Timeframes” and “Inside The Silent History,” an interview with Eli Horowitz about his iOS serial novel.
Alistapart.com
Articles by working professionals across the field and essential reading for anyone making websites.
Mobile First
Luke Wroblewski's short polemic makes the case for accessible design across platforms.
Designing with Web Standards
This book by Jeffrey Zeldman is the gold standard for understanding the role of design and the designer on the web.
A List Apart
Articles by working professionals across the field and essential reading for anyone making websites.
Content Strategy for Mobile
Kristina Halvorson, Colleen Jones, and Erin Kissane are all must-read authors on the subject of content strategy, but Karen McGrane’s Content Strategy for Mobile is a quick yet essential guide for anyone publishing serial content online. How your con- tent loads on readers’ smartphone and tablet browsers is only going to become more crucial. Not all readers will buy your app, but anyone curious about what you’re doing will come to your website.
Magazine and News Design
Designing News: Changing the World of Editorial Design and Information Graphics
Francesco Franchi, the gifted art director for IL (Intelligence in Lifestyle), a monthly magazine bundled with the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 ORE, presents a beautiful, detailed look at the state of information design in journalism.
SPD.org
The blog of the Society of Publication Designers is a great resource for finding what’s new and what’s newly redesigned on newsstands.
Newmanology.tumblr.com
Veteran creative director Robert Newman’s blog compiles “magazine, newspaper, book, and LP covers, posters, illustration, and other graphic visual joy” from the past and present.
Coverjunkie.com
Coverjunkie is a “celebration of creative covers and their ace designers,” selected by Jaap Biemens, an art director based in Amsterdam.
Magculture.com
MagCulture is a blog by Jeremy Leslie and is a “resource for anyone interested in editorial design.” Jeremy is also the author of The Modern Magazine: Visual Journalism in the Digital Era, which is a deep dive into the contemporary magazine.
Prototyping
Balsamiq
Similar to OmniGraffle but less costly, with a great community for sharing.
OmniGraffle
The industry standard for wireframing, diagramming, and documenting for interactive products. The pro version is worth it if you do this work on a regular basis.
Laker Compendium
HTML and CSS-based tools for publishing to tablets and smartphones.
Journalism
Newseum
This museum for news posts the daily front pages of newspapers around the world.
Tech
“When We Build”
This talk given by Wilson Miner at the 2011 Build Conference addresses the opportunity and responsibility of building new digital tools and how each of the things we make creates a new environment.
Source.opennews.org
Knight-Mozilla OpenNews is a project “designed to amplify the impact of journalism code and the community of developers, designers, journalists, and editors who make it.” Read here about the team that built “Snow Fall” at The New York Times.