2010-11 academic year

Printed Journalism's Techniques (21324)

Degree/study: Journalism
Year: 2nd
Term: 1st
Number of ECTS credits: 4 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 100 hours
Teaching language or languages: catalan
Teaching Staff: Teresa Domingo, Angel Madrià, Carlos Pérez de las Rozas, Josep Rovirosa

1. Presentation of the subject

In this subject the students will become familiar with the basic concepts of the design in press and will study and practise the essential techniques and methods in order to acquire an adequate knowledge of the journalistic texts' graphic language, and especially that of the daily press.

It is a key subject in order to understand the importance of how to present information with aesthetic and easy-reading criteria. This is why the students will have to know all the elements and structures that take part in the elaboration of a journalistic publication and, at the same time, they will have to investigate the historical modalities and discover the current tendencies.

Combined with the theory, this subject will also have a practical learning, so that the students can design and produce successfully a journalistic publication, considering some previously defined informative contents, and with the help of professional computer programs.

For this reason, all students will have to learn how the basic computer software for the design in press works (especially Indesign).

2. Competences to be attained

General competences

Specific competences

Instrumental

1. Be able to justify with solid arguments one's opinions and defend them in public

2. Ability to work with the computer tools and knowledge of their essential applications to regular academic activities

Interpersonal

3. Ability to work in groups, participating actively in the assigned tasks, making decisions and discussing your opinions with others until you come to an agreement

4. Ability to think autonomously and critically when talking about controversial subjects

Systemic

5. Ability to apply and adapt the acquired knowledge to new contexts and situations, with flexibility and creativity

Specific of the degree

1. Knowledge and application of the technologies and systems used to process, produce and transmit information

2. Knowledge of the structure of a communication company, as well as how it works and how it is administered

3. Ability to communicate in the language of each communication medium

4. Ability to use the computer systems and resources, and knowledge of their interactive applications

5. Ability to design the aesthetic and formal aspects of the printed, graphic, audio-visual and digital media

Specific of the subject

6. Knowledge of the elements that are related to the journalistic design and of its historical evolution

7. Interpretation of the graphic communication's needs and identification of the different models of journalistic design

8. Ability to use the basic software for the journalistic design

9. Ability to put into practise the theoretical knowledge

3. Contents

Part 1: Study of the necessary graphic elements to elaborate a publication

-Knowledge of typography

-Typographic composition's formulae

-Readability

-Structure of the textual informative elements

-Structure of the graphic informative elements

Part 2: Analysis of the methods and models of the journalistic design

-Design and redesign: methods to face the design of a new publication or to revise an existent one

-Models of newspapers and journalistic publications

-The page as a publication unit

-Colour as an element of distinction

Part 3: Knowledge of the necessary technical tools for the journalistic design and for news design

-Necessary technical tools for the journalistic design

Part 4: Practical task: designing a publication following the journalistic models

-Designing tasks, simulating a real work situation

4. Assessment

An important part of the assessment is to test if the students have acquired the ability to do a real and good job about the journalistic design, and to test their knowledge of the basic theoretical concepts needed to do such job.

The compulsory requisites to be assessed are:

-Attendance to at least 80% of the sessions

-Do at least 80% of the tasks

One part of the assessment will be continuous and the other will be tested at the end of the term, following the next model:

Theory part: Final exam about the subject's theory............................................... 50%

Practical part: Individual tasks................................................................................ 25%

Analysis of the different newspapers' models (5-member groups maximum)....................................................................................... 10%

Final practical exam......................................................................... 15 %

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

Prologue "El desarrollo gráfico de la prensa diaria española", de Juan Fermín Vílchez de Arribas en: GÜRTLER, A. Historia del periódico y su evolución tipográfica. Valencia: Campgràfic, 2005.

Epilogue "Miradas a la prensa escrita de los últimos 25 años", de Carlos Perez de Rozas en: SABADIN, Vittorio. El último ejemplar del New York Times. El futuro de los periódicos en papel. Barcelona: Sol90 Media, 2008.

BAYNES, Phil; HASLAM, Andrew. Tipografía. Función, forma y diseño. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 2002.

CANGA LAREQUI, Jesús. El diseño periodístico en prensa diaria. Barcelona: Bosch casa editorial, 1994.

MARTíN MONTESINOS, José Luis; MAS HURTUNA, Montse. Manual de tipografia. Del plomo a la era digital. València: Campgràfic, 2001.

MÜLLER-BROCKMANN, Josef. Sistemas de retículas. Mèxic: Gustavo Gili, 1992.

5.2. Complementary bibliography

AICHER, Otl. Tipografía. València: Campgàfic, 2004

ANGELETTI, Norberto; OLIVA, Alberto. Revistas que hacen e hicieron historia. Barcelona: Editorial Sol90 Media, 2002.

BAEZA, Pepe. Por una función crítica de la fotografía de prensa. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1998.

CASES I ASSOCIATS. Diseño de la noticia. Barcelona: Sol90, 2008.

CHÉROUX, Clément. L'image photographique à l'ère des médias globalisés : essai sur le 11 septembre 2001. Cherbourg-Octeville: Le Point du Jour, 2009.

GÄDE, Reinhard. Diseño de periódicos. Sistema y método. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 2002.

HOLMES, Nigel. Drawing to Explain. 1998.

JARDÍ, Enric. Veintidós consejos sobre tipografía. Barcelona: Actar, 2007.

KANE, John- Manual de Tipografía. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 2005

KINROSS, Robert. Tipografía moderna. Un ensayo histórico-crítico. València: Campgràfic, 2008

LESLIE, Jeremy. Nuevo diseño de revistas 2. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 2003.

SALAVERRÍA, Ramón; NEGREDO, Samuel. Periodismo integrado: convergencia de medios y reorganización de redacciones. Barcelona: Sol90 Media, 2008.

SATUÉ, Enric. El diseño gráfico en España. Historia de una forma comunicativa nueva. Madrid: Alianza Forma, 1997. [Capítols IV, VI, VII i XI]

PERIODÍSTICA nº 12. L'evolució del disseny periodístic. Barcelona, 2010 [Revista acadèmica de l'Institut d'Estudis Catalans. Articles sobre disseny periodístic]

SND (Society of Newspaper Design). The Best of Newspaper Design. Syracuse: Syracuse University (sèrie anual).

SND Capítulo español. ÑH: El mejor diseño periodístico España & Portugal. Pamplona: SND-E (sèrie anual).

5.3. Teaching resources

Graphic material to complement the lectures (several examples of newspapers, digitalised so that they can be shown in class in the plenary sessions).

Use of the style guides, websites and the very printed editions of the newspapers studied in class when doing the tasks, which intend to be a simulation of a real work situation.

Use of materials of the information agencies or the texts done by the students in other subjects as informative resources when doing the tasks.

Typical software of the design in press, specifically Adob Collection CS3.

6. Metodology

This subject will basically follow a deductive methodology, in three phases:

Lectures: Knowledge of the theory and the technical specificities of the design of today's press. The plenary sessions will intend to make the theory clearer by collecting data, analysing and commenting examples, so that the students can identify the graphic language's models in today's press and its historical evolution.

Individual exercises and later meeting: Practical application of the theoretical and technical knowledge acquired, via exercises about writing pages of the different newspapers' models studied in class. The students will design models of the different pages in a newspaper, considering the instructions and features given by the teacher. There will be a later meeting with the teacher and an individualised correction of the exercises.

Teamwork: The students will work in groups when analysing the models and the graphic language of today's press and will do a presentation of it to their classmates, using audio-visual material and the adequate software.

7. Planning of activities

Week

Activities in class / Type of activities

Activities at home / Type of activities

Week 1

Plenary session: The editorial models: from the main newspapers to the sensationalist press (yellow press). Exercise: analysis.

Session 1 (group): The design in press; analysis and methodology.

Session 2 (group): Knowledge of the graphic and typographic resources.

Week 2

Plenary session: The tendencies and essential changes during the 20th and 21st centuries in the design of international press. Cases to analyse (I).

Session 1 (group): Learning of software

Session 2 (group): Learning of software

Week 3

Plenary session: The editorial models: from the main newspapers to the sensationalist press (yellow press).

Session 1 (group): Learning of software

Session 2 (group): Learning of software

Analysis of a newspapers' editorial model, assigned by the teacher

Week 4

Plenary session: The tendencies and essential changes during the 20th and 21st centuries in the design of international press. Cases to analyse (II).

Session 1 (group): The journalist facing the white page. Assessment of the information and models.

Session 2 (group): Practical cases: the interpretative press. Definition of the model. Debate groups.

Prepare the debate about interpretative press

Week 5

Plenary session: The editorial models: hybrid formulae (the quality popular ones and the information & opinion newspapers).

Session 1 (group): Prepare the design of an interpretative newspaper.

Session 2 (group): Task 1 (interpretative newspaper).

Finish the task started in class

Week 6

Plenary session: The journalistic design in Spain. Main models and press design schools during the last 30 years (El País, La Vanguardia...).

Session 1 (group): Task 2 (interpretative newspaper).

Session 2 (group): Practical cases: the hybrid press model. Definition. Debate groups.

Finish the task started in class

Prepare the debate about hybrid press

Week 7

Plenary session: The publication. Special sections and pages. Rhythm and surfing. Exercise: analyse of the graphic differences among the journalistic genres.

Session 1 (group): Prepare the design of a hybrid newspaper.

Session 2 (group): Task 1 (hybrid newspaper).

Analysis of typographic changes on information's elements

Week 8

Plenary session: The image. The photomontage and the illustration in press. Cases to analyse.

Session 1 (group): Task 2 (hybrid newspaper).

Session 2 (group): The use of colour in today's press.

Finish the task started in class

Week 9

Plenary session: The informative genres and the information's elements. Fragmentation and levels of reading.

Session 1 (group): Practical cases. Popular press. Definition of the model. Debate groups.

Session 2 (group): Prepare the designs of a popular newspaper.

Prepare the debate about popular press

Week 10

Plenary session: Sport press. Cases to analyse.

Session 1 (group): Task 1 (popular newspaper).

Session 2 (group): Task 2 (popular newspaper).

Finish the tasks started in class