This is a blog post I wrote during my sophomore year of college at Ball State University for the Louis E. Inglehart News Scholars program about being a designer at the Daily News.
It was 10 o’clock on a Sunday night and I was having cereal boxes taped to my body. At the Ball State Daily News, nights like this are not surprising.
I usually don’t work on Sundays, but I was covering for another designer and was assigned the Halloween double-truck spread. While I knew it was going to be a lot of work, I was excited because it could turn into a great portfolio piece. There were a few different articles on the spread, but the main feature was about what to wear for Halloween.
One of the hardest parts about being a chief designer is making the art match the story. If there is a disconnect between the photographers and the writers, your art will need to be changed.
On Sunday night, there was a disconnect.
The costumes story highlighted three main costumes: 80′s workout, a tourist, and a “cereal” killer.
The pictures were of a small child shopping with his mom.
This is where my job gets complicated. We have to find art for the package, but it’s late: the Halloween Store is closed by now, so we can’t reshoot the photos there. We sat in the editor’s office brainstorming ideas when all eyes fell on me.
“Jen,” an editor said. “Go home and get your costume box.”
I don't understand how I am the only person at the Daily News that owns a costume box, but apparently I am. I had to run back to my house, grab my neon green box and dash back to the office, leaving sequins and feathers in my wake. When I came back, we went through all of my costumes and picked out the items that related to our story. When the editor handed me the clothes to go “try on,” I was confused.
It should probably be noted that I do not get dressed up for work. Usually, I just go in my sweatpants with my hair up in a messy bun and no make up. When I have to work from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., I want to be comfortable.
Sunday was no exception. I looked terrible. And when I realized that they wanted me to be IN the paper, I was shocked.
Walking up and down the halls of the Art and Journalism building in sequins and booty shorts is an interesting experience that many people may never have. Walking down the halls covered in cereal boxes with a plastic knife between your teeth is probably an experience that only I will have.
In the end, I was photographed in ridiculous outfits and then was forced to look at them for the next four hours while I cut myself out in Photoshop and designed the package. Even though I knew that everyone who picked up the paper would see me, I didn’t mind. This experience proved to me the crazy things that we do for our job and what we love. If it means staying at work until 2 a.m. to finish the paper, we’ll do it. If it means running all over campus to get one item for a photo shoot, we’ll do it. And even if it means being photographed covered in sequins and cereal boxes, I'll do it because I love my job and the opportunity to create beautiful spreads.