The past couple of weeks we have learned a lot about design and layout.  Although we have obviously focused on the principles of design for newspapers, I chose to visit the website of my favorite magazine-PEOPLE.  The thing I like about this website is that it uses a ton a graphics yet it doesn’t look too cluttered.  The website is also very interactive and well organized.  It allows users to easily navigate where they want to go.  In my case, I wanted to see what was going on with American Idol since I sadly had to miss it last night.  On the right hand corner there is a nice bold headline that says, “Idol Kris Allen Hits a home run,” and then a photo is perfectly displayed next to the cutline that reads, “The singer stands out on a tough night of contestants' choice.”  So automatically I know that Kris performed well and that the contestant’s picked their own songs.  When I click on the photo of Kris, the website automatically directs me the full article along with a short video recap of his performance.  After reading the article, there are links at the bottom of the page that direct me to other American Idol news.  This type of web design is quick, informative and easy to navigate. I didn’t have to sort through any type of clutter or annoying ads/pop ups to see what I wanted to see.

The other day, Joe talked to us about editing for the web.  I think that newspapers are finally beginning to follow the whole“interactivity” trend that websites like People clearly have established.  Everything these days is accesible at the click of a button and people are too busy to read a full length, detailed news article.  When somebody visits  a newspaper website, they don’t want to run into a lot of text.  Pictures and video links presented with short and consice information is what people want to see.  For example, the New York Times does an execllent job of placing attractive photos and short video links that relate to their top stories. The other day I was attracted to this photo of Obama when I visited their website and instead of having to read about the discussoins that took place at the summit meeting, lazy people like me can simply click the play button to get a short and accurate recap.   Although I will always enjoy holding a newspaper or magazine in my hand, it doesn’t hurt when you can get the same, or in most cases, more updated information  on the internet in between classes.