There are good
and valid reasons to redesign msnbc.com. Many of those reasons are technical
since they are about making the site more "searchable."
While better search is appealing, it doesn’t
light my fire. For me, it’s the intellectual equivalent of cleaning the house.
I’ve known we should do it, but I’ve been reluctant because it’s too easy to
find more interesting things to do.
I'd also have to
admit my reluctance was, in part, due to
fear. Redesigns can cut the wrong way for a photojournalist. I’ve seen
redesigns that have sent good publications down a path of cookie-cutter
templates that force bad visuals onto front pages. This happens because of
efficiency and workflow concerns. I understand the value of those things, but I
believe they drive too many decisions. There was a day about six months ago
when I was wrestling with this idea. I desperately didn’t want a cookie-cutter,
highly-templated redesign at msnbc.com, but then I remembered that it had
already happened. We’d been living with it for years, but like a good workhorse
we’d learned to accept our restraints and our blinders. Let me explain…
Our cover and
section fronts have had a certain look. The visual recipe boils down to a
simple picture with negative space that allows for type within the picture.
Here is a recent Sports section-front. It’s not the best picture of Alex
Rodriguez. It’s the best picture of Alex Rodriguez with
negative space for type. Those are often very different things.
However, we
learned to work within our restrains. We learned to picture edit with blinders
on. Here is a recent msnbc.com cover that shows how good we’ve gotten at this.
It’s a compelling picture, and the type treatment isn’t bad.
It’s obvious
that we can do interesting work within the old design, and we can do it fast.
The workflow requires very few conversations because everyone understands the
template. However, there are times when the end result is an efficiently
produced page that leaves you wondering what went wrong. Below is a Travel
section-front that illustrates this point. The picture provides very little
information. It mostly serves a decorative purpose. It's not the best solution,
but it's not noticeably bad.
So, for many
years we’ve aimed for the semi-sweet spot between "not bad" and "not noticeably
bad." In fact, we invested in and optimized
for it. You can probably imagine that some of us felt discomfort when the word "redesign" was first whispered. It’s a
little scary for the workhorse when the restraints and blinders suddenly come
off. That workhorse might even feel like he is headed for the glue factory.
As I write this,
the only msnbc.com section that already has the major redesign components in
place is our Politics section. It’s a departure, both technically and visually,
from where we’ve been for many years.
The thing I’m most excited about is that we no longer have to edit for type placement within pictures. The underlying technology creates a flexible page environment that allows us to simply pick the best story-telling picture. That is great for us, but it’s even better for you. My hope is that we are able to deliver more informative, thought provoking, sophisticated photojournalism that engages you in a way we have not been able to in the past. I look forward to other changes on the horizon. You will soon see improvements in our story and special package pages. The idea driving those changes is, "What would be best for the user?"
It is a new day at msnbc.com. The restraints and blinders are off.
Robert Hood is the Director of Multimedia at msnbc.com.
