No Country for new ideas

In Spain we're on elections time. You can see it on the number of posts on the blog... The last great media event was the debate between the tw main contendants, something that has not token place in Spain since 1993. Everybody (or almost) have made a graphic abut it. We did it too on Público, and this has been the result:


Other examples has been made by ELPAIS.com, or elmundo.es.
Everybody has done very similar things. This elections are being boring. No originalty. Big quantity, low quality. No new ideas. Very predictable. And we're the same.

You just have to take a look to NYTImes.com to see that is possible to be riginal in elections, that we can do things better. As american caucuses against spanish elections.

I just can promise that we will struggle to end this campaign better than we started.

Box office graphics

Another graphic from NYTimes.com that deservers to spend a while on it. This time is about the box office from 1986 until nowadays, with box per weeks, totals and a lite plotline.
To access, click on the image

SND infographics awards

Finally, after the long and usual waiting, we know SND awards. Big winers are the four newspapers chosen as best designed of the world:The Guardian, Expresso from Portugal, Frankfurter Allgemeine and Akzia, from Russia. Los Angeles Times has ben the most awarded, with 109 medals. We're glad at Público. Just three months from the release at september 26th and still in adaptation and we got 5 awards. Thre's still a big job to do but now we're doing it more happily. That's the real value of this awards. Make people recover their illusion and keep working. And sometimes your newspaper publish a page talking on the awards, so they feel the money spent with the participation was not wasted...


The results of 11M bombings of Madrid judgement, Award of Excellence. Álvaro Valiño, Público

About infographics, the awards has been the following:

BREAKING NEWS
- 1 Award of Excellence for Público (Spain)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Los Angeles Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Tokyo Chunichi Shimbun (Japan)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Star-Ledger (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for San Diego Union Tribune (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for St. Paul Pioneer Press (USA)


The silvers of the category. William Neff for Cleveland Plain Dealer and Todd Lindeman for Washington Post. Seen on Newsartists.org

REPORTAJES
- 1 silver and 1 Award of Excellence for Plain Dealer (USA)
- 4 Awards of Excellence for The New York TImes (USA)
- 3 Awards of Excellence for South Florida SS (USA)
- 3 Awards of Excellence for Washington Post (USA)
- 2 Awards of Excellence for The Oregonian (USA)
- 2 Awards of Excellence for Presente (Mexico)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Baltimore Sun (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Columbus Dispatch (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Welt am Somtag (Germany)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Star Tribune (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Voz del Interior (Argentina)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Seattle Post-Intelligencer (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Dallas Morning News (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Emirate Bussiness 24/7 (Dubai)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Fresno Bee (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Houston Chronicle (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The San Jose Mercury News (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Indianapolis Star (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Expresso (Portugal)
- 1 Award of Excellence for News Leader (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for El Mundo Magazine (Spain)


Award of Excellence. Alberto Cuadra and John T. Valles, Houston Chronicle. One of myfavourites of 2007


MAPS
- 2 Awards of Excellence for Los Angeles Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Kansas City Star (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Welt am Somtag (Germany)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Washington Post (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Times Picayune (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Philadelphia Inquirer (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The New York Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Guardian (UK)

CHARTING
- 1 Silver for Washington Post (USA)
- 6 Awards of Excellence for The New York Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Dallas Morning News (USA)

PORTFOLIOS
- 2 Awards of Excellence for El Mundo Magazine (Spain)
- 1 Award of Excellence for El Comercio de Asturias (Spain)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Clarín (Argentina)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Dallas Morning News (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Fort Myers News Press (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Washington Post (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The New York Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Oregonian (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Star Tribune (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for National Post (Canada)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Dallas Morning News (USA)

SND infographics awards

Finally, after the long and usual waiting, we know SND awards. Big winers are the four newspapers chosen as best designed of the world:The Guardian, Expresso from Portugal, Frankfurter Allgemeine and Akzia, from Russia. Los Angeles Times has ben the most awarded, with 109 medals. We're glad at Público. Just three months from the release at september 26th and still in adaptation and we got 5 awards. Thre's still a big job to do but now we're doing it more happily.


The results of 11M bombings of Madrid judgement, Award of Excellence. Álvaro Valiño, Público

About infographics, the awards has been the following:

BREAKING NEWS
- 1 Award of Excellence for Público (Spain)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Los Angeles Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Tokyo Chunichi Shimbun (Japan)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Star-Ledger (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for San Diego Union Tribune (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for St. Paul Pioneer Press (USA)

REPORTAJES
- 1 silver and 1 Award of Excellence for Plain Dealer (USA)
- 4 Awards of Excellence for The New York TImes (USA)
- 3 Awards of Excellence for South Florida SS (USA)
- 3 Awards of Excellence for Washington Post (USA)
- 2 Awards of Excellence for The Oregonian (USA)
- 2 Awards of Excellence for Presente (Mexico)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Baltimore Sun (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Columbus Dispatch (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Welt am Somtag (Germany)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Star Tribune (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Voz del Interior (Argentina)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Seattle Post-Intelligencer (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Dallas Morning News (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Emirate Bussiness 24/7 (Dubai)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Fresno Bee (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Houston Chronicle (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The San Jose Mercury News (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Indianapolis Star (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Expresso (Portugal)
- 1 Award of Excellence for News Leader (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for El Mundo Magazine (Spain)


Award of Excellence. Alberto Cuadra and John T. Valles, Houston Chronicle. One of myfavourites of 2007


MAPS
- 2 Awards of Excellence for Los Angeles Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Kansas City Star (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Welt am Somtag (Germany)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Washington Post (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Times Picayune (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Philadelphia Inquirer (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The New York Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Guardian (UK)

CHARTING
- 1 Silver for Washington Post (USA)
- 6 Awards of Excellence for The New York Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Dallas Morning News (USA)

PORTFOLIOS
- 2 Awards of Excellence for El Mundo Magazine (Spain)
- 1 Award of Excellence for El Comercio de Asturias (Spain)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Clarín (Argentina)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Dallas Morning News (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Fort Myers News Press (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Washington Post (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The New York Times (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Oregonian (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for Star Tribune (USA)
- 1 Award of Excellence for National Post (Canada)
- 1 Award of Excellence for The Dallas Morning News (USA)

Quantity or quality? Do we have to choose?

I remember a Juan Velasco conference at Malofiej where he talked about how he has, progressively reducing his productivity (but not quality), coming from having the record of number of graphics on one issue with more than sixty (with elections topics) at El Mundo and then going to NY Times, and after that, National Geoographic, with nt many graphics per month, if one. He reduced the number, but improved quality.
If the record was true, we beated it this saturday at Publico with
81 graphics, and some double-spreaded, although my mother still thinks that elections graphics "do not count". Now we just need the quality.

These are just excuses to introduce the topic. Can we have quantity and quality together on infographics? What do editors prefer? And readers? I'm sure than readers prefer quality, but I've heard more than once people saying 'I love this newspaper, have a lot of infographics'. I would prefer to hear 'I love this newspaper, it have ver god infographics'. Or as Milfri Pérez said, somebody told her 'I love this graphic, was beautiful, althogh I didn't understand it'. Thanks?
About the second question, I've heard more then once 'But, how many graphcis can we ask you for?' being totally unsatisfactory the answer 'depend on the kind of graphics'
About the first one, I don't know. I suppouse that, to get quality and quantity together the 'trick' as Errea said, is to have a good team, with its economic cost.
But there is one more thing. In a place I worked for we were aked to develop a daily graphic for a daily section. We aswered that this was great if the information worth a graphic. The reaction was 'The thing is that grahics make the page looks great'. As a colleague use to say 'if you want a beautiful page, place there the photo of a puppy, people loves them'

I prefer a good graphic that five mediocrities. But I also prefer five good graphics than one. And if it's possible, go ahead. But each one of them must be as good as if we had a week just for it. If not, it doesn't worth (with the omnipresent exceptions). If we have to do 81, 81. But good ones.

Cool infographics

Just google the word infographics and you'll find very interesting sites. My last discovery has been Cool Infographics. A great summary about infographics in the web by Randy Krum

Summarizing absent days

Excuse me for my long absence. Spanish (and USA) elections and problems with blogger has been a big burden these days. But there hasn't been lack of interesting things.

Who has the oil?

Luis Yujipolo, again, reommends to look to a good graphic on the spanish version comments. A map showing who has and who uses oil.
Originally published on Andrew Sullivan's blog

SND awards polemic blog
SND Update blog has been following the SND judging. We could see on it some 'milestone' awards, the most awarded and other data about the awarded. But, some days after finishing the judging, we still don't know the compelte list. For this reason, Juan Antonio Giner complaints on his blog, about the leaking of medals and not having the list published once the contest is finished. Discussion continued on Update

Wors of the german graphics agency KircherBurkhardt
Robb Montgomery uploaded on VisuelEditors a video about this agency, which is doing a great job. One of his best values is how they can provide conceptual and spectacular graphics keeping the same high level.




Supertuesday graphics
Infosthetics showed a lik of the blog This is totally gonna work... on which a analysis of supertuesday graphic on northamerican newspapers was done.

On Público we've used USA parties elections to start publishing online-something (I won't dare to call them graphics at the moment), still without time and without idea to develop somethng decent, but making the first steps. Critiques are accepted and desired.

The new VizEds

Visual Editors has changed its face. And it's not just a cosmetic operation. One of the most important forums about news design is now easier to use. I was not a huge fan of the old one, it was hard to find what I was looking for, and that for I can't say if this one has more or less options, but, a least I know where to go. There's a group about graphics, so we have another place to discuss as good infographics freaks.

To get to the new VizEds, click on the image

The colombian El Tiempo, Rey de España award

The visual feature of the colombian newspaper El Tiempo "Los Yukpas, un pueblo guerrero (click on image to access) got the award Rey de España of Visual Journalism.
The feature shows that online graphics don't have to be stand alone pieces. They should be integrated parts on features using all the posibilities that internet can give to the journalists.
Congratulations to José Navia, Alejandro Noriega and all the staff of El Tiempo.

Thanks to Alejandro Rojas for the information

Campaigns and oil

The web Oil Change shows this graphic about the money of politicas campaigns coming from oil companies (on which you can edit the variables to make it easier to follow), pure style They Rule. Oil companies shouldn't be glad. Their bet, Huliani, is already out.

Via infosthetics