Valpo Magazine - story selection & graphics

[crusadermoe]

OK, did anyone look through their Valpo magazine in the mail this week.   

I see two HUGE flaws.  Even if you are not a sports fan, these criticisms apply to the full magazine content.

1)  Size and number of human photos.  Count the number of captioned human photos!  At a glance there are maybe five on the entirety of pages 1-42 and then a set of postage stamp photos on pages 43 and 25 each.

2)   Poor graphics and font sizes that don't draw the eye.   And naturally, the two worst cases de-emphasize athletics achievements.

There is a bitterly ironic treatment of the Mo. Valley story.  I literally paged past it and after seeing page 24-25 I looked for a headline.  It says, "Vertical Leap to the Valley."  But the freaking layout is HORIZONTAL in a story about a VERTICAL LEAP.  And the players are tiny and unrecognizable.   Look for yourself.  The layout is simply irritating.  Then I puzzled over the location of the story.  Where is the story.  Feast your eyes on the layout of the pages 26-27 spead.  No photos.  Just columns of date looking graphics and small print.  Some stories don't lend themselves to photos. SPORTS is one of those story topics!!!   Give it at least 5-6 good-sized photos and make them central elements of the page.  I am not a layout expert beyond some basics in high school  But common sense says that this is pathetic because my eye just kept turning a way!!!   The one little group team picture could just easily be an intramural group since there are no logos to be seen.

There is a totally incompetent layout error on the page 9 postage stamp photo of Alec Peters. Its uncaptioned of course so readers not knowing his face will see not catch the significance if the reader glanes through as fast as I do.  I read snail mail stuff over a trash can as do many others.  The article literally starts on page 8 with 3 short paragraphs and leaps across two columns to and picks up on page 9.  The article is VERY short and blends in with a lot of small type and small font headlines. Another layout error is just incompetence.  What is the deal?? 

Where is the accountability for this?   

[crusadermoe]

PAGE 9 IS PATHETIC.  Would it really have been hard to make Alec's picture on page 9 larger and to insert Alec Peters '17 as a caption???.   That would immediately convey the news of the story.  We have  an alumnus playing in the NBA!

iN CONTRAST to Alec's 2x2" photo, there is one six times larger that features a generic speaker at a generic VU podium with no name or caption.  Who is she?Why do I care? Make me care.   I realize that a generic looking speaker at a generic podium is a RARE sight at a University.  Therefore a good editor will seek to raise those up (sarcasm intended).  Whereas, landing a player in the NBA?....once every 3 decades?   (yawn).

[VULB#62]

Thanks for the eye opening analysis, Moe.

[covufan]

I remember one time when I was living in the DC area and after a weekend visiting with college friends that I should engage with the local Valpo Alumni group.  The next day the summer Valpo magazine arrives in the mail.  While reading it there was a small ad for the DC area alumni group picnic.  Cool, I can do that.  Then on another page there was another ad for several alumni groups and upcoming outings.  With a different date than the first ad.  Starting SMH.  A few days later in the mail arrives a postcard with invitation to the DC area summer picnic - with a third different date!

I enjoyed my time at Valpo.  The experience and communication as an alum has been less than stellar.