On another note, I, like Jackie (for those of you who read her post), am a photo major. Therefore, this new layout for CNN holds very special meaning - that which we can only hope catches on with other online news sites. The underlying concept is this: photography as a newsworthy art form is dying. In a world in which media-consolidation is it, how are photographers supposed to make a living if all the world is made to care about is text and possibly video? I think CNN is paving the way for photographers to be held in higher regard and demand. Very, very exciting.
Monday, October 26, 2009
CNN: Paving the Way
When I first saw the new CNN.com interface, I thought a couple different things all at once: "Crap, now I have to get used to a whole new layout and navigation system;" "But doesn't it look pretty!" Truth is, navigating the site is as insightful as ever, while undergoing a total upgrade in appearance, as the Guardian.co.uk article touches on. I feel that the new modern design allows viewers to get to where they're going much easier. To explain further, the human eye gravitates toward photographs way before text, or headlines. Therefore, the new site highlights images in such a way as to draw the viewer in, instilling in them a sense of intrigue about the actual news stories.
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I am right along with you in that photography needs to be pushed out into the public in a new and exiting way so that it never dies of into the category of artsy fartsy class. Photography in this site took on a much more important and powerful role, compared to the way the site was laid out before. Visuals are just as powerful as words and say just as much information in less time!
ReplyDeleteI agree that focus on visuals is key in attracting the viewer's attention. I just wish that they could have taken this line of thought one stop further when designing the new site. They used a lot of bold and red which are both proven to attract attention, but why couldn't they have made the site more aesthetically pleasing in the process??
ReplyDeleteI think CNN, like many news sites, is searching for answers about how to keep viewers/readers.
ReplyDeleteTheir traditional strength is through videos but I think they have been trying to keep up with MSNBC and their "Week in Photos" and other photo galleries. With many of the major magazines and newspapers struggling and a number of photographers/photojournalists unemployed, it would be wonderful to see new sites emerge as a place for great photography.