MTSU Media Design

Sports section of July 8 edition of Sidelines

2009-07-09T06:37:00.001-07:00

With the occurrence of Steve McNair's - Tennessee Titans legend and franchise leader for a decade - murder on July 4, the staff of Sidelines decided the best route to go for the sports section this week would be for a full 2-page spread memorial of McNair.

As sports editor, Richard Lowe had some great ideas on how to lay out the page. McNair's new restaurant in Nashville, GridIron9, had photos, letters, and memorabilia placed all over the front window of the store from fans honoring the life of McNair.

We decided to do a photo collection in the middle of the pages, and quotes from MTSU students about how the death of McNair was seen through their eyes.

Get a copy and let us know what you think!

How the Features page came together

2009-06-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

This week, we had a few dilemmas with the content of the Features section. First of all, we were short on a few images (not the right images for the content). Next, we had the issue of deciding how and where to dictate the location of each individual piece of information in the article concerning aspects of certain places.

Well, the issues were resolved with a little , aka a LOT, of decision making. We used a map of the middle Tennessee area to give readers an idea of how far away each town is in comparison with Murfreesboro. Next, we used a few images to relate to the topics. We also decided to do a sidebar of the Uncle Dave Macon Days event, since it is actually IN Murfreesboro and will be happening soon.

Any questions, shoot me an email!

Whatsup with the tabloid, dude?!

2009-06-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering why we are doing a tabloid format for Sidelines for the summer of 2009. Well, the answer is pretty simple: money. When it comes down to budgetary issues, Sidelines has been faced with many dilemmas and projected problems. With the questions surrounding the Middle Tennessee State University budget cuts, money has become a stronger opponent in the printing world for Sidelines. We currently use the Lebanon Democrat to print the issues, and tabloid style is much cheaper than other forms of newspapers.

If you have any questions about the printing or something else, feel free to shoot me an email at sl4ads@mtsu.edu.

Some Links to Help Build Your Graphic Design Knowledge

2009-05-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a few links that have helped me out over the years by adding new ideas to my graphic design knowledge. Check them out!

pixel2life.com - Tutorials for most design programs, specifically Photoshop and Illustrator.

allgraphicdesign.com - Links to many design-based sites, tutorials, and other things.

Lynda.com - More of the tutorials and such, great website to expand your techniques and learn more about the design programs.

How Design Happens in the Media World

2009-05-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Into today's media world, aspects such as news, opinions, sports, and other things are being brought to a new forefront by the use of the internet and ever-expanding technology. With that expansion, graphic design has taken an even higher precedent in the display of those aspects. Here, I will tell how how a college student like me tries to add even more to the media, specifically Sidelines, and the elements that make it even better.