My lucky break into editorial design was thanks to a Metro transit strike. One day during my freshman college spring break, Dad was inspired to pick up a hitchhiker who would have normally taken the bus to work.
Gerry worked in the graphics department of the American Chemical Society, which prompted Dad to mention his daughter was looking for a summer job in graphic design. “Have her give my boss a call,” Gerry said. “He likes to help young people.” The boss, Leroy Corcoran, did indeed give me a chance. Based on an ink illustration in what passed as my portfolio, he judged I could master the Rapidographs that were used to draw charts and graphs in that pre-digital era. (The magazines had lots of charts and graphs, and the art directors were delighted to delegate the task.)
So began my ACS tenure—three college summers, two years of freelancing, and finally four years of full-time employment designing Analytical Chemistry and Chemical & Engineering News until Rob lured me away. (I broke into tears when I gave Leroy my notice.) As an art major at a school where “graphics” meant etchings and silkscreens, I owe a great deal to Leroy and the entire department, particularly John Sinnett, for their patient editorial and graphic design guidance. They were my teachers.
Fast forward: Recently, a client requested I mentor a young woman in the ins and outs of editorial design. Camille Stewart’s design instincts were good, and for three months I watched her proficiency and InDesign skills improve considerably under my instruction. Camille kindly comments:
Sharri provided me with examples of how to balance content on a page and how to adhere to branding guidelines as well as how to handle particularly difficult content. I’d never realized there was a unique set of design principles for editorial design. I learned that the story is the main character and any design decisions must amplify and embellish the story.
I also learned a whole new arsenal of InDesign tips and tricks that I adopted almost immediately! I feel so much more confident now in my ability to provide attractive, clean pages featuring layouts of stories, graphics, and photos that capture a reader’s attention. I find myself adapting and improvising upon what Sharri taught me and I think I’ll keep growing my skills thanks to her mentoring.
Although the task would have been easier if we’d been in the same studio, critiquing her work was a gratifying use of time. The hardest part was letting Camille do it herself (yes, I know—the whole point of teaching). I could have taken the same elements and knocked out a layout with far less effort, because, for better or worse, decades of designing magazines have completely re-wired my brain.
Camille’s now flying solo; Auras is no longer paid for my tutelage and critiques. But since she designs pages that appear in a publication I art direct, I have a personal stake in her success. I’m glad I could be her teacher.
With gratitude to Leroy and John, hopefully my guidance has helped savvy young designers like Camille and those I’ve worked with at AURAS to be successful—so that editorial design won’t go the way of newspaper proofreading. —Sharri Wolfgang
