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Charles Apple: The Visual Side of Journalism

 

‘Virginian-Pilot’ archive

Number of comments in parentheses

June 15: Virginian-Pilot’s Wes Watson previews the ‘Superman’ movie with an illustration

I received a handful of Man of Steel movie-themed pages but not enough, really, to make a decent blog post. So, as you may have noticed, I skipped the topic. Until now. I spotted this from Wesley Watson of the Virginian-Pilot on Facebook this morning and it knocked my socks off. Click for a much larger look. Wesley tells us: [...]

June 11: An important historical anniversary observed, Sam Hundley style

Wednesday is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Civil Rights icon Medgar Evers. He was cut down by a white supremacist in the front yard of his own home in Jackson, Miss. The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk ran this as its features front today. Click for a much larger look. The illustrator and designer of this piece, Sam Hundley, tells [...]

June 5: What are you using for mapping software these days? (9)

My old pal Bob Voros of the Virginian-Pilot has a question for the entire peanut gallery out there, regarding the creation of locator maps. Bob asks: We’ve upgraded to Map Studio v.4.0 for our mapping software at the Virginian-Pilot about six months ago and have become really disappointed with it. All the upgrades were for online use which we don’t [...]

May 21: A look at today’s notable Oklahoma tornado front pages (2)

In the future, whenever you think of the horrifying tragedy Monday in Oklahoma, you’ll remember this image: That was shot in Moore, Okla., by Sue Ogrocki of the Associated Press. Sue’s first-person story is downright chilling: I expected chaos as I approached the piles of bricks and twisted metal where Plaza Towers Elementary once stood. Instead, it was calm and [...]

April 16: A look at today’s best and not-quite-the-best Boston bombing front pages (6)

As you’re already aware, the Boston Globe and its photography staff rose to the challenge of yesterday’s bombings during the Boston Marathon. Pictures by staffers John Tlumacki and David L. Ryan appeared in papers around the world, bringing the horror and the emotion home for readers everywhere. Here’s a quick review of some of the day’s notable front pages… — [...]

April 7: The staff of the Virginian-Pilot tries a ‘Harlem Shake’ video

What do you do for run in your newsroom? Here’s what they do in the offices of the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk. That dog on the cart? Photo by Virginian-Pilot staffer The’ N. Pham — That’s Charles, “the famous lion dog of Norfolk,” who made his own huge viral splash earlier this year. Chuck is being chauffeured by page-one designer Robert [...]

March 14: A look at today’s Pope front pages (3)

[Freshly updated with a few more credits that rolled in throughout the day Thursday...] As you know, we have a new Pope. He’s from Argentina and is the first Pope ever from the Americas. As you might imagine, papers in Argentina went crazy with the story today. But you can spot right away why I’m reluctant to spend a lot [...]

Feb. 19: Virginian-Pilot seeks online producer, ‘heavy on the design skills’

My old colleague Mark Edelen — director of online production for the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. — is looking to make a key hire for his team. He tells us: We’re looking for an online producer, heavy on design skills, to join our team. This will be the replacement for David Putney, who went to Boston. Here’s the want ad, [...]

Feb. 12: A look at today’s most outstanding Pope Benedict XVI pages (1)

Huge news broke Monday morning: The Pope is resigning. Pope Benedict XVI will be the first pope in 598 years to resign, as opposed to dying in office. This move — along with the baggage the Catholic church is carrying around these days — made for huge play atop page one of today’s New York Times. That picture by L’Osservatore [...]

Feb. 3: Super Bowl pages from around the country (2)

On Friday, I posted a selection of Baltimore Ravens pages from Gannett’s Asbury Park Design Studio. Look for those here. Today, let’s look at a few more Super Bowl advance pages from around the country… — SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE San Francisco, Calif. Circulation: 229,176 On page one today, the Chronicle focused on fans: Parties both in the Bay area and [...]

Jan. 29: The magical properties of a clever illustration (5)

Submitted for your approval: The features front of Monday’s Virginian-Pilot. It ran sideways, so it’ll look tiny here. Click on it a couple of times for an extra-gargantuan view. The creator of the illustration — the supremely talented Sam Hundley — tells us: It began as a personal piece unrelated to the flu! I offered it to the paper when [...]

Jan. 8: When illustrating a controversial topic, it helps to have a real, live visual journalism superhero on staff

The Virginian-Pilot today ran a fascinating essay by entertainment writer Rashod Ollison on the controversy surrounding Quentin Tarintino‘s latest movie, Django Unchained. Folks are upset about the movie itself and especially the dialogue, which features liberal use of the dreaded “n-word.” Hey, as a man who grew up in South Carolina in the 1960s and 70s, I know that word [...]

Jan. 7: Run it big and get the hell out of its way

No one — no one — does this better than the Virginian-Pilot. Eyewitness is photo feature that runs every other Monday in the Pilot. The subject of today’s page, obviously, is a humpback whale. The humpbacks spend winters off the shore of Hampton Roads. The picture was shot Saturday by the Pilot‘s Stephen Katz, who writes: Does the Pilot — [...]

Jan. 6: You have to get sports scores correct in headlines on your sports front

There was a small but embarrassing display text error on the front of the sports section of today’s Virginian-Pilot. You can see it there in the story at the bottom of the page. The top blurb to the bottom right of the photo: “Vikings beat Packers.” The problem, of course, was that the Vikings did not beat the Packers Saturday. [...]

Jan. 2: Today’s best Fiscal Cliff front pages (1)

I got a bit of mileage late last night with this attempt at humor: Because of the lateness of the vote, perhaps, only a few papers — even some on the East Coast — managed to put together pleasing and interesting front-page treatments today that focused on the Fiscal Cliff vote. Here’s a look at the most notable… — NEW [...]

Dec. 24, 2012: A fun Christmas quiz in today’s Virginian-Pilot

Today, the newspaper I get here at home — the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va. — devoted two full pages of its features section to a fun Christmas quiz. The features front was illustrated with this huge piece by my pal Wesley Watson featuring a very displeased Ebenezer Scrooge. Click that — or this next page — for a much larger view. [...]

Dec. 21, 2012: You heard it here first: The world did NOT end today

…So far, that is. Were you surprised? Believe me, you’ll know when the world comes to an end: The Chicago Cubs will win the World Series first. Here’s a look at some of the day’s most notable Mayan “apocalypse” front pages… __________________ LET’S GET THIS ONE OUT OF THE WAY EARLY, SHALL WE? The Sentinel of Santa Cruz, Calif., quoted [...]

Dec. 2, 2012: Eight front pages; eight superlative uses of design tools

My daily spin through the Newseum produced a handful of front pages you really ought to see… ___________________________ GREAT USE OF POLICE TAPE PHOTO — STAR TRIBUNE Casper, Wyo. Circulation: 24,791 Something many of us run into when there are horrific events in our communities: Building a front page with the best art we can get: Police tape surrounding the [...]

Nov. 10, 2012: Two cool features treatments for the new 007 movie

The new James Bond movie, Skyfall, opened Friday to rave reviews nearly everywhere. Features editor Scott Helmchen of the Northwest Herald of Crystal Lake, Ill., tells us: This story is about the 50-year history of the franchise, so I wanted to use the iconic logo mixed with images from some of the actors who played the character. Click that for [...]

Nov. 4, 2012: A look at today’s election-oriented front pages (4)

Is it just me or has this presidential election cycle seemed way too damned long? Either way, it’s finally nearing its end. Here’s how my old friend Mark Marturello illustrated this today for the Des Moines Register. Let’s take a look at the day’s most notable presentations featuring the election on the Sunday before Election Day… — DES MOINES REGISTER [...]

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