Innovation at Gatehouse Media’s Design Space
By Ashley Yosko
SAN MARCOS – Project designers from Gatehouse Media shared the importance of innovation in digital journalism and design in careers at the annual Mass Communication Week on Monday.
Both representatives from Gatehouse are also recent graduates from college; they each graduated last year with degrees focused in the fields of journalism and graphic design.
Designer at Gatehouse’s de//space innovation lab and graduate from Ball State University, Tyson Bird said that having a mind for doing creative work is a key to the future of journalism careers.
“There’s this big space in the media of like very, very creative people doing a lot of great work and like not selling it correctly,” Bird said.
While recognizing the need for this new type of journalism and finding an interest in it, Bird said that it was not easy. He also added that moving to Austin was risky, but ultimately rewarding.
“It’s been cool kind of starting in this world, that you know, that didn’t exist before I had it,” Bird said.
Another designer at Gatehouse’s de//space innovation lab and graduate from Syracuse University Mara Corbett also added that innovative digital journalism is still a new realm that is being driven by creative individuals with initiative.
“It is a very undefined area and you get to define what you want to do. And I think so often you see job descriptions like you know, you are responsible for x, y and z but we build our own job descriptions,” Corbett said.
Corbett also mentioned that it is normal to not know all the tools and technologies available in design. However, she said it is good to learn as much about them as possible, especially with online media always changing.
“When we speak a common language, we create more powerful work,” Corbett said.
Corbett also stressed the importance of cooperation among local journalists and putting their best efforts together for the best results.
“We need to be working together because we’re stronger together,” Corbett said.
Echoing Bird and Corbett’s advice to keep in touch with former professors after graduation, Dr. Cindy Royal added that students are always welcome to come back to professors for connections.
“They’re right. Professors as well as other professionals, when we hear that a friend has a job, we want to be the one to help them fill that,” Royal said.
More information on Gatehouse’s de//space can be found at www.despace.design.