Learn easy graphic design tips at Institute program on June 17

In our scroll and skim culture, dynamic visuals can make the difference in whether a reader engages with a story but not every story can attract a graphic-design professional’s time in the newsroom, especially in the continuing pandemic and protest news cycle. If you’re a reporter, editor, social-media manager now handling (or who wants to handle) quick-turn graphics, get a head start with our tips for designing visuals when it’s not usually part of your job. 

The National Press Club Journalism Institute plans to host a Zoom webinar on Wednesday, June 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. 

Register now for this presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session with participants.

Beth Francesco, Institute senior director, plans to share best practices, tools you have at your disposal from home, and ways to create visuals regardless of your hands-on design experience.

In this program for beginners, she aims to cover:

• Rules of thumb to guide your decisions on fonts, colors, and images

• Tools you have at your fingertips to make quick work of visuals (social cards, call-outs, basic infographics, and more) on the fly 

• Exercises to help you develop your design thinking 

Before coming to the Institute, Francesco oversaw student-media operations at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she trained students on design, editing, reporting, leadership and marketing. She’s been a freelance writer, editor and consultant for numerous newspaper, magazine and marketing agencies. She started her career as a copy editor/designer at the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times.