The Spectator resumed print publication this week, as, in theory, did Spec editors return to classes.
What a week. Considering we ran on our first day back a lengthy supplement (read: extra long hours) on winter developments in Manhattanville and the fact that we new editors had technically never produced a newspaper before, one could have forgiven us if our papers came later than usual in the day. But mid-week we put the paper to bed close to 2:30 a.m. Generally, at Spec a 2:30 “pdf time” (the time we transmit our pdfs to the printer and head home) means a successfully early night (and sleep for the staff). There are a lot of variables that determine how early we wrap–and how early Spec hits the stands on campus and in the streets. We’ll try to describe those variables more at length at some point. We’ll also have editors of various sections posting regularly to shed light on how they handled particular stories, innovations, and challenges.
When the new editors take charge over winter break, you can often expect changes to the design that greets readers in the new year. The redesign last year first took many some time to get used to, as it modernized the front page considerably–creating an entire column of teasers (that point to what’s inside our pages) in space traditionally used for News articles. More and more papers do this, and the look evokes that of a Web site. For 2008, production editors Mady Lopeman and Haley Vecchiarelli opted for subtle changes that we hope significantly refine the page. They created more space for articles on the front page by reducing the size of the front page teasers running over the Spec banner and relocating the bottom teasers and weather forecast. They also polished details like fonts for captions and headlines.