Production Management

For the Wisconsin Engineer Production Editors:
By Kari Jordan, Jan 2006

Pre-class/semester work

• Please note, this does not always happen before class

• Contact editor(s) about getting a timeline together, this may also happen as collaboration with other department heads at a pre-class meeting.

• E-mail old staffers- inviting them to return. Ask that anyone interested and can commit yet unable to make it to the meeting RSVP before the class (give them a day), so that you can include them in the list of staffers when story teams are put together (1st class)

• Create (or print) sign up sheet for new members

• For new PE’s coordinate with Printer Liaison to set up a meeting with the printer (Liaisons business contact AND one of their Tech)

• Prepare for staff ‘plug’ at first meeting (power point slide or quick announcement about what the production staff does and staff expectations)

• Make or tweak template (there is some time before needed so this can be put off until later if absolutely needed)

First Class:

• Staff plug (class)

• Meet with Staff (department meetings)

• Introductions: (suggested- name, experience, go a little more in depth about what staff does and expectations like grading, emphasis communication!, touch on design)

• Briefly describe Wisconsin Engineer (WE) layout design and show a few examples, then explain the process [See story teams for more information]

• Figure out what day and time might work best to hold a workshop for Quark/Indesign and Photoshop (workshop date/time/location should be decided and specified at 2nd meeting)

• Pair experienced staff with new staffers for Story Teams

• Check to make sure everyone has a CAE account, knows how to get one, or help them get one

Time line

• Go over timeline from editor(s)/department heads. On the day of Photo staff to Production staff hand off, story teams should sit down together and write the captions. Once the production staff has their photos (and story) they should have at between 1.5-2 weeks to create a layout and turn it back in [This is explained in more detail in story teams]. Once they turn it in PEs compile it into the final quark file and folders for the printer [see Grunt work for more information]

Ed’s and Heads meetings

• These meetings happen on the alternating Wednesdays, same time as the class (7pm), usually in the magazine office, room M1066, in the Engineering Centers Building (ECB). You have lost your Wed evening with this commitment- Make sure you have at least on PE at these meetings.

• These meetings usually consists of staff updates and discussion for any issues that arise during the semester, its also a time to coordinate with other department heads for information and file transfer [See story teams for more information, coordination with Web staff is under Grunt work]

Department updates

• Department updates are made at each class, the editor(s) call on the staff heads, usually at the end of the class lecture or when the speaker is done.

• Updates usually consist of where production is in their timeline of work, what they will be doing when they break off into departments or story groups and any other important information (who makes it and what is said is usually decided right before class begins, PE’s tend to collect together (sit in the same area) so they can touch base, and figure out the logistics of the updates.

Workshop

1. Make sure everyone is logged into the CAE computer
2. Have them load Quark and the Adobe Creative Suite II in the CAE applications (if they don’t already have them)
3. Walk them through opening the programs Quark/Indesign and Photoshop
4. Show them how to get the template (??????? FTP?)
5. Run workshop in small blocks: Teach a section, stop and answer any questions… let the staff catch up and let PEs drift and help out where needed, then continue on to next topic, etc. Sections follow:
6. Brief overview of template (I start by moving photo boxes and blurbs out of my major work space so I can get a feel for the stories length.
7. Body text: how to get major fonts, where to read measurements, how to get or ditch the cursed drop caps (under format), how to change colors. Mention author bio is in a different font.
8. Photos: how to make a picture box (cover runaround, frame Black-0.5 and shapes). Show them how to make a caption box and photo credits box (orientation and location- template specifications). Load photo (go over sizing MUST BE > or = 250dpi! And explain image differences of quark and Photoshop) and then show them how to get file information from Photoshop. Show them how to link and unlink groups.
9. Give staff Some examples of how to make titles and ways to add variety to the standard image and title
10. Go over white space, eyelines and emphasis and then address blurbs
11. Backup workshop/one-on-one with new staffer
12. Schedule time with staff/staffers to meet in the office, arrive at least 15 minutes early, leave door open.
13. Cover topics in “Workshop”

Advanced workshop

Things to cover in Photoshop

• Gradients and how to make them
• Cutting out an image
• How to get a Duotone image
• Cutting out an image
• Explain difference between vector and bitmap images
• Don't use text in photoshop unless your an expert
  

Things to cover in Adobe Indesign

• How to make text & picture boxes
• Layering text behind an image
• How to package a layout
  

Other class management tasks

• Update Production Staff mailing list: go to https://lists.wisc.edu your e-mail address is your name and the password is _ _ _ _ _. Wait two classes (estimate on time frame) before deleting any names [this in case some returning members did not reply to the invitation e-mail] sent out. Add new staffers when you get their contact information.
• Send out e-mail reminders, timeline updates and resources/reference material as needed [also see story teams]
• [Design Lesson?] For one class have a design ‘power point’ to help them brainstorm ideas on how to stay consistent and in line with the template and yet not exactly (show examples)
• Schedule regular “PE in the office times” during the work week (week and a half- 2 weeks in reality)