Weeners and Losers

Weeners

Here are a few of my favorite storytelling sites:

http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/
Time Magazine’s photo essay section is a very strong representation of how images and sounds can be combined to create powerful stories. Of the myriad of websites devoted to multimedia storytelling, Time.com's packages engage users by telling stories in ways appropriate to this medium. The photojournalism is consistently impeccable and well edited. Time.com's high-impact images combine with intense audio, particularly in "21 Days to Baghdad," drawing the user inside the story. Interface design and navigation are straightforward and never gimmicky. There is a reason why Time’s site won the National Press Photographer’s Association Award for Best Use of the Web in 2004 (winners for 2005 will be announced shortly.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/?nav=globetop
The Washington Post has done a remarkable job leading the industry in photojournalism and multimedia. This is what the New York Times is aiming for. While their current style no longer pushes the envelope of online journalism, the approach is classic and clean, reminiscent of a print style of presenting information. Check out the “Raising the Stakes" narrated gallery for a quick introduction to how they use Flash to mix images and audio. What I find particularly interesting is the Post’s significant commitment to short documentaries. They are venturing away from traditional print medium (text and photos) to video production. And they are doing it well. I find there are times where I can get lost in all the features. Now if only they could dump all the ads cluttering the edges of the page.

http://www.jacksonville.com/special/jamesCroft/jamesthegiant.html
For a totally different spin, “Walking with the Giant” is worth a look. This is a multimedia feature article from the Florida Times Union in Jacksonville. They broke the story into three smaller segments, making it a little less daunting for the viewer. I am not too hot on the pink, grey and light blue palette, but I guess one can’t really argue taste.

Stinkers

As far as stinkers go, there are so many to choose from. Two that come to mind are:

http://www.seattleweekly.com/ Oh the clutter and all those little boxes

http://www.guardian.co.uk/ The Guardian is all about the text. Just the facts, lots and lots of them.

posted by Drew Keller @ Saturday, April 15, 2006