It’s ironic it would end this way. With a column. This thing is usually reserved to offer a certain opinion, to step out of the neutral stance media assumes. This column is what I’m using to say goodbye.
I’m not one for words. I like to work behind the scenes. Even a byline makes me self-conscious ““ it’s as if I have to step into some harsh overhead spotlight and become the “auteur” of this article. I’d rather be the brooding artist in the corner.
The “brooding artist corner,” or the design section of the Daily Bruin, has been a home base for me these past two years. I started out working on the paper, and then became art director for prime. Although I’ve jumped ship for prime, I still get to hang out with my fellow moody, creative comrades.
Our job is to communicate a message, an opinion or an announcement, with words or with photos. I’ve learned to communicate with colors and fonts, and now I have to communicate my parting words with a column. It’s never too late to learn new tricks, right?
There are two questions I get asked most after people find out I’m a communication studies student and that I work for a newspaper. First, will newspapers disappear (usually followed by asking whether they should get a Kindle or not)? And second, why do I want to become a journalist? The latter question is usually followed by a laugh and a reminder that circulation statistics are dwindling nationwide.
Perhaps newspapers will disappear, but news will not. Nor will the necessity for news disappear. There will always be a need for journalists to sum it up and serve it straight to the people. Kindle or iPad, people will still be reading and looking for articles and information.
Oh, and why a journalist? Because I love learning about all the new things that emerge around us, and I enjoy translating this news for you, dear reader. If that means using sky blue over navy or Helvetica Neue over Bureau Grotesque, then I’m your girl.
During my time at the Daily Bruin, I’ve learned that I can tell a story in many different ways, each with its own impact and effect on the audience. I can write a story, but I can also make a photo essay or a radio short or even a designed layout on glossy paper in prime. The media is our tool, and we have to use it responsibly and effectively.
Looking back, I was always amazed at how everything magically came together. I’m sure this is thanks to others who also work behind the scenes. Without these editors adding oil to the machine that is the Daily Bruin, there would be no paper and definitely no awards.
I couldn’t imagine what college would be like without working for the newspaper. I think I would watch a lot more television, get better grades and maybe find new corners to brood in.
So what’s my point here, with this column I’ve drawn up? My message isn’t goodbye, but here I come, world. I’ve learned a new trick: Leaving that moody corner and stepping into the spotlight may not be so scary after all.
Palmer Picard was prime art director for 2010-2011, a designer for 2009-2010, a Daily Bruin photographer in 2011 and an a&e contributor in 2010.