Randy Stano with the staff of Distraction Magazine at the University of Miami celebrate after winning a collegiate design award.
Our honorees have had a big influence on the careers of some SND’s most creative visual thinkers.
It’s with great pleasure that we introduce the SND Lifetime Achievement Award winners for 2017: Darcy Greene, Cheryl Pell and Randy Stano. You have likely seen them at SND workshops year after year, followed by flocks of eager, talented design students.
These are world-class mentors who have inspired many.
They will receive their awards in-person at the annual workshop in Charlotte, April 19-21. Please join us to celebrate their contributions to the Society and to the world of journalism.
Greene and Pell have taught together for nearly 30 years at Michigan State University in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Bringing students to nearly every SND workshop since 1994 and spearheading the strong student chapter, Greene and Pell are often referred to as the Society’s dynamic duo. The pair even wrote a joint statement when notified of their awards!
“Over the years, we have encountered students who had never even considered newspapers and magazines were actually consciously designed. Somehow they would end up in our classes, and one of our greatest thrills was to watch them blossom,” they wrote. “We wanted our students to learn the job of an information designer is to organize content so that readers can more easily discern meaning as well as create elements that help people understand complex issues. And along the way we wanted them to have some fun.”
Stano has taught at the University of Miami School of Communications since 1995. He served as president of SND in 1992, the same year that Hurricane Andrew devastated communities south of Miami. The Miami Herald won a Pulitzer Prize for that coverage, design-directed by Stano in 1993, along with a Best of Show and six gold medals from SND. Earlier, Stano served as assistant art director at The Kansas City Times when they won a Pulitzer for coverage of the Hyatt Hotel disaster in 1982.
Like Greene and Pell, Stano has traveled extensively with his students to introduce them to the world of design. I asked him how he describes the career path to his students. Here’s what he said:
“You will be entering the world of visual storytelling through design, photography, illustration and informational design. You will never be bored. If you are determined, want to be an over-achiever and dedicated, you can move forward as high up on a design staff that you want to be.
“You need to be strong in at least one of the design areas and have backup skills of editing and writing to help support your job. You never know when you might be the one of deadline to be updating the web page or editing an informational graphic.
“Data journalism has made a big change on the way that you can obtain, analyze and present material to your readers and viewers. Stay up-to-date with the latest technology, visual trends and ways of presenting information to your audience. Life will not be dull.
“Now, will you make money? Yes, but you will not be rich. Yes, you can make a good salary but you have to push to be the best and go beyond the norm. Remember you will get out of a career what you put in to the career.”
Cheryl Pell and Darcy Greene first attended the 1994 SND Workshop in Kansas City. “I was immediately hooked,” said Pell.
The list of people our honorees have inspired is long. If you are among them, we’d like to hear from you. Tell us your memory of working with these fine folks or offer them a word of congratulations.
One last note from Greene and Pell: