Brandon Ferrill
Designer
Minneapolis Star Tribune
What is your current job title, and how long have you been in that role?
I’ve been a designer for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis for the past two years.
What do you love about designing for print?
I love being part of a process that tries to help people be better informed by showing information in ways they can easily digest and understand. These days it’s important to be armed with the most accurate information and if I can help someone understand that information easier and faster, then that’s a worthwhile endeavor for me.
You have a variety of work in your portfolio because it’s a combo. What kinds of projects do you enjoy most?
Probably the ones I learn something from, but really I’m not picky. Honestly, whatever I’m assigned to, I make sure I know as much as I can about the topic and then do the best I can to help tell that story in my part of the process.
What about your newsroom do you feel facilitates doing good design?
On top of having an incredibly talented design staff that is supportive of one another we’re part of a newsroom with a culture that understands that the storytelling process doesn’t stop once the final punctuation is placed at the end of a story. Editors in every department know that when something deserves special attention they can count on us to deliver.
Which of the projects in your portfolio do you feel was the most challenging?
They were all challenging in different ways for different reasons. The most challenging aspect that I think ties them all together is dealing with the range of topics covered, but it was also part of the fun of doing them.
In what ways do you push yourself to be a better designer and journalist?
This is probably the obvious answer, but I think it’s just making sure I know as much as I can know about the topics I’m working on. I want to have as good of an understanding as the reporter writing the story. I think that once I have a handle on that everything typically falls into place.
What does it take to do great print design? Former SND Competition Coordinator Andrea Zagata set out to find tips and tricks from the winners. Check SND.org every week for interviews with the best of the best!