SOCIALIST STANDARD – CALL FOR NEW LAYOUT MEMBERS
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DETAILS RE: CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO SERVE ON SSPC AS LAYOUT/DESIGN MEMBERS.Email 1.08.16 from Paddy Shannon To the Executive CommitteeDear ComradesNeil Windle and I have been doing the layout for the Standard since 2005, and feel it's time for a rest, so we're planning to make the December 2016 Standard our last.The editors have been approaching people as possible replacements but this hasn't worked out and volunteers still need to be found.Volunteers would need: access to and a reasonable grasp of Adobe Photoshop, including resizing, cropping, adding text layers and so forthaccess to and a reasonable grasp of Adobe Indesign, including paragraph styles, text offsets, resize tools, master pages, text overflow and so ona decent computer running Windows 7 or 10, and home broadbandwillingness to understand and use the templates we've set up so that continuity can be maintained in the short term before experimenting in the long (ie walk first, run later)a willingness to commit to a monthly deadline without fail an artistic eye for what looks good on a page and what doesn't As will be clear from this list, the job is not suitable for a complete beginner. It's also quite a labour-intensive job once a month and might be better suited to older, retired members with leisure to learn the tricks.Having said this, anybody could learn this stuff given the motivation, and I've undertaken to talk volunteers through anything they need to know, including after December in a consultative role, if necessary. Members will recall that we tried on a previous occasion to recruit and train volunteer replacements, but after investing considerable time and effort into training people we ended up with nothing to show for it. Perhaps members felt no sense of urgency at that time, but if nobody steps up now the options for the Party do not look attractive. Fraternal regardsPaddy[via EC minute taker
I have a working knowledge of Photoshop and have windows 10 with an internet connection. I'm a qualified graphic designer so let me know if I can help.
Wez wrote:I have a working knowledge of Photoshop and have windows 10 with an internet connection. I'm a qualified graphic designer so let me know if I can help.To be doubly sure this reaches who it should and quickly, I would email spgb.sspc@worldsocialism.org as well.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: CLARIFICATION AND REMINDER – SOCIALIST STANDARD LAYOUT & DESIGNThe EC recently called for volunteers to potentially join the Socialist Standard Production Committee to undertake layout and design work.The EC will ensure that any member appointed has access to suitable hardware and software to arrange the Socialist Standard’s layout.There is more information on the requirements below. Potential volunteers are asked to liaise directly with the SSPC, by email to spgb.sspc@worldsocialism.org or in writing c/o Head Office.DETAILS RE: CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO SERVE ON SSPC AS LAYOUT/DESIGN MEMBERSFrom Paddy Shannon: “Neil Windle and I have been doing the layout for the Standard since 2005, and feel it's time for a rest, so we're planning to make the December 2016 Standard our last. The editors have been approaching people as possible replacements but this hasn't worked out and volunteers still need to be found.Volunteers would need:* a willingness to commit to a monthly deadline without fail* an artistic eye for what looks good on a page and what doesn't * access to and a reasonable grasp of Adobe Photoshop, including resizing, cropping, adding text layers and so forth* access to and a reasonable grasp of Adobe Indesign, including paragraph styles, text offsets, resize tools, master pages, text overflow and so on* a decent computer running Windows 7 or 10, and home broadband* willingness to understand and use the templates we've set up so that continuity can be maintained in the short term before experimenting in the long (ie walk first, run later)As will be clear from this list, the job is not suitable for a complete beginner. It's also quite a labour-intensive job once a month and might be better suited to older, retired members with leisure to learn the tricks. Having said this, anybody could learn this stuff given the motivation, and I've undertaken to talk volunteers through anything they need to know, including after December in a consultative role, if necessary.Members will recall that we tried on a previous occasion to recruit and train volunteer replacements, but after investing considerable time and effort into training people we ended up with nothing to show for it. Perhaps members felt no sense of urgency at that time, but if nobody steps up now the options for the Party do not look attractive.”THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Are there any members of the SPGB excluded from applying for this post for reasons other than lack of technical ability?
Additional information from one of the current layout members…
Neil W wrote:Briefly, the software can be provided. Ideally, and without wishing to state the obvious, the volunteer(s) who take over design and layout should already have a good knowledge of design and layout, or at least what constitutes it. Without this they'd have little chance of success. There are simply too many things to learn for a complete, albeit willing, novice; they'd need skills to A-level standard, in my opinion, and a course of college study would be the best way to learn. We tried training apprentices before, it didn't work and I'm not prepared to do it again.How long it takes to do depends on one's level of ability and experience. After 10 or 12 years of it I 'only' need to spend about 8 hours a month on actual design and layout, though I don't do proof-reading corrections, liase with the printer of the internet committee, things any new volunteer would also have to do. That's why we need experienced people, not novices. I should add that the 8 hours obviously aren't spread accross the month but across two days.I could do all that easily, but I'm not sure that's how I want to spend my time. I'm a top trained and qualified hot shot designer from San Francisco who is sick and tired of always being asked to do shitty PR and Marketing and design and layout tricks to make a buck. I know all their secrets to manipulate people and now I want to work for you to inform people. I'm not a true communist or socialist according to some commenters on the forum and I'll confuse Stalin with Marx continuously because I really don't know or care about what I refer to as "old school socialism". I am have a personal visioin of communism I promote that because of my life experience and I want the means of production to share my personal vision of communism with you. I am fequently genious who is seriously pissed off by capitalism failres. Capitalsm has exploited me and robbed me and gained itself a bitter enimy. Capitalism's loss is your gain because I might be willing to give you my 8 hours a month voluntariy contribution. But would you value my time fairly or is this just a boring role where I contribute to someone elses vision for the design. I don't want to be a volunteer slave any more than I want to be a wage slave, so I need you to do something for me in fair exchange for my 8 hours a month contribuion thas I assure you is well within the quallifcations of "according to my abilities". With me you'd get an experienced frofessional who worked on layout and production of the Jewsish world news paper for a year and impressed the owners with my "skill on the computer with using programs". that was a long time ago and probably the level of experties I can offer in accordance with your needs is much greater now. I think my version of adobe's creative suite is two years old and I let my subscription to the creative cloud lapse when I ran out of money. I'm not asking for your money to buy a software upgrade, so don't worry about that. But I do have an 8 hour favor I want from you as payment in advance. Will you spend 30 minutes on a review and critique of a postcard design concept I'm working on for the SBGB. Sometimes when the muses call you just got to design and protoatype a good idea and I had a good Idea for you that I want your opinon on now. For every minute you spend reviewing my new postcard design, I'll give you that minute back serving you on layout tasks of your choosing whether it's my vision or not. So How about it? are you interested in trading me equal time value for taking on the contribution hours each month? If so here's the link I want you to review and let me know what you think of it in the comments to confirm you really spent your time on reading it. https://goo.gl/8hfH91
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