Yes, I’m a designer. So when I watch the election returns, I am really watching their presentation — how they use set design and graphics to impart information.
Frankly, I’m underwhelmed at the graphics on the big three networks. NBC is not giving us any graphics, they’re just talking. Nothing on the screen to tell us what is going on. CBS is giving us a mish mash of translucent swirlyness that gives me a headache. ABC is giving us that “Web 2.0” shiny 3D treatment, really too glitzy.
So, I’m going to go ahead and project that CNN is tonight’s winner with understated, flat, non-shiny, easy-to-understand graphics. I especially like their “balance of power” graphic, a narrow bar constantly on the screen showing the current split in the House and Senate. A quick glance shows which side of the aisle is moving toward a majority. Simple, informative, and well done CNN!
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I liked the ‘Balance of Power’ graphic too. And anything that includes Anderson Cooper…
I am tired of Wolf Blitzer though. And he was hanging around with some guy I didn’t recognize, and Wolf kept telling him to get out of the way of the graphics… kind of silly. Don’t they rehearse this stuff at all?
And I thought the four guys all packed together in front of Cooper (Carville and the other guys) was kind of goofy. It was like a low-budget gameshow setup or something. Who designs this stuff?