The Skamania Observer - A Printed Publication Delivering Local News Coverage For Skamania County, Washington.
Overview:
I worked as a typesetter, producer, and occasionally a writer for a local newspaper based in Skamania County, Washington, called The Skamania Observer. While there, I arranged the layout for each published issue, ensuring that every edition sent to print was visually engaging and easy to read for our subscribers.
Duration: (2021-2023)
Team Size: 3
Roles:
Publication Roles:
Ensured all content was properly included in each issue of the newspaper, maintaining accuracy and completeness.
Communicated with the editor and owner to address content volume concerns, whether there was too little or too much material to fill an edition.
Followed established aesthetic guidelines to maintain consistency with the newspaper’s handcrafted, local brand identity.
Created balanced page layouts by thoughtfully spacing stories and featured content with advertisements and other layout tools to enhance readability and visual flow.
Reformatted all written materials for each issue, transforming a variety of differently formatted documents into a cohesive, publishable collection that adhered to the newspaper’s established style.
Reviewed all content for spelling and grammatical errors, catching issues that may have been missed by the editor or original authors.
Occasionally contributed a short series of informative articles highlighting the value of various livestock species, tailored to the publication’s rural readership.
Full Description:
As typesetter for The Skamania Observer, I was responsible for ensuring all content was accurately included in each issue and that layouts remained visually balanced and easy to navigate. I regularly coordinated with the editor and owner to address content volume, adjusting layouts as needed to accommodate either overflow or shortfalls. Regardless of these challenges, I consistently produced well-structured pages by strategically spacing stories and features with advertisements and other layout tools to avoid visual clutter and enhance readability.
A key challenge in this role was managing the paper’s flexible and often inconsistent layout standards. While certain recurring sections—such as the Sheriff’s Corner, a column authored by the Skamania County Sheriff—maintained consistent placement, other parts of the publication were intentionally varied with each edition to keep the reading experience fresh and engaging. As a result, I was unable to rely on reusable templates and instead built each issue’s layout from the ground up. This required a careful balance of adhering to the newspaper’s handcrafted, local aesthetic while ensuring each edition retained its own unique identity.
In addition to layout design, I was responsible for reformatting all written submissions into a cohesive and publishable format. This involved standardizing paragraph structure, line spacing, indentation, title formatting, and attribution placement across all articles. During this process, I also reviewed content for any spelling or grammatical errors that may have been missed during editing, contributing to a polished and professional final product for our readership.
All content within screenshots reflected the work of the whole team and is the solely the property of the Skamania Observer.