BY EMILY EVANS
NNB Student Reporter
Tara McCarty (fourth from the left in red pants) and the design team kick up their heels
ST. PETERSBURG – It’s quiet and dim in the cluster of desks for the design team at the Tampa Bay Times. It’s a typical day for them – another deadline, another design – except for one thing: Most are wearing brightly colored pants.
One of them is Tara McCarty, 24, a Times designer since April 2013. Adorned in bright red skinnies, a basic black-and-white striped top, and a statement necklace, she types away at her keyboard, staring at her computer with a bright smile on her face.
“I was interested in newspaper design when I became involved in my high school newspaper at St. Petersburg High School,” she says. “And I ended up being involved with it as well at my college newspaper,” the Crow’s Nest at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.
Working in Adobe InDesign, McCarty moves quickly, making everything look simple. Page by page, she makes sure text is aligned, images correspond to each story and the layout is aesthetically pleasing.
“I work in programs such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop,” says McCarty. “We also use our data center and InCopy, but that is mostly for editors.”
McCarty designs the sports section on Mondays, regional news sections on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and the B section on Saturdays and Sundays.
With such a busy work life, McCarty seeks diversion with her boyfriend and family, especially her niece, who can be seen in photos spread around her desk.
At USF St. Petersburg, McCarty majored in mass communications with a concentration in journalism. She was also in the honors program.
She did well in her writing classes, she says, but they weren’t the focus of her schooling. “I enjoyed my design classes like magazine design and visual communications.”
While working at the Times printing plant and preparing her senior thesis, titled “50 things I learned without going to design school,” McCarty caught the attention of a design editor at the paper, who offered her an internship.
Now, a year and a half later, McCarty chats with the East Hillsborough bureau chief, Ernest Hooper, about a photo she needs for his story in the Brandon section.
She says she’s glad she majored in journalism, not design.
“It’s better to major in journalism with a background in design, than just major in design,” she says. “You learn hierarchy and the importance of deadlines.”
Another deadline looms. Smiling broadly, she begins to work the next story into the layout.