Too many illustrations, too few photos in WSJ

Hal Morris, writing on his Grumpy Editor blog, complains about the increasing number of illustrations he’s seeing in The Wall Street Journal.

Morris writes, “A good example of artwork penetration was seen in yesterday’s 10-page The Journal Report section of The Wall Street Journal where seven hand-drawn illustrations were used.

“The only true photo in the section, focusing on investing in funds, was of Bill Gross, manager of the Pimco Total Return bond fund. The black-and-white image was credited to Bloomberg News.

“A ‘thumbnail’ illustration of Malcolm Makin, president of Professional Planning Group, a Westerly, R.I. financial advisory firm, was art produced from a photo, a long-time Journal procedure.

“But illustrators reigned supreme in the section.

“Grabbing the most assignments was Wesley Bedrosian. His work, in color, topped the section’s front page with a four-column illustration along with a smaller one below the fold. Another of his color illustrations, spanning three-columns, appeared on page 6.”

Read more here.