White to receive lifetime achievement award

The American Society of Business Publication Editors has named publication designer, author, teacher and consultant Jan White as its 2007 Lifetime Achievement honoree. The 79-year-old White will receive his award at the Azbee Awards of Excellence banquet the evening of Aug. 2 at New York City’s Roosevelt Hotel.

The banquet also will honor individuals and their business-to-business publications in 57 magazine, newsletter, and digital editorial and design categories. Among ASBPE’s most coveted awards in B2B publishing are its designations of Magazine of the Year and Web Site Publication of the Year.

White has been a leading voice for understanding between editors and art staff about the role they play together in the success of publications. A major White tenet is that “word people must think visually and picture people must think verbally.”

Says White: “Our work may be judged by its excellence as splendid writing, innovative creativity, emotive image-making, but those are just secondary qualities, essential though they be. Our value to clients depends on how good we are at interpreting their problem, because that’s the very root from which our verbal or visual communication-solution grows.”

Jan White’s views lead him into promoting service journalism with verbal and design components. Past honoree Don Ranly, professor emeritus at University of Missouri School of Journalism, says of ASBPE’s 2007 winner: “Jan White has always taught that the purpose of design is to enhance the message — nothing more, nothing less. No one, no one has done or taught that better.”