How to cover World Cup Soccer : Tips from Mario Garcia

The key in planning the visual journalism aspects of any story is to let the content drive the design.  With such a high profile event as the World Cup, every newsroom team has already been discussing how to cover the event, what type of stories to profile, especially if there is a home team participating.  The designer for the special package should be in every discussion from the start of the planning: how are we going to tell stories on mobile devices, as opposed to print?  What role will push notifications/alerts play?  What will be the look and feel that will define the event during its entire duration.  Once these parameters are in place, then the fun, creative and very visual part comes into play.  I would always suggest a strategy that presents visual identity across platforms, with emphasis on how the news will be presented on mobile.