Robert Torres is an art director, designer and illustrator living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Philosophy
Visual thinking is nothing new. People and institutions have been using pictures to communicate complex ideas since before written language was invented. I believe the effective use of design and graphics can tell a more compelling story than any other form of communication.
Profile
Robert began his career as a page designer and illustrator for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. In 1996, Robert and two other staff members created the Caller-Times' first online presence, Caller.com. Within two years of taking his fist steps designing news and information online, Robert was offered the Design Manager position at Sun-Sentinel.com in Fort Lauderdale. There he oversaw the user interface and visual design of Sun-Sentinel.com and a host of other sites managed by the Sun-Sentinel.
In 2000 Robert was invited to move to Chicago and become the Lead Designer for the newly-formed Tribune Interactive. In this position, he was responsible for the architectural design and core user experience for all of Tribune's online properties, including the first major redesign of the Tribune websites since their inception. While in Chicago, Robert also taught the lab portion of 'News and New Media,' and 'New Media Storytelling' at the Medill School of Journalism.
In 2004 Robert accepted a position as Design Director for Knight-Ridder Digital. Similar to his work with Tribune Interactive, Robert was responsible for the layout and overall interface design for all Knight-Ridder's (30+) sites. In addition to network-wide design direction, Robert also worked with individual news properties to develop special online packages.
Working with Knight-Ridder's Washington Bureau in 2005, Robert created an online multimedia portrait of U.S. Marines and a Navy Corpsman who lost their lives in an Iraqi ambush. This special report, known as "Echo Company," garnered a nomination for an Online Journalism Award.
The same year, when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Robert worked with the staff of the Biloxi Sun-Herald to maintain coverage before, during and after the now famous storm. The combined print and online coverage won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service Journalism, as well as an Editor & Publisher Award for Best Special Feature.
In 2006 Robert left Knight-Ridder to join Topix, a small technology startup in nearby Palo Alto. As Director of User Experience and Design, Robert has helped grow Topix into a top-tier news and community site.