About David
I work at ProPublica, a non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. I became their first design director in May of 2014, and help lead a design practice that supports and extends our award-winning reporting.
I have been a Pulitzer finalist and the recipient of a Communication Award from the National Academies, as well as directed projects recognized by the Online News Association, the Society for News Design, American Photography, American Illustration, and the Society of Illustrators.
Previously I was an independent consultant working with the likes of Birchbox, Nomad Editions, Novartis, Signpost, Thomson Reuters, and Qualcomm. Before that, I led the interactive design team at BusinessWeek, and helped build some of the first web-based textbooks at Pearson Education. I’ve also been a staff columnist for A List Apart magazine and a member of Readability’s board of advisors.
When I’m not pushing pixels or punching code, I can often be found fiddling with cameras or exploring the wilds of New York (both the urban and rural varieties). Oh, and it’s pronounced “slate.”
Here and Thereabouts
Highlights from other writing, appearances, and recognitions:
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Unfinished Business Podcast: Art Directing for the Web
Discussing art direction in the newsroom with Andy Clark. -
The Big Web Show with Jeffrey Zeldman: Episode 171
Back on the Big Web Show podcast, talking about an approach to story design that’s more like product design and less like traditional layout work. -
Society for News Design: Best of Digital Design Competition
The ProPublica staff picks up 35 Awards of Excellence, including one for our redesign. -
The Big Web Show with Jeffrey Zeldman: Episode 157
How do newsrooms brand themselves in an era when platforms remove their fonts, art, and layout? -
Static is the New Dynamic: Jekyll in the Newsroom
Full video of a talk explaining how we use Jekyll to design custom layouts and story packages at ProPublica. -
The National Academies: Communication Award
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recognizes ProPublica’s Killing the Colorado team. -
The Pulitzer Prizes: Finalist
Honored to be named a Pulitzer Finalist alongside Abrahm Lustgarten, Al Shaw, Jeff Larson, and Naveena Sadasivam for our work on ProPublica’s Killing the Colorado series. -
Society of Illustrators: Silver Medal
ProPublica’s first-ever illustration award, and a Society medal no less. -
Subtraction.com: Job Spotlight
Defining “editorial experience design.” -
Responsive Web Design Podcast: Episode 53
A wide-ranging discussion on the RWD podcast with Ethan Marcotte and Karen McGrane about how ProPublica approaches responsive web design. -
Poynter Mobile News Summit: Building Mobile Teams
A panel discussion at Columbia Journalism School with myself, BuzzFeed’s Stacy-Marie Ishmael, and McClatchy’s Damon Kiewsow about building mobile-savvy newsroom teams. -
Nieman Journalism Lab: Two Out of Two News Organizations Recommend User Research
Comparing the two very different paths ProPublica and the New York Times are taking in pioneering user experience research in the newsroom. -
Mozilla Source: Beyond ‘Be Like Facebook’
How a news design award went wrong, and what we can learn from it. -
Nieman Journalism Lab: What Might vs. What Should
My contribution to Nieman’s annual ‘Predictions for Journalism’ series. -
The ProPublica Podcast: What Design Can Do for Investigative Journalism
A discussion with ProPublica’s assistant managing editor—and new colleague—Scott Klein about building better design practices for journalism. -
Nieman Journalism Lab: What Does a Design Director at ProPublica Do?
An interview with Nieman Journalism Lab about taking on the new role of ProPublica’s first design director. -
Re:build: The Future Rocked
Full video of my conference talk discussing the past, present, and future of publishing. -
A List Apart: What Ate the Periodical? A Primer for Web Geeks
Two decades after the arrival of the web the search for durable, profitable business models for publishing continues. -
The Big Web Show with Jeffrey Zeldman: Episode 66
A chat with web standards legend Jeffrey Zeldman about the intersection of publishing and technology, magazine apps, and why piracy is an opportunity for publishers. -
The Setup: David Sleight
A brief interview about work tools. -
A List Apart: Stand and Deliver
Some thoughts on explaining the ins and outs of the craft to clients and co-workers, preparing for meetings, and presenting well.
Colophon
This site is built with Jekyll, and uses Abril Text by TypeTogether and Slate by Monotype. The Stuntbox wordmark is set in Deming EP by Mike Fortress, and site icons in Gizmo by Dutchicon/Symbolset.