Cartoonist Application

The Michigan Daily, Fall 2016

Deadline: Friday, August 26 at midnight

This application is also available as a pdf file.

The Michigan Daily Opinion section is currently seeking cartoonists for the Fall 2016 term. Cartoonists can illustrate cartoons to accompany columns and editorials produced by Opinion staff writers or can create their own bi­weekly cartoon or comic series. Daily cartoons express some type of opinion or commentary relevant to current events at the University, local, state and national level, or to students generally. Cartoons are a magical place where images and words work together to squeeze moments of humor, wit, and vibrance out of seemingly mundane situations people find themselves in every day. If you think you have the perspective and artistic prowess to make this happen, then this may be the job for you.

In your application, please include the following two parts:

  1. Short answers to the below questions.
    1. Tell us your background, your major(s), any organizations you are a part of on campus and what work you do for that organization(s).
    2. Explain why you want to be a Michigan Daily cartoonist.
    3. Pitch your cartoon series to us. Including why you are interested in the topic your cartoon will be focusing on, examples of how your cartoon will contribute to our campus conversation, and what consistent message your series will articulate to the audience.
    4. Are you interested in creating cartoons that coincide with written columns and editorials (written by Opinion staff writers)? If so, what topic areas would you be comfortable creating cartoons about (ie. political satire, campus life issues, etc.)?
    5. Which medium do you feel most comfortable with? What programs do you have experience with (InDesign, Illustrator, etc.)?
    6. If hired, you will submit a cartoon once every two weeks. How much time are you willing to commit to your cartoon?
    7. What is your favorite cartoon and why do you like it? What does it do well to make people ‘get it’?
    8. Caption this: http://contest.newyorker.com/ipad/
    9. Get creative, give us a list.
          Title​ ________________
              1. ________________
              2. ________________
              3. ________________
  2. A sample illustration​ that best exemplifies the type of work you’d like to do for the Opinion section. Please keep in mind that, if you are hired, this sample could be published within the first week of the Fall 2016 semester as an introductory piece for your work.

The application is due Friday, August 26th at midnight and should be emailed to the 2016 Editorial Page Editors: Claire Bryan (​claireab@umich.edu​) and Regan Detwiler (​regandet@umich.edu​).​

*Please note: In accepting the job as a Michigan Daily Columnist, you will be required to review, and will become bound by all Michigan Daily bylaws. The bylaws enforce the Michigan Daily’s ethical standards (i.e. preventing the publishing of libelous, malicious or discriminatory content). All columns are subject to review before publication on those standards by the Editorial Page Editors, the Managing Editor and/or the Editor­in­Chief. If content does not align with the standards of the bylaws, per that review, the Daily reserves the right to not publish that content. That being said, the writer’s voice is the top priority on the Opinion section and we will always work with the writer to have content published rather than not.

Thank you for applying to be a cartoonist for The Michigan Daily.
We look forward to hearing all you have to say!