My co-workers and I are told time and time again that we are crazy for wanting to work in the newspaper industry. We’re told that we don’t have a future — that newspapers will be dead in a matter of years.

Our friends look at us with sympathetic eyes full of pity for our wasted efforts. They don’t understand why we do this job. They can’t fathom our passion for this lost cause.

I can’t speak for my staff, but I know exactly why I’m devoting myself to this paper. I simply love understanding things; I am obsessed with it. For me, that’s what this job, this paper, is all about. Examining issues in a critical way that helps us understand how and why our lives are affected. No judgements on whether the effects are good or bad, just understanding that the effects are real: that a story or issue does matter.

In order to do this, we have to tell the stories in the most comprehensive way possible, making sure that an issue is always framed in a context that relates to our community.

You may notice that The Daily looks different this quarter. We’ve redesigned, and I can’t be more excited about how this design will influence the way our news is delivered to you.

Rather than seeing multiple stories on the front page every day, expect to see only one — two at the most. But expect these stories to be framed in a way that will be more comprehensive than ever before. Our stories are going to be conveyed heavily through visual elements. Whether it’s a powerful photo or a dissected illustration, we want the reader to do more than just read, we want them to understand.

Here at The Daily, every single one of our employees is, at their core, journalists, and so everyone, from the photographers to the page designers are devoted to the integrity of the stories being told. A powerful design can often convey more than the words contained within, and in a world where print newspapers are failing, innovative designs and pages are something we can offer readers that online blogs simply cannot.

The future may look bleak for our generation, but it’s an exciting time.

It’s exciting because innovation is no longer a choice, it’s a necessity. As college students, it’s expected that we take risks in our research, our work and our life decisions. I’m not talking about drug experimentation and risky behavior, I’m talking about the student who will create a new affordable clothing line in light of the economy rather than taking the standard retail route; the engineering student who will start their own innovative company because they can’t find a corporate job; the student journalists I work with who will discover new ways to tell stories as they compete with blogs and Web sites.

Yes, as college students we are expected to take risks, but I would go as far as to say it’s our responsibility to take risks. Few other demographics have the luxury of making that choice.

Expect to see that from The Daily this year. And in turn, I expect to see the same from you.

Casey Smith, Editor-in-Chief