Design and Editing

1. Design and Editing Journalism 1 Mr. Silman (With help from Mrs. Camacho)

2. History of newspaper design 1650-1850’s • Publick Occurrences became America’s first newspaper • Items run one after another in deep, wide columns • After the Revolutionary War, dailies used thinner columns and one-line label heads • Ads starting appearing on front page

3. History of newspaper design 1850’s-1900’s • Paper began devoting more room for headline display, such as stacking vertical decks • Horizontal and vertical rules became popular in news publications • In 1880, the very first photo was published; however, news photos did not start to become popular until the early 1900s

4. History of newspaper design 1900’s-1960’s • Headlines grew bigger and bolder • Tabloid pages became popular • Photos became prevalent in daily publications 1960’s-1980’s • No hierarchy established • Headlines became smaller • Eight- and nine-column pages replaced six-column pages • Text was separated by horizontal and vertical rules rather than white space • Color photos and text started to become popular

5. 1980’s-present Informational graphics showed up on front page of daily newspapers Color photos appeared on every section front Reader entry points became popular Art heads began dominating centerpiece packages Newspapers returned to traditional six-column page Modular layout began to be widely used throughout the industry Newspapers began using fewer fonts and started establishing style Newspapers initiated lifestyle coverage Typographical hierarchy dictated the section fronts Papers started becoming skinnier History of newspaper design What two events caused such a drastic change in design from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s?

6. Paradigm shift • What two events caused such a drastic change in design from the late 1970s to the early 1980s? • USA Today published its very first issue • The Macintosh computer became affordable for companies to buy

7. Why is visual journalism important? There are basically two types of readers: 1) True reader – does not need to be lured into a story 2) Scanner – looks at headlines, cutlines and other reader entry points to be lured into a story • Poynter Institute studies show that newspaper readers are increasingly “scanners” who look at only 25% of a page and actually read less than half of that.

8. Goal of newspaper design Maximize effective communication to readers of relevant and newsworthy information. How do we achieve this? • Organize news hierarchically • Organize news categorically • Set a value on news stories Detroit Free Press edition of September 12, 2002.

9. Special Challenges • Dimensions • Time • Uncertainty Detroit Free Press, Nov. 8, 2000. The unresolved presidential election combined with regular deadline pressures to make for an extraordinarily difficult, not to mention historic, evening.

10. How readers look at pages • 1991 study by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies used “Eye-Trac” devices to see how readers processed pages: • process photographs 75 percent of the time • process headlines 56 percent of the time • process text 25 percent of the time • process pictures 3 columns or wider 92 percent of the time • process mug shots less than half of the time • Informational graphics are read 73 percent of the time

11. Page elements • Copy/text (words) • Graphics/art (photos, rules illustrations, boxes, etc.) • White space • Know the lingo (see list)

12. Typography • Text is the most basic element of a newspaper story • The story tells the news of an event • Text can present the news completely • It provides the so-called “first-draft” of history Tip: Edit stories to be as lean as possible. For example, if quantitative information will also be published in a graphic, consider dropping the figures from the story.

13. Typography • Typographical hierarchy is important • Nothing attracts the eye like a strong contrast between fonts • When choosing display type for your publication, focus on two font families: serif and sans-serif • Use color in type only when absolutely necessary • ALL CAP HEADLINES ARE HARD TO READ

15. Typography • Contrast bumping heads • Avoid bad splits in headlines and summary decks • Use art heads for feature stories • Watch kerning and leading in headlines • Kerning = spacing between letters • Leading = vertical spacing between lines of type • Use typography wisely to create an informative and visually interesting page

17. Rules of typography • Watch point size: • 9 to 12 points best for body type • 18 to 28 points best for subheads and secondary headlines • 30 to 72 points best for headlines and display copy

18. Headlines • Provide a quick summary • Call attention • Set the tone • Say what’s new • Indicate the story’s importance • Give information in layers The New York Times on Sept. 12, 2001.

19. Photographs • Photos add emotional depth that is difficult to reproduce in text • They provide documentary • They can help to explaina complicated subject BY YONI BROOK – THE WASHINGTON POST The World Trade Center site on the morning of Sept. 12, 2001.

20. Photographs • Photos are a quick visual read • Photos can make a newspaper page more inviting and accessible • Photos can humanize an otherwise drab subject BY BILL O’LEARY—THE WASHINGTON POST Kenneth Foster puts flowers on the grave of his wife, Sandra N. Foster, who was killed in the September 11 attack on the Pentagon.

21. Photographs Tips on Photos: • Go for news-driven images • Pursue a variety of images • Shoot people’s faces – especially on local photo assignments • Strive for images with strong emotional content • Shoot from interesting angles – within reason • Crop images for maximum impact

22. Photo editing • Photos must tell the same story • Watch for quality concerns • If the photo is being “played” small, make sure all key elements are still recognizable • Most of the time, one large photo is more powerful than three photos that are all basically the same • Active photos are visually more interesting than passive photos • Avoid square photos; they have a reputation for being dull

23. Photos should … • have a center of interest • have a cutline • be bordered • be relevant • have good crops • Eliminate the unnecessary • Add impact • Leave air where it’s needed • NOT have bad crops • Amputate body parts • Force the image into an awkward shape • Change meaning of photo • Violate works of art

24. Ethical concerns of using cutouts • Live photo vs. file photo • Cutouts are usually meant for feature stories, not hard news • Make sure you are not eliminating an important element of it • Make sure there is a good reason you are cutting out the photo

25. Informational graphics • Help to explain a complex subject • Show how things work • Add visual impact to stories • Through use of tables and charts, financial and other quantitative information can be more clearly presented • Be sure to: • Research graphics thoroughly • Send graphic artists to the scenes of breaking news events • Train graphic artists on the latest software available in your newsroom

26. Bringing it all together • Competition for space • Use everything in proper measure • Be consistent in your treatment and play of stories • Strive for simplicity, clarity and cleanliness in presentation The Washington Post, “One Year” special section cover, Sept. 8, 2002.

27. Design traps • Design that calls attention to itself • Design that tries too hard • Design that overpowers other important stories Detroit Free Press, edition of September 11, 2002.

28. What designers think about on a daily basis

29. Page design • Design on the grid - centerpiece packages can have a bastard measurement • Think modular • Consider play of important stories • Concentrate on integration • Consider reader entry points

30. Some basic rules • Avoid placing any graphic element in the middle of a leg of type • In vertical layouts, stack elements in this order: photo, cutline, headline, text • Every page should have a dominant piece of art • When designing with photos, make sure the direction of the photo is facing the story • Most important, do not use art for the sake of using art

31. Basic Design Principles • Dominance • Unity • Contrast • Repetition • Balance • Consistency

32. Dominance • Every page should have one dominant element • Element serves as visual entry point for readers

33. Unity • Consistent internal and external margins • For double-truck spreads, photo can run across gutter to tie two pages together, making them appear as one

34. Contrast • Use of opposite sizes, shape, weight • For example, one dominant photo contrasted by smaller photos along with contrast between horizontal and vertical shots • In headline, primary headline should be twice as large as secondary headline and placed toward top of the page

35. Balance • Informal vs. formal • Formal: each half of page mirrors each other when folded vertically • Informal: weight distributed diagonally so pages do not ‘weigh heavy” on either side

36. Duplicating color, graphic, or type throughout publication to tie it all together Keeping certain elements unchanged (byline, folio, headline) Use same typography, graphics elements, grid, caption design Repetition Consistency

38. What graphic artists think about on a day-to-day basis

39. Diagrams • Diagrams depict reality in organized and simplified ways. • Diagrams seek to make complicated concepts as understandable as possible, such as how an aircraft carrier serves fighter jets. • There are two types of diagrams, passive and active. Active shows motion while passive just points and shows. • Active graphics are usually more visually interesting than passive.

40. Charts Maps • Horizontal bar: are used when comparing more than two items. • Vertical bar: are used when comparing one or two items over a period of time. • Fever (line): shows a relationship from one number to the next. They also can be used to show continuous data like a company’s stock price. • Pie: shows how a part relates to the whole. All pie charts must equal 100% or else it has to become a bar chart. • Locator: are commonly used to show a single or multiple locations. In most instances most locator maps should have an inset. An inset is a small map that shows the area of detail. • Explanatory: goes a step beyond locators by depicting a sequence of events. Many times these maps can trace and tell the story of events. • Data: report where statistical facts or quantities occurred. In these maps make sure color coding can be easily read.

43. When to do which graphic? Graphics are like wildflowers. When a graphic is appropriate to its information environment, it’s beautiful. But, when it’s out of context, it’s just another weed. Here are a few tips: • Is it a who story? Consider using a bio box of the person profiled or breakout of the cast of characters. • Is it a what story? How about a breakout on the provisions. • Is it a when story? A timeline of the history or schedule for the future might be helpful. • Is it a where story? Think about a locator map. • Is it a why story? Pro-and-con breakouts could bring the issue to light. • Is it a how story? A diagram might be an excellent way to aid telling the story.

44. Still need more information? • - The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook by Tim Harrower • - Contemporary Newspaper Design by Mario Garcia • - Magazine Editing and Production by J. William Click and Russell N. Baird • - “Poynter Online Design and Graphics” at http://www.poynter.org • - “Society for News Design” at http://www.snd.org • - “Design with Reason” at http://www.ronreason.com/

45. Need ideas and inspiration? • Need ideas and inspiration? • - “News page designer” at http://www.newspagedesigner.com/ • - “Today’s front pages” at http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/ • - Society for News Design annual manuals may be purchased at Amazon.com or SND.org • - Communication Art annual design manual may be purchased at Amazon.com So how I do? Please email me or call me if you have any questions, problems or comments regarding this presentation. Email: ryan.mallory@indystar.com Work: (317) 444-6283

46. Laying out pages • Designers work with reporters, editors, artists/photogs to gather content • Design page on dummy (full-size drawing of pages showing where all elements will appear); some create dummy on computer • Modular format: package elements of story into neat rectangular unit; end up with well-defined borders

47. Laying out pages • Front pages and editorial page have standing elements that always go on the page • Inside pages have more flexibility because it generally has fewer elements

48. After photos, headline comes first • Headline tells reader what story is about • Don’t state the obvious • Don’t leave readers confused • Use strong, active verbs • Use active voice • Be specific, accurate, and concise

49. Deck heads and cutlines • Deck head • Don’t repeat headline • Offers more information • Cutlines • Connect picture to story • Don’t repeat what reader already knows

50. Keep sketches very simple. Drawing a box and make an “X” through it signifies a picture or illustration. When sketching out a headline, indicate the point size and how many decks it will occupy. Reader entry points are signified by a box with no lines inside and a quick blurb about what it is. Spend no more than five to 10 minutes on each sketch. The more sketches you do, the better the page is going to look. Get crazy, have fun and try to find inventive ways to design the page. You’re not accountants but designers. About sketching