Local Newspaper Design Analysis

Since we are now studying design principles in class, I decided that I would also review newspaper design for my post. I have chosen to look at the front page of the Rockdale Citizen, my hometown paper, not only to see what it can improve upon but also because I intend (fingers crossed) to get an internship with this paper this summer.

I have never really considered this paper to be "great" journalism, but it definitely serves its purpose of informing the public. Today's front page, while somewhat typical for this paper, looks very boring and plain. Very little color has been included on this page. As a matter of fact, the only things that are in color - aside from the two pictures - are the things that are usually in color in every edition of this paper, such as the blue line separating the flag from the rest of the information and the weather and index bars at the bottom of the page. I believe that incorporating more color would make this page look more interesting and authoritative instead of plain and boring.

Also, I like the ad for the G-20 story above the flag which - even though it doesn't contain that much color - is attention getting because it features Obama. I feel as though if there were more good pictures to accompany something like this, the front page would look more interesting and coherent.

The mug shot of Gregory Brown on the side is a little blurry, and the colored background complicates the picture. Maybe they didn't have a better picture of him for this article, but I would have liked to see something a little more professional.

Also, I kind of have a problem with the main picture on the front of the paper. First of all, the picture is not interesting, and second of all, the picture has nothing to do with any of the stories on the front. It is it's own story and not a very long or detailed one at that. I'm not sure if this kind of think is normal, but I think that at least a story should have accompanied it, especially if it is important enough to put on the front page. They also could have taken a more interesting picture where the person in it is actually doing something.

That being said, the fact box for the bottom story "Job program garners federal funding" is very helpful and I think a good tactic for both design and readability. It's not necessarily a design principle, but it is very useful and adds another dynamic to the page.

The front page, I believe, demonstrates many good design principles. However, I believe that it needs just a little more, such as more color and better pictures, in order to bring their paper up to the next level and make it more inviting and authoritative.

This local paper from Cedar Rapids, IA called the Gazette does a good job at incorporating these principles and making the paper interesting to look at.

The power of newspaper design

Whether newspapers will keep shrinking or disappear altogether, the hot topic is in their design.  To become familiar with the evolution of design, it is important to study how it has changed over time.  The growth of design has not solely grown because of the increasing technology, but more so out of desperation to become more appealing to its readers.  Since the beginning of time, journalists and newspapers have both had to challenge the battle of being outdated.  I read in an article in my new media class that newspapers are the poster child for the dead media movement.  However, media is not dead.  And neither are newspapers--yet. 

Although newspapers from the past, such as the Baltimore American above, appear humdrum and text heavy, this kind of information appealed to the readers of that time.  As the eras passed, information become less about the information and more about the captivation.  We live in a generation that is flourishing with information, flashing with art and filled with medium outlets.  Why all the color?  Why the extremely large photos? Why the graphs?  Since when did the text become the newspaper entity that got pushed to the back of the page?  

Two obvious reasons it became this way has to do with the growth of technological capabilities and the rise in the liberal population.  Newspapers have become less of an informative document and more of a crystal ball of our whole world.  Marshall McLuhan stated that if you removed the dateline from a paper it would read as an "exotic and fascinating surrealist poem."

Nancy Chunn, an American artist, studied the endless aesthetic possibilities of  the front page of a newspaper and the power it holds.  She said, "The thing I love about the Times is the variety of stuff that appears on the front page.  If you read the paper from cover to cover, it's a daily map of the world; the front page is a map of what's important that day--or the day before, actually.  And that's saying a lot.  It's not only economics, it's not only politics, it's not only sports.  You get the world, you get the nation, you get the local, you get the extraterrestrial."  That is a lot of pressure for a designer.  I know it kind of intimidates me because I am new to this.  Designing the front page of a newspaper is so much more difficult than designing a web page.  I feel like once you become proficient in newspaper design then web design would be a synch.  I say this because in web design, you don't really have to prioritize the most important events of the world.  Referring back to McLuhan and Chunn's statement, web pages do not have to be in like a poem or a road map.  Web page designs are interactive and let the reader choose where they want to go through links and such, whereas newspaper design is a guide and readers must follow the cues.  A newspaper is a narrative, a story if you will, of our world.  I guess my point is referring back to the conversation we had in lab the other day when many people said that the newspaper major should be ceded out of Grady all together.  It took me awhile to agree with this, but I think I do.  However, I would hope that newspaper design remains a class because the skill it takes to design a newspaper is the hardest type of design there is.  Since the beginning of print, newspapers have guided our nation with world news before we could even guide ourselves.  That is skill that should never go untaught for a journalist.  This is a cool link to see all the front page newspapers from today.

I also recommend looking up Nancy Chunn and her views on the aesthetic appeal of newspapers.  It is really interesting stuff.  She would sketch on newspapers and what she took from them.  

  

Virginian-Pilot Front Page

I came across this blog about newspaper design while surfing the web for a newspaper front page that I could critique. Although the most of the comments on the blog are not critical nor insightful, I thought that the blog did offer useful links regarding news design and even included a list of today's major newspaper front pages.

One front page that caught my attention was today's Virginian Pilot. I thought that their front page had an organized layout, just enough white space surrounding the text and displayed effective photo/story pairings.

One photo in particular that I found highly effective was the dominant photo of cigarettes. The photo element was symmetrical, understandable, easy to follow and, most importantly, illustrated a main point of the story. The use of numbers and an equation in the graphic was a creative approach that points to the increase in price of cigarettes as described in the story. Also, the graphic was paired with a catchy, rhyming headline, which is especially effective and eye-catching for the reader.

The designer made a good decision in choosing to include the entire red cross in the background when cropping the the photo that lies above the newspaper fold. Not only does the red color of the cross captivate the reader's eye, but it also gives the photo meaning and signals to readers that the story involves medical aid.

Overall, I thought the Pilot front page's front page was designed well. They displayed a clear connection between all the graphic elements and their accompanied stories, which made it organized and easy to follow.




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Design: Stuctured and in Order

I am a strong believer in good design, partly because I am simply paranoid. I just don't like it when things are not completely straight, balanced and aligned. I like all my information structured and in order. So, I decided to look at the way the recent General Motors story was shown in two different newspaper online sites.

I started with the New York Times online article, "Workers Share in the Pressure on Carmakers." The main thing I like about this page is its simplicity. This is what draws readers to the New York Times, I believe. I also like the use of multimedia and links. First, I noticed the multimedia box with a link to a video of General Motor's new interim CEO. The video does not detract from the text, but is offered for readers who want to see the interim CEO speak. Below the video is a link to an interactive feature box. Readers can see "Milestones in the Caremakers' Crisis" by month, from July 2008 until the present. Graphs, pictures, audio and links are included. I also noticed "Add to Portfolio" box. Readers can add General Motors Company to their portfolio and see the latest stock price, as well as past stock performance. This is great for business readers, who may want to keep track of their GM stock or include the stock in their portfolio for later consideration. The page also includes the typical links to related stories in a side box.

I also looked at a USA Today article, "Ford, GM are latest offering help to those hit by job loss." The main thing I really like about this page is the two lists. I'm a huge fan of lists, because it puts information in order and makes it easier to consume. One of the list sections asks, "Who's doing it now." Various types of businesses are listed under titles of health care, airlines, retailers and business services. The text under the bulleted list shows the businesses and what they have done. I really like the way information is condensed into an easy-to-read section. There is also a small section that offers links to other stories by suggesting different topics covered by, or related to, the story. I like this section better than the typical "Related Stories" section, because it orders information by topics instead of by selected article titles.

In my mind, the most about important thing design is that it puts information in order. Text should be ordered in such a way to make it easy for readers to follow. Design should make complicated things, reasonably simple. Paranoia may actually be a good thing in the editing and design newsroom, because it can help get important information to readers that they will read and comprehend.