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Thinking,
tools and tips for a better designed newspaper. Columns will be
available here for a full year.
Unless it's a special package, with photos, graphics, infoboxes and sidebars, the most difficult item to design is a long story. Actually, it can't be designed so much as just shoehorned into a page. Here are some suggestions to keep that from happening.
A good redesign takes a team effort—and you should build that team first, before you begin work on the redesign itself.
Let's take a break from design issues
this month and just have a look at some quotes about newspapers. You'll
recognize the names of the speakers, but you might be a bit surprised
by what they have to say.
Adobe has upgraded InDesign...again.
And...again...the question is: "Is it worth it for me to go with the
upgrade?" And...again...the answer is "Yes."
The
question: "How do you go about making your front page look 'great' with
an entire column of 1x1 ads running down the left side of 1A?" The
answer: Maybe you can't make it look "great." But "good" might be
doable.
The only
constant is change—and that includes your design. But if you prepare
properly, you'll be ready to handle those changes as they become
necessary.
A new
publisher has a lot to think about. The design of his paper shouldn't
have to be one of his immediate problems. But—just to be sure—here are
some questions he can ask to decide if his newsroom is taking care of
the design.
What is
the v-e-r-y first thing people see when they look at your newspaper?
The design. The way your paper looks speaks volumes about the product
as a whole. Discount the value of design and you're discounting the
value of your newspaper.
In the
early days of rock 'n' roll, Kitty Kallen topped the charts with her
only hit: "Little Things Mean a Lot." More than 50 years later, it's
still true: Little things mean a lot. God is in the details—because
it's attention to the details that carries a newspaper's design to
excellence.
When a
publisher shifts a bit in his or her seat, it's a good sign. From that
moment on, our discussions become more intense, more direct and more
focused. Some suggestions are sure to get his/her attention.
It's time
to change the way you think about handling copy—and reporters. Stop
accepting what reporters hand you. Instead, begin working with them to
let them know what you want.
Get your
designers together for occasional reviews of pages. Bring in some pizza
and cokes. It's a chance for those who design pages to relax and learn
from each other in a constructive, fun atmosphere.
Good
design practices can save you space, time and money with every issue
you publish. And... they don't have to cost you a cent to put them into
play.
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