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The 10 Commandments: for many of us, they’re still the basic rules of living. We often apply 10 rules to other endeavors:
The 10 Commandments of dieting.
The 10 Commandments of golf.
The 10 Commandments of marriage.
The 10 Command…well, you get the idea.
The 10 Commandments can also apply to page designers. So, with all due respect to the First Guy who wrote the 10 Commandments, here are mine for those who are trekking toward the Promised Land of page design.
1. Thou shalt plan: If you’re working on a page for Christmas Day, it would be a good idea to have a plan long before Christmas Eve. The way I see things, the brainstorming for the Christmas Day page would have begun in early October. It’s either that or you have no plan: you’re just going to throw a page together.
2. Thou shalt improve: If you don’t want to get better at what you’re doing, perhaps you should consider doing something else. Design is a craft. It takes time and effort to hone your skills. Don’t just settle for where you are—why would you deny yourself a better you?
3. Thou shalt talk: Communicate with other staffers in your newsroom. If you think the design of your newspaper isn’t where it needs to be, let them know. If deadlines are too late or if design is not getting the time and attention it needs, let them know that, too. But do it in a positive and helpful way. More to come.
4. Thou shalt listen: Perhaps there are important and understandable reasons why packages are getting to the designer too late. Perhaps we just can’t get that photo we need. Perhaps the reporter thinks the package should be given a different display. You won’t know that unless you’re willing to listen.
5. Thou shalt ask readers: Remember the person you’re working for. If you achieved what you consider to be a great design on a particular package—but your reader can’t seem to be able to figure it out—then the design fails. Do focus groups. Solicit reader feedback. Talk to your colleagues in your service club. Ask your neighbors and your friends at church. They’ll be happy to chat with you—all you have to do is ask.
6. Thou shalt look back: Get the reporters, editors and designers together to take a long look at what you’ve done. Did the design meet your expectations? Was it clear? Did it tell the story completely? What could you have done better? What have you learned that you can apply to the next special package that comes along?
7. Thou shalt look forward: Don’t ever become too satisfied with the design of your product. Within a few years, it will (not may, but “will”) begin to look dated. Readers are more fickle nowadays than even 20 years ago. No, they don’t want change for the sake of change—but they do expect you to maintain a modern look. They don’t want you to fall victim to a fad—but they do want you to look relevant.
8. Thou shalt look elsewhere: Remember that there’s a whole wide world of design on the other side of your newsroom threshold. Pay attention to what’s out there. Grab papers from other cities when you’re on a vacation—and ask your friends to do the same. Check the internet for design sites. There a lot of exciting stuff happening.
9. Thou shalt think: Don’t just do what you did yesterday (see Commandment 2, above). Think about what you’re doing. If there’s something you don’t like in your present design, think your way to something newer and better. One of my tenets is: For every design problem, there is a design answer. Sometimes it takes a bit of brain strain to get to the answer, but it is there.
10. Thou shalt not whine: This is the only negative commandment.
’Nuff said.
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