Layout and Design
Deck
- A follow-up to the headline that explains the story further - Commonly mistaken as a "subheadline"
Modular Design
- A rectangular unit that contains all of the components of an article including headline, text, art, and cutlines - Everything associated with the given article must fit into the rectangular shape
Slammer
- A two-part headline that uses a bold word or phrase to lead into the main headline - Some papers limit these to special features or jump headlines
Pull-Quotes
- Attract attention to an article - Pulls a quote from an article and makes it bigger so that it pops - Text must differ in style - Useful for meaningful or powerful quotes
Cutlines
- Captions for photos - All photos except logos need one - Usually located below the photo, but is sometimes located in the side
Focus
- Every page must have one dominant element, for example, one large headline or one large piece of artwork - Most important on the front page, but should exist to some degree on every page
Thumbnail Layouts
- Fast and easy ways to think about design solutions before working on a computer - Idea and sketch of design
Colonial Newspapers
- First newspapers published in America - Very small - No art or headlines
Unity
- Harmony - Everything should work together - Consistent fonts, styles, and placements
Side Saddle
- Headline located beside, rather than above the story - Best for squeezing a story into a shallow, horizontal space - Can be used for stories that are boxed - Can be flush left, centered, or flush right
Stand-Alone Photos
- High-quality photos that tell a story without an accompanying article - Have a headline and detailed cutline - Always boxed so that it truly stands alone from the other articles
20th Century Newspapers
- More similar to modern newspapers - Bigger and bolder headlines - Larger artwork - Still had longer columns than modern newspapers
Square Photos
- Never used in newspapers - The mist uninteresting shape for our eyes to look at
White Space
- Provides relief to gray pages and gives some pages a casual appearance - May be inviting to readers
Standing Headline
- Smaller section of the page - Breaks up the page into subsections
Banner
- Standard headline style - One-line headlines that stretch across a story - The ends must go at least half way through the first and last columns to avoid white space
Section Headline
- Tells your reader what "department" they are in - Ex. News, Op-Ed, Features, Sports, etc.
L-Shape
- Text in some orientation of an "L" that wraps the art in one vertical and one horizontal side - Picture in a corner - Usually used for vertical photos
Raw Wraps
- Text wraps alongside the headline - Most often a two-line headline - Very risky because you want to make sure your text is separated from neighboring stories, but can be solved by adding a rule - Can be justified left, centered, or justified right
Vertical Photos
- The most interesting photo shape for our eyes to look at - Less common - Must make sure that the image is clearly located within the corresponding article
Bylines
- The name of the reporter of a story - Should contrast the text of the story and headline, but not in a way that stands out or makes it the focal point of the page
Flag
- The nameplate of a newspaper - Sets the tone for the publication
Proportion
- The space given to things on a page - If something is more important, it should be larger
Balance
- The way in which weight is distributed on a page - Weight can be in the forms of color, sidebars, text, artwork, etc.
Sequence
- The ways that our eyes follow the page - Readers move from biggest to smallest, from black to white, and from unusual shapes to ordinary shapes
Hammers
- Use a big, bold phrase to catch your eye, then add a lengthier deck below - Effective, but usually reserved for features - Opposite of a kicker
Kicker
- Uses a word or phrase to label the article - Usually smaller than the main headline, set in a contrasting in style or weight
19th Century Newspapers
- Very little artwork - Slightly larger than colonial newspapers - Addition of headlines - Very long columns
Jump
A line of information that says what page to turn to for a continuation of the story
Folio Line
A line of type describing the publication with the name, date, page number, section header, etc.
Sidebar
A separate design element from main stories
Emphasis
Always highlight the main subject in a photo
Tripod
Big, bold word or phrase that leads into the main headline
Box
Box that separates terms on a page
Variety
Breaks up the pattern and monotony created by repetition
Rule
Line that separates terms on a page
Economy
Omit any elements in a photo that you do not want people to look at in order to keep their focus on the intended subject
Repetition
Repeating visual elements to create a pattern
U-Shape
Text wraps around art in a "U" or upside-down "U"
Masthead
The area where staff, contact, and subscription information is listed
Widows
The hanging words at the end of a sentence
Orphans
The hanging words at the top of a new column
Baseline
The invisible grid line that your characters/letter sit on
Horizontal Photos
The most common shape for newspaper photos
Ascender
The part of a letter or character that comes above the baseline
Descender
The part of a letter or character that comes below the baseline
Teasers
The skyboxes on the front page that preview content
X Height
The typical height of the lowercase letter "x" that sits directly on the baseline
Leading
The vertical space between lines of text
Tint Screen
When you put color behind a block of text
Gutters
White space between columns of text within an article