Today’s news design. Visit newseum.com for a gallery of newspaper front pages.
- Color
- Lots of visuals (photos, infographics)
- Modular layout (stories packaged into rectangular shapes)
Headlines
- All stories get them (except for news briefs)
- Indicate prominence
- Fit width of story
- Anchor stories / help organize page
- Usually between 18 to 60 pt; sans serif font
- Follow capitalization rules
- Avoid hyphenation
- Always touch start of text
- Don’t run headlines into each other
Body copy
- Serif font
- 10 – 11 points (left aligned; often justified)
- Paragraph indents; no line spaces between paragraphs
- Column format
- Text “legs” should be at least 4 to 5 lines
- Avoid widows and orphans
- Story shapes: think rectangles
Art work
- Photos always have a frame (generally .5 pt)
- Always make one photo dominant
- Balance photo sizes and placement on page
- Avoid: photos below text, placement that separates headline from body copy, placement that interrupts text
Captions
- Every photo gets one
- Generally fit width of photo
- Different style than body copy (usually a serif font that is smaller than body copy; often bold)
- Consistent style throughout
**Adapted from The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook by Tim Harrower