1.  Purpose of headlines  Lure the reader away from the pictures long enough to enjoy the story.

2.  Write in present tense  Wrong: Having to sneak on campus with rollers and leotards on kept Hi-Steppers humble  Right: Sneaking on campus wearing rollers, leotards keeps Hi-Steppers humble

3.  Eliminate articles: a, an and the.  Wrong: The approved skip day is a treat for the seniors  Right: Sanctioned skip day is senior treat

4.  Don’t split verbs at the end of a line.  Wrong: Violin soloist goes for first place prize  Right: Violinist wins top solo prize

5.  Don’t end a line with a preposition.  Wrong: Exhibit features art by students and faculty  Right: Exhibit features student, faculty art

6.  Don’t split names at the end of a line.  Wrong: George Smith, Jan Jones win debate finals  Right: Smith, Jones team takes debate finals

7.  Choose sparkling verbs.  Wrong: FFA stock show, rodeo draws large audience  Right: FFA stock show, rodeo wrangles-up a crowd

8.  Don’t write labels for the spread. Each headline should include a noun, verb and direct object.  Wrong: Swim Team  Right: Aqua-mania swamps team; Swimmers bring home medals

9.  If you use a direct quote in a headline, always punctuate it with single quotation marks.  Used in headlines to save space since it’s thinner than the double quote mark.

10.  The comma, semi-colon and colon are the only other punctuation marks regularly used in headlines.  The comma replaces “and” in a series.  Sample New dress code sports shorts, sundresses, tanks

11.  When a headline offers a separate thought, requiring a second sentence, use a semi-colon.  Never use a period in a headline.  Sample Rush for prom frock; worry about date later

12.  Use a colon to set off a list.  Sample Fads demand: three earrings, two watches, one sense of humor

13.  An exclamation point is used only when absolutely necessary

14.  Place the headline adjacent to the body copy (either on top or to the left)  Need for visual coordination is required.  Should fit within the column structure of the layout.  Common point sizes (18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54 and 60.

15.  Caps and lower case: commonly used in magazines and newspapers.  Sample Tennis Doubles Show Order on the Court

16.  Sentence Style: known as downstyle, set like a sentence with no period.  Sample Tennis doubles show order on the court

17.  All caps: Set all capital letters.  Sample TENNIS DOUBLES SHOW ORDER ON THE COURT

18.  All lowercase: Set all lowercase  Sample tennis doubles show order on the court

19.  Primary: larger and carries the story’s main message.  Secondary: smaller type and expands on the information in the primary headline.  Kicker: a secondary headline providing additional information. Always placed above the primary.

20.  Hammer: a short primary, set in a large type size and placed above the secondary.  Tripod: combination of primary and secondary where building blocks support each other both visually and logically. Secondary usually placed to the left of the primary to form the tripod unit.

21.  Wicket: has a three-decked secondary headline reading into the primary headline. Good place to use a quote.  Extended headline: also used as a secondary headline that reads into the primary. Without the limit of three decks.

22.  Spread headline: has an unusually large amount of space between each letter. Short headlines. Each letter spread an equal distance.  Screened letters: effective when you design with large type. Larger than 60 points to reduce overpowering.

23.  Artwork: when used subtly, makes a difference in an otherwise average layout.  Internal heads: are used within a large block of copy to break up the grey area. Briefly explain the paragraphs they precede.  Jump head: if a story runs too long for a page and continues onto another, a jump head signals the beginning of the continuation. Either a word from the original headline or a condensed version of the headline expressing the same meaning.