Meaning Through Design © M. Grazia Busà 2013

Functions of design  Attracts audiences  Guides readers through the publication  Communicates how to prioritize content and how to search for information  Addresses the readers’ needs and preferences  Satisfies the strategic objectives of news organizations © M. Grazia Busà 2013

WED: Writing, Editing and Design  Design delivers content in a form that is appropriate to the target audience  Decisions based on studies of target audience’s characteristics, habits and beliefs ● colours, graphics, typography, layout represent the lifestyle values associated with the audience Explains differences between different types of newspaper design and format © M. Grazia Busà 2013

The broadsheet  The largest newspaper format (575 ‒ 600×380 mm)  Traditionally considered the most appropriate format for in-depth stories  Typically covers all national and international news  Language is formal  Text dominates over images and graphics  Several stories covered on the same page © M. Grazia Busà 2013

The compact (or tabloid)  The smallest newspaper format (380×300 mm)  Traditionally used to cover sensationalist and celebrity material, entertainment and sports  Typically covers national and local news  Language is typically colloquial and slang  Visual effects predominate over text: ● Big headlines, a variety of typefaces, large photographs, few columns of text, short articles Many papers have reduced their formats from broadsheet to compact, e.g. the London Times and the Independent © M. Grazia Busà 2013

The Berliner  Smaller than broadsheets (470×315 mm)  Recent format  Advantages over broadsheets and compacts ● Reader-friendly (smaller format than broadsheet) ● Page size does not constrain article length as compact pages do  Similarity to broadsheets ● Both national and international news coverage ● Language is formal ● Text predominates over images and graphics ● Several stories covered on the same page © M. Grazia Busà 2013

Page layout Conveys information on the relative importance of the stories through:  Arrangement of the articles on the page ●Higher and more central texts are more relevant than lower and less central pieces  Typeface and size of headlines ●The bigger the headline the more relevant the story  Size and positioning of the picture on the page ●Higher and more central images are more relevant than lower and less central pieces © M. Grazia Busà 2013

Other features that assist reading news  Articles divided by a white border and/or subtle line  Different sections for different types of news: ● e.g., international news, local news, politics, sports, entertainment, business, etc.  Graphic and visual elements used to provide info at a glance: ● e.g., pictures, fact boxes and charts  Colour used to highlight and emphasize © M. Grazia Busà 2013

Lay-out terms  Nameplate  Headline  Gutter  5-column grid © M. Grazia Busà 2013

The components of the news article Headline Byline Caption Lead News Story Mont Blanc considered one of the deadliest mountains* By M. Grazia Busà The Daily Paper Posted on Fri, Dec. 14, 2012 Chamonix, France – Mont Blanc has been considered the deadliest mountain in Europe and one of the deadliest in the world, experts say. A recent report by the International Geographic Institute in Rome shows that Mont Blanc is the deadliest mountain in Europe and one of the deadliest in the world. The report, which will appear in National Geographic, is based on the rate of fatalities occurring per year. This rate averages 100 hikers a year. Interestingly, Mont Blanc is not one of … A picture of Mont Blanc * (This article is invented) © M. Grazia Busà 2013

The grid  Predetermined structure for the arrangement of space in a column format  General tendency: ●Broadsheets: 6/7-column grids ●Tabloids: 4/5-column grids ●Berliners: 5-column grids © M. Grazia Busà 2013

Nameplate Examples 6-column grid5-column grid © M. Grazia Busà 2013

Designing for the web  Features of layout of online papers may show a similarity with print papers: ● Similar nameplates ● Similar use of fonts  A typical case is the New York Times online, having a layout that looks like the print version ● Compare the front page of the New York Times from and © M. Grazia Busà 2013

The tabloid navigation style  Reproduces the traditional newspaper layout  Provides many options up-front to attract wide audiences   Screen is divided into sections with many topic links for the reader to choose from  Front page contains all the news story headlines, linked to the full articles  Advertisements are placed on the right of the page Some web sites using the tabloid navigation style are: USA Today ( MSNBC ( CNN ( © M. Grazia Busà 2013

Meaning in online news layout Information on story relevance conveyed through:  Vertical (less often horizontal) arrangement of stories on the screen  Illustrative material, audios, videos  Front-page layout is maintained in different editions ●Fixed page design to allow fast content updates ●Smaller headlines and pictures than in print editions (large-size characters and pictures reduce information that can be shown on the front page) © M. Grazia Busà 2013