Additional inputs
•Content is always supreme over
design!
• Always divide your page to two parts (above and
below the fold) for high school papers.
• Stories should be placed in an S-Format (based on
the hierarchy of stories)
• Be consistent in all of your designs, styles and
layout so that your campus paper will have its
UNIQUE PERSONALITY
Additional inputs
• Never make a design that calls attention to itself, taking attention
away from the main point of a news story.
• Never make a design that tries too hard. Artistically, the presentation
may be thoughtful, even poignant, but it might not work in a
newspaper. You run the risk of sending a confusing message to
readers, or no message at all.
• Never make a design that overpowers other important stories on a
page.
Additional Inputs
• Make a stylebook and brand manual for your
campus paper. For the consistency and unity of
designs, photography, content, styles and fonts.
Additional Inputs
• Don’t abandon your news judgment for the sake of the newspaper’s
visual appearance.
• Know your readers. Think carefully about the best ways to reach it.
• A well-designed newspaper puts before the reader all the answers to
the most salient questions regarding a news story – each in its most
accessible form.
Do’s and Don’ts
• Avoid Tombstoning
• Avoid bad breaks
• Avoid separating related stories and pictures
• Avoid putting texts on busy pictures
• Avoid heavy gray areas
• Avoid using small types in long stories
Do’s and Don’ts
• Avoid screaming banner headlines
• Avoid making the top heavy
• Avoid many headlines of the same size in the same page
• Avoid placing small heads on long stories
• Keep your stories to 6 to 10 only
• Whitespaces are your friend
Do’s and Don’ts
• Avoid or limit the usage of Comic Sans typeface for
all situations
• Use Serif typefaces for long body copy
• Use Sans Serif typefaces for heads or for short body
copy
• Avoid using Arial typeface
• Avoid using script typeface for literary articles
Do’s and Don’ts
• Use only 4 font families
• Use the Grid layout
• Use the rule of thirds for photos
• Use Lines, Shapes, Sizes to contrast or
separate the different stories
• Avoid using justified text over a short
measure
• Do not mix centered and flush-left or -right
text
13 Amateur Layout Errors
1. Things That Blink. Incessantly. Keep animated repetition to a
minimum.
2. Warped Photos. Keep photographs proportionate.
3. Naked Photos. Use hairline rules to border photos that have
ambiguous edges.
13 Amateur Layout Errors
4. Bulky Borders & Boxes. Use negative space to group or separate
things. If you must use a border or box, choose an understated
one.
5. Cheated Margins. Be generous with margins, including inset and
offset for text and picture boxes.
6. Centering Everything. Avoid centered layouts.
13 Amateur Layout Errors
7. 4 Corners & Clutter. Clutter: Bad. Clumping:
Good. White Space is not your enemy.
8. Trapped Negative Space. Push extra negative
space to the outside edges of your layout.
9. Busy Backgrounds. Design backgrounds as
negative space. Save tiling for the bathroom.
10. Tacky Type Emphasis. Think twice about
reversing, stroking, using all caps or underlining.
13 Amateur Layout Errors
11. Bad Bullets. Use real bullets for lists, and use hanging indents to
properly align lists.
12. Widows & Orphans. Avoid inelegant breaks at the bottoms and
tops of legs of type.
13. Justified Rivers. Avoid unsightly rivers of negative space flowing
through legs of justified type.
