Our goal: Excellence

One of the core responsibilities of journalists is to provide readers with the “who, what, when, where and how.” In short, we’re story tellers, and as a page designer, you play a vital role in the story-telling process. While reporters and photographers provide all of the ingredients for a great daily report, it is the page designers that ultimately prepare the final dish!

The design of a page is essential to an excellent reader experience in a number of ways:

1.      Excellent page design communicates the significance of the news of the day.

Each day, we report dozens of local news stories. As page designers, we are trusted to communicate the relative significance of those stories. We do this in a number of ways:

• The position of the story on the page

• The style and size of the typography

• The use of photography and other graphic elements

2.     Excellent page design is easy to understand and follow.

There are many creative people in this business. Writers love a cleverly-crafted sentence, and photojournalists regularly capture beautiful, artfully-composed photographs. But, the most creative work doesn’t always make for the most effective story telling. The writing and photography, first and foremost, must clearly convey the story.

Page design is no different, first and foremost, the page must be easily followed, and the news clearly presented.

3.      Excellent page design is fair and accurate.

Our credibility is fundamental to our role in the community and our service to readers. Just as reporting and editing contribute to our credibility, so does page design. As a designer, the organization of the page elements, areas of emphasis and the use of quotes and pull-out elements should fairly and accurately represent the story.

4.      Excellent page design conforms to the style of the newspaper.

Just like home designers and other commercial artists, page designers work within defined expectations. The most eloquently designed midcentury modern living room is of very little interest to a customer who wants a Victorian look. 

Newspapers have a “style.” This determines what typography used and how it is used. Other elements such as type spacing, use of indentations, use of rules, use of bullets and other symbols, etc, are also defined by the publication’s style standards. Conformance to style creates consistency throughout the publication and helps readers clearly understand information.

5.      Excellent page design respects the work of your colleagues.

Sometimes a page designer feels like they have to put seven pounds of flour in a five-pound bag. It’s just part of the job, and it’s hardly an easy one. Always consider that you are presenting the best work of your colleagues, and you should respect that. Design that requires stories to be shortened, or “cut,” or design that forces photographs to be significantly altered by cropping should be avoided when possible. There is always compromise, but decisions should be made with respect and consideration for others’ work. We want our readers to be given the very best work we can create.

6.      Excellent page design meets deadlines.

Long ago, someone dubbed the production of a newspaper as “the daily miracle,” and that really is not that far of a stretch. Each day, reporters, photographers and editors create and compile countless pieces of information. Through the hard work of a lot of people, that information makes it onto pages; is printed; and finally delivered to our readers. To make that happen, each step in the process has to be responsible for meeting time deadlines, and often designers are even asked to make up time that was lost earlier in the process. The stress and limitations created by deadlines can be challenging, but understanding and thriving in the fast pace of the design center is key to success in the role. Missed deadlines ultimately result in delayed delivery to our readers and poor customer service. It is our goal to meet the expectations of readers in every way possible.