When brainstorming what I wanted my group's front page to look like, three words came to my mind: newsy, clean and navigable.
Inspired by the AJC’s front page, I set out to pack mine with as much information as possible, which led to the refers above the masthead as well as down the left column. When I look at a front page, I want to be able to skim the important stories and know where to look if I want more information. Newspapers are, after all, papers full of news.
After I gave my page the proper amount of newsiness (yes, I invented that word for this blog), I then set out to make it as clean as possible. So many newspapers, magazines and Websites are too cluttered. When the average reader only spends 20 or so minutes on a newspaper, you want them to spend less of that time deciphering and more of it actually reading. To ensure my front page was clean, I inserted lines to visually separate the main stories, as well as separate the masthead from the rest of the paper.
Lastly, along the same lines as making a clean page, I wanted to also make a navigable page. One online news source that I think does an excellent job of making its site navigable is the Daily Beast. Their use of color and consistency of bold fonts allow the reader’s eye to flow from one story to the next. I tried to similarly make my page navigable by using bold fonts.
As far as news judgment goes, my newsy newspaper had to (of course) cover the university’s budget crisis in its top story. Then, like the Red & Black often does, I thought it would be appropriate to engage my student reader with a feature story about the anniversary of the on-campus streaking incident.
Overall, I really enjoyed putting this front page together. I learned a lot about designing for the reader as well as choosing content for a specific audience.
You did a really good job on your front page! Your teasers were really cool, and your headlines were all eye-catching. I also think it's impressive that you managed four stories on the front page in addition to the teasers. I have to tell you there is one fact error on your page- it's N-i-e not N-e-i. haha!
ReplyDeleteClaire,
ReplyDeleteDespite brutally misspelling your ace reporter's name, you did a wonderful job on your front and inside page designs. As I have already indicated, I think you have great potential, and I really appreciate your willingness to take on a leadership position within the class. I believe that your dedication and hard work truly inspired your classmates, and I am very proud.