NEWSPAPER MAKEUP

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recognize the objectives of ship or station newspaper makeup and the techniques used to meet them.

"Newspaper makeup" is defined as the design of a

newspaper page or the manner in which pictures, headlines and news stories are arranged on a page. The objectives of newspaper makeup areas follows: . To indicate the importance of the news l To make the page easy to read l To make the page attractive

FRONT-PAGE FOCAL POINT

Each page of a newspaper has a focal point - a point on the page to which the reader normally looks for the most important story. Any area can be the final point, depending on the chosen design. Advertisements can also dictate the focal points of the inside pages of a newspaper.

On the front page of some daily newspapers, the focal point is often in the upper right-hand corner a now-dated practice that reflects the style of a bygone era. Americans, although trained to read from left to right and top to bottom, greatly altered this pattern for many years with respect to their newspaper reading habits. Through the use of banner headlines that extended more than half the width of the page, readers were trained to seek the upper right-hand corner of the front page. Newspaper readers begin their reading by following the banner headline across the page and continuing down the right-hand side of the page. Therefore, many newspaper readers have come to expect the most important story in each issue to appear or touch in the upper right-hand corner of the front page.

The right-hand focal point is not as important to makeup editors as in the past, since fewer newspapers use banner headlines on the lead story. However, many newspapers still carry the most important story in the upper right-hand corner of the front page because of established practices.

Today, a large percentage of newspaper editors use the upper left-hand corner as the focal point. These editors think that readers, trained in school to read other literature from left to right, prefer their newspapers to be designed that way too. A few editors still use other areas, such as the upper center of the front page as the focal point. Only time will tell which is best, if indeed, there is a "best."

INSIDE PAGE FOCAL POINT

The focal point on inside pages is the upper left-hand corner if there are no advertisements. Therefore, the focal point is influenced by a newspaper reader's natural sight tendencies and is not hampered by customs.

On inside pages with advertising, the way ads are placed on the page influences the position of the focal point. The focal point is always opposite the lower corner of the page that is anchored by the largest mass of advertising.

MAKEUP LINES

You will use the following four basic types of "lines" in newspaper makeup: l Vertical

. Diagonal l Circular l Horizontal

Vertical Line

The vertical line is used to get the reader to read up and down the page. The line is carried out on the page by displaying stories, headlines and pictures vertically on the page. It is characteristic of the makeup of newspapers in early America and is still used to a limited degree in making up newspapers today.

Diagonal Line

The diagonal line is used in newspaper makeup to get the reader to read through the page. The line is carried out on the page by displaying headlines and pictures so together they forma diagonal line from the upper left-hand corner to the lower right-hand corner of the page. Also, a page can contain a double diagonal by forming another diagonal in the opposite direction from the first. The diagonal line lends a sense of rhythm to the page. It is characteristic of many of today's newspapers.

Circular Line

The circular line is used in newspaper makeup in an attempt to get the reader to read around the page. The line is carried out on the page by displaying stories, headlines and pictures on the page so the reader sees each as being equally important. This creates a tendency on the reader's part to read all the stories. The circular line is used to a limited degree in modem newspapers.

Horizontal Line

The horizontal line is used in newspaper makeup to get the reader to read back and forth on the page. The line is carried out by displaying stories, headlines and pictures horizontally on the page. The horizontal line is a post-World War II development and it is probably the most striking change in the appearance of newspapers in this century. It is a characteristic of many present-day newspapers.