Design thread

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

As a historic event, I think the photo works and is the sort of thing that years later I can see someone pulling out and going, "yeah, I remember that night." An overhead shot of the tipoff would have been cool, too.

Now I usually like BIG headlines. But I wonder if something a bit quieter would have helped, especially since the main art is a little loose in content. The hed and photo don't seem similar in tone.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

A gut level opinion: This page feels a bit over-the-top celebratory given the team's circumstances.

I understand people in OKC are excited to have the team, and I certainly don't think the page has to look like a funeral. But I think a slightly more scaled-back/balanced approach would have been appropriate.  The hed: "A home opener, away from home" keeps rattling around in my head, but maybe that's too much of a downer/not appropriate for an OKC market that's just happy to have the team?

Like I said ... it's just a gut feeling.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

I don't think it would be too much of a downer there, should it be on a special section and they happened to do that story already (with that headline). In that case, it would clear The Oklahoman to do something like this. It's just reality that those are the circumstances.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

I'm pretty sure that in OKC, this feels just like having landed an expansion team, regardless of the circumstances.

Thus, the over-the-top feel.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

I agree on the headline.

And for anyone who hasn't seen it, SportsDesigner runs a great website (I'm afraid to use the word "blog" around here) that's focused on all things sports design. Check it out sometime, if you haven't already: www.sportsdesigner.com.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

I'll refrain from offering an opinion on this one since it's the competition.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

OK, speaking of the NBA, compare and contrast the following:

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

The left one wins, because of the breakout that I assume help explains the code. I love all the pains they went to to make sure the thing in the suit was racially unidentifiable. I'm sure cleverness was only half the motivation of making the guy a basketballhead.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

which redesign was worse baltimore or st. louis? christ...

that said, i like the baltimore centerpiece here, but i don't like dueling columns on this... plus the rest is just a wreck

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

1. Hoops, St. Louis wins hands down. Baltimore's redesign isn't great, but St. Louis' is horrible. Is it a trend now that when you redesign the paper it's supposed to look worse than before?

2. I think, although I'm not sure, the paper on the left is Kansas City. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. With that said, I love their centerpiece. But I don't have a problem with Baltimore's either, because they're aiming for two different things. Kansas City is trying to explain the new rule, while Baltimore is offering contrasting opinions on the NBA's new dress code.

3. A few minor things. On Kansas City's page, I would have flopped the Broncos and Chiefs stories, so the Broncos art would be looking into the story. On the Gordon story, I would have dropped a subheadline of some sort, since the rest of the page is devoid of one (except the centerpiece, of course). Also, the UT-USC graphic at the bottom just looks out of place to me. But they may have wanted a BCS presence on the front page and had no other course of action, so I understand it. On Baltimore's page, what the hell is that gray box on the top left. If that's a teaser into the rest of the sports section, it looks horrible. Also, with the Polley story, I would have figured out some kind of graphic. If you've got a column and a story on it, there's gotta be something -- ANYTHING -- you can break out to give the reader another point of interest. Hard to tell on this, but the subheadline under the Terps story appears to be awfully small, especially since that appears to be their lead story.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

That is Kansas City on the left.

The breakout box is a nice touch, and -- it's pretty small here -- but if you look really close, Jerry West is sporting a tie in the NBA logo. Pretty funny. (Almost makes me think that coulda been made into an illustration unto itself.)

Basketballhead ... kinda freaks me out. He scares me a little. So I'm not sure I'm a fan....

I like the Baltimore illustration, assuming all that reverse type printed ok ... just a nice, simple, cleanly executed idea. But I do wish there was a little extra information in the package, a la the KC fact box. Especially since the columns are taking side on the dress code, give me something that just quickly tells me what it is.

SCEditor ... That box at the the top is Baltimore's new tease package (it's on all the fronts, including 1A), the collapsable/expandable "Hot L" ...  It's really no different than a traditional rail, really, except that it can grow/shrink to fit the needs of the page on any given day.

FWIW, I think Baltimore's redesign looks a ton better in print than it does online ... the colors, for one thing, become a lot more muted once they hit newsprint. The only thing in the redesign that really bugs is THAT MUCH OF THE DISPLAY COPY, INCLUDING A LOT OF PULL QUOTES AND THE QUESTION OF THE DAY ON PAGE TWO OF SPORTS ARE SET IN ALL CAPS, WHICH AFTER A WHILE CAN GET REALLY, REALLY HARD ON THE EYES.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

Chris, maybe it's just me, but that Baltimore teaser box appears to be one of the most ill-conceived design elements in recent memory. What do you think?