Design thread

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

to me the rest is just way too busy... from the huge horse to the all caps head screaming at me... it's just so busy... so busy -- and i'm guessing chris is right that it looks better on paper than on the web. on the web, just way too many colors competeing

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

I have worked for and seen tiny dailies that are about 100 times better looking than either of those metros are after their new redesigns.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*



Quick, what's the main hed on the Baltimore NBA package?

There's no entry into the thing. Either you get the refererence, or 1/3 of the page is dead to you. Also, having the thing stretch to six columns just serves as a big ole roadblock. In the age of narrow pages, vertical flow becomes more important than ever. The only thing vertical is the pregnant mini-rail.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

Speaking of St. Louis ...

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

I saw this page on NPD.com and my first impression was "When did the Post-Dispatch start selling an ad on the sports cover?"

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

Broken Record No. 1 -- Mug or something inside the one column story. Break up the gray. The centerpiece doesn't overly impress me, but then again it's hockey, so I couldn't care less. Is it me or is the space between the headlines and the stories/subheadlines way too much? I could park a car inbetween the headline and the copy. I'm not sure how I feel about the teaser at the bottom of the page.

One thing that bothers me a lot, and I'm not sure why, is this: The lead headline could have been bumped up another point size and not left short of the copy. I've always been a stickler that if it's a one line headline it should fill the whole space. Am I the only person that has one-line headlines end up with a point size of 56.4555 and stuff like that? Or am I way too anal about that stuff?

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

SC,

I hear what you're sayin' about the long leg of text on the right, although -- to be honest -- I'm not a big fan of throwing mugshots in just to break up gray: 1) Mugs are only really effective for stories about a specific person, especially someone most people don't know; 2) There's almost always a better content alternative than a mugshot and 3) Lots of mugs, like logos, tend to make pages really busy, really quickly.

That said ... how about a nice fact box underneath that story? It's about a local course being included as part of the PGA Tour's championship series. How about a box explaining how the championship series will work? Or maybe a box of other regional courses being considered? Something that gives me some more information and helps push the story forward.

And  on this point:

No, you're absolutely not. I would do the exact same thing. And, yeah, that's a ton of white space between the heds and the copy/deks.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

that centerpiece just doesn't work at all... i mean, there's got to be a better way to illustrate it.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

Again, that rail is worthless and along with that horrid hedline type makes me want to flee the page posthaste. That bottom thing does look like an ad.The CP concept is OK, not great. Could have used a stat comparison of the added and the departed.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

For a long time -- and I mean a long time -- our newspaper held us to the old-school 6-point increments, 18-24-30-36-etc.

All the while, we had the ability to fill out the line at 34.7 points.

I could never understand why they fought that for so long. And when Pegie Stark Adam came in to redesign, she wanted us to go back to that. THAT did not fly.

Now, we do cross-column alignment, and THAT I am fully on board with. I believe that provides a page with a subliminally cleaner look.

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

Chris,

I've stated on early posts about long one-column stories that a mugshot or breakout box is needed. I just said mug, because I thought everybody would be sick of my endless ranting on that subject. You're definitely right. A breakout box like you suggested would be much better.

I wouldn't throw a mug shot in just to have a mugshot, but I would if that was the only alternative to break up the gray. When there's a one column story, I just can't stand to see nothing cut that down a bit. To me, it's just too overwhelming to the reader.

Shottie,

Forgive my lack of terminology, what is cross-column alignment?

 

Re: Design thread *updated 11/3*

The Rams thing might have worked if it was at the top of the page. Still, why not save something like that to tease a special section, instead of what was apparently an ordinary story?