Design thread

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

I liked your choice of dominant photo and the use of the rules-with-arrows to tie a photo to a blurb. And the small caps for the serif headers really worked.

I agree that the dominant photo could have spread wider across the gutter, or take it to the edge of the page and find another place for "The Season"... the rail kind of gets lost.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

Nothing to add. Just noticed this was on page 69 and felt a moral obligation to post something.

Apologies. :-[

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

A fitting response for a thread with comments like: "That rule bothers me. Wish I knew why."

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

I really liked this NFL playoffs doubletruck by Josh Jackson in Savannah. Tons of info, very well-organized and inviting to the reader. My only nitpick is with the helmets at the top of each capsule; I find 'em a little redundant with the cutouts, but that's a matter of personal preference.

Overall, I think it rocks ... what are everyone's thoughts on it?

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

My only suggestion about what is a very nice package is not to leave so much readout. They were hauling out the cliches to fill. One line saying something like "Winkel Blinken and Jay Nodd take a look at the NFL playoff field." would have done nicely. And maybe a reverse bar giving the basic info about the Super Bowl.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

Is there type missing -- WASHINGTON REDSKINS (10-6) -- next to the Redskins' helmet?

I am not a fan of the bar graphs, agree with dools on the way too long readout and absence of Super Bowl date, time, location information, and do find the helmets a little redundant.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

There's also no reasoning behind how the teams are listed, outside the No. 1 seeds getting the bigger boxes. It's not by reverse order of seed or by first-round matchup. I might have switched the cutouts around a bit so they weren't ALL on the bottom, but outside that I have no real beef.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

I think the entire double-truck rocks, as long as there really was type next to the Redskins' helmet.

And I DEFINITELY wouldn't switch up on the positioning of the cutouts. I remember when I used to think it was better for me to flop head shots from one side to the other in a package, rather than line them up in order. Sometimes, there's something to be said for consistency.

And I NEVER find helmets to be redundant.

(If you take that softball and hit it, you're weak...)

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

But I think in this case, consistency breeds sameness. The page looks functional but boring, and I think the repetition of the cutouts is part of the reason why. Plus they're clearly biased against defensive players.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

I don't know if they're necessarily biased, since they're taken from the "Key Players" category that the writer included in each capsule ... hard to read at this size, maybe the writer only focused on offensive guys for the most part. Or clean shots of defensive players were harder to come by -- I know I've run into trouble with that before.

I see your point about repitition, though.

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

The bias thing was in jest. I noticed 11 of the 12 teams' cutouts involved someone with a ball (how could they use a Bears offensive player with a straight face). I chalked that up to less good indivudal defensive shots (Julius Peppers is more key than Jake Delhomme).

 

Re: Design thread *Updated 1/9*

Possibly, but not enough so that an argument couldn't be made the other way.