Five decks over one leg?

I don't mind three decks over two, but agree completely with one deck over anything three columns or more.

 

One challenge headline writers have faced over the past several years has been the shrinking page. Today's papers are the equivalent of a column narrower than when I started 20 years ago.

 

When I started a page was 78 picas wide.

Now it's 60.

What used to be 3 columns (38.5 picas) is now 4.

So in today's trimmed-down version of newspapers, 2 lines of a four-column head are perfectly acceptable.

 

Nothing worse than having a double deck head over 4 columns or more. I have seen a few times two decks over 6 columns. Not a good look at all!

 

Whenever I have a page with no ads on it, I go with a five-column template instead of six. The text looks really crowded to me in a 9 1/2-pica wide column. In the five-column format, a column is 11 1/2 picas, so it's almost as wide as a column was (12) when I first started.

But I still can't stand a double-deck column over anything more than two columns, whether I use the five- or six-column layout.

I once took a photo of a recent edition laid over top of one from the 1970s. The recent one is exactly one column (70's version) narrower.

 

How about a four-decker in a two-column hole? Never seen it before, but you never know. Five-decker in one-column head is way too much, and a four-decker in a one-column space still seems a bit much. I prefer three-deckers in one column holes, and two- and three-deckers in two-column holes and two-deckers in three-column holes. Four- , Five- and Six-column holes are usually the norm for me as art headers (One-word head), accompanied with three-deck, one-column subhead.

 

4 decks over 2 columns and 5 over 1 are a bit much. A 2-col, 4-deck hed looks like shit. I like 4 decks for 1-col heds. Unless it's a small point size, it's tough to write a 3-decker, but that would be the way I'd go if I can make it work. I think 4 decks looks a little better with our 3-line subheds.

 

Yea, four decks for two columns is waaaaaay too much.

 

I think three is even pushing it, depending on the point size.

 

true

 

In retrospect, the three-column head for two-column hole is one deck too much. Too wordy. Clutters page design.

 

Nah, three decks over two columns is great if the story takes up a deep hole.
Gives the rim some room to write a better hed. And two decks looks small atop a deep hole.
Just don't let the hed size get too big. Three decks of 27 often looks better than two decks of 36.