1. Alternative Story Forms
Newspaper Design
Alternative
Story
Forms
Kate Hansen
TC West Senior High

2. The rule
10% of our readers will skim the book for their picture and not read it at all.
80% will read only the pages of interest, the pages they are on.
10% will read cover to cover
You only get one shot to keep the reader. It is the designer’s job to make the reader want to stay on the page and in the book.

3. The clock is ticking…
The average reader will spend 28 minutes a day reading a publication, so you’ve got one shot to grab them and hold their attention.

4. How do we get their attention and keep them reading our publication?
Good stories, of course!
Good design to draw
the reader in and keep
them moving around the
page.

5. What is Good Design? It is intentional, it has purpose
It is NOT decoration
It uses white space effectively to draw the reader in to the text and photos.
It is the architecture on paper and it must have structure.
A good designer will make the reader want to stay on the spread, to keep reading.
Well, it is always C.R.A.P.

6. First, let’s explore….
CRAP

7. Font – use a serif and sans serif
Contrast adds visual interest to your design. In order for it to be effective, it must be obvious. Don’t be a wimp, make it strong so it doesn’t look like a mistake.
Size - BIGsmall
Color
Shape
Font – use a serif and sans serif

9. Repetition of a visual element on a spread unifies and strengthens design by tying together otherwise separate parts.
Elements may repeat in:
folios
captions
header
fonts
Graphic design elements
Color, size, shape, etc…

11. Alignment – Items should touch the same horizontal or vertical lines
Alignment – Items should touch the same horizontal or vertical lines. Nothing should be placed arbitrarily on the page. Alignment helps the reader’s eye flow naturally through the spread.
Use your guide bars
Modular design, use white space.
New trend is to use grids.
Align both vertically and horizontally.

13. Proximity – group related elements together so your spread looks organized.
Group like things together to unify the spread
Use the three levels of white space to group items and add distance between packages.
When several items are in close proximity to each other, they become one visual unit, or package.
Separate units means more coverage.

15. Today designers use three levels of white space to make more interesting layouts.
Level 1 – zero to one pica groups like elements together for packaging. For example, you may use a half pica between photos and their captions to group or package them together.
Level 2 – one pica spacing provides consistency on a spread. You may use this between two columns of text for example.
Level 3 – 3 or more picas creates a rail of isolation that visually distinguishes verbal packages or secondary coverage from other content.

16. Notice the varying levels of white space used in these layouts.

17. White space allows for Alternate Story Forms for more coverage.
ASFs are visual design elements that break up large amounts of text.
ASFs are tools that quickly engage the reader’s attention.
Compared to regular print text, ASF draws greater amount of visual attention.
ASFs give the reader more points of entry into a story, which hold their attention longer.
ASFs also allow for more coverage on a similar topic.

18. Type of ASF Timeline Checklist Graphics Pros and cons Fact box
Surveys or graphs
Q & A
Pulled quotes
Infographs
How to
Lists
Charts
Quizzes

19. Consider traditional design and ASF

20. Traditional design is limiting
This is a lot of information, much of it data, that readers will not retain because it is text-heavy
Besides the titles, there are few points of entry.
There isn’t anything of interest to draw the reader in.

21. Updated, ASF The reader has many points of entry here.
There is visual variety here to add interest
This type of design allows for more coverage, secondary coverage.
Alternative story forms allow readers to retain information better because it is broken down into smaller pieces. It provides information at a glance.

22. Now let’s look at good design
Now let’s look at good design. In groups of 3-4 discuss the following page layouts and the coverage on each page. Be ready to answer the questions listed by each image.

23. How many points of entry do you see?
What is being covered on this page?
Where does the eye fall first?
What elements of design do you see (CRAP)?
What forms of ASF do you see?

24. How many points of entry do you see?
What is being covered on this page?
Where does the eye fall first?
What elements of design do you see (CRAP)?
What forms of ASF do you see?

25. How many points of entry do you see?
What is being covered on this page?
Where does the eye fall first?
What elements of design do you see (CRAP)?
What forms of ASF do you see?

26. How many points of entry do you see?
What is being covered on this page?
Where does the eye fall first?
What elements of design do you see (CRAP)?
What forms of ASF do you see?

27. How many points of entry do you see?
What is being covered on this page?
Where does the eye fall first?
What elements of design do you see (CRAP)?
What forms of ASF do you see?

28. How many points of entry do you see?
What is being covered on this page?
Where does the eye fall first?
What elements of design do you see (CRAP)?
What forms of ASF do you see?

29. Now it’s your turn
For homework, bring in a newspaper and be ready to explain the elements of design to the class for one layout. Pick a spread that you like and justify why it is good design. You must have the following items labeled on the paper.
Design elements: Contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.
Identify at least three different ASFs.
Show three different points of entry.
Identify where white space is used effectively.
Write a half page summary explaining the how the design elements work for you. Tell me why it is appealing to you personally.

30. Start with Paper
All good designers start on paper with a rough draft before transferring to computer.
Using the laminated grid sheets, layout a sports page. Include three ASFs – sidebar on fans, a play-by-play on the winning goal, and a Q&A on the coach, for example.
Once you are done, have your rough draft approved by the teacher before moving to the computer.
You may use placeholder text, but you must fill in pictures, headings, graphics when needed.