Let’s say you’re a newspaper designer.
If you were to go blind, could you still do design?
Yes...depending.
If you’ve had years of experience designing pages, then it would not be very difficult for you to: 1. Visualize a design as it is being described to you. 2. Tell another how you would want a particular page to look.
Those hundreds and hundreds of pages you’ve designed make it easy to design a page in your head.
Here are some of the moves even a blind designer would naturally make:
PLACE THE VISUAL FIRST: Get a strong photo or graphic and give it a strong ride. The days when a two-column photo could lead an open page are long gone. Readers want more of a visual pull—and the best way to create that is to give your lead visual greater size. Once the lead visual is in position, the other elements on the page will almost naturally fall together.
APPLY HEADLINE HIERARCHY: An open page—or one with a quarter-page or half-page ad—needs a strong headline at the top. Go larger than you think you need: if you want to place a 36 point headline at the top, make it 42...or even 48. If you start out too small at the top of the page, your downpage headlines will be minuscule—and they’ll draw little attention as a result. Bigger is better.
USE NEGATIVE SPACE: Most people—but perhaps blind people, especially—understand the wisdom of placing enough space between elements. If items are placed too tightly together on a page (or in a room), the odds of tripping over them increase.
CONTROL COLOR: Remember that color speaks to us. It imparts feeling to a package. But the wrong color—or too much color on the page—can create chaos. Better to keep it light.
APPLY THE BASICS: Make sure the design you dictate is balanced and unified, with strong focus and attention to contrast and proportion between elements.
With these moves in mind, even a blind person can design a strong news page. With your gift of sight, think of what you can do!
WANT A FREE evaluation of your newspaper’s design? Just contact Ed: edh@henningerconsulting.com | 803-327-3322
IF THIS COLUMN has been helpful, you may be interested in Ed’s books: Henninger on Design and 101 Henninger Helpful Hints. With the help of Ed’s books, you’ll immediately have a better idea how to design for your readers. Find out more about Henninger on Design and 101 Henninger Helpful Hints by visiting Ed’s web site: www.henningerconsulting.com ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting. Offering comprehensive newspaper design services including redesigns, workshops, staff training and evaluations. E-mail: edh@henningerconsulting.com. On the web: henningerconsulting.com. Phone: 803-327-3322.