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History Feature
Writing |
Layout: The rhythm section
of your paper What aspect of producing a newspaper can loom large throughout the editing process? Layout. How long could it take to lay out an issue of your paper? Forever. How long should it take to lay out your paper? A lot less time than forever. How long do most of us usually have to do layout? A lot less time than we'd like. What element of a newspaper is transparent to the reader but at the same time can determine whether they take more than a cursory look? Layout. The way a paper is laid out can guide readers smoothly through an entire issue or, like a sputtering car engine, cause them to start and stop. Just like misplaced (or misused) punctuation, the layout of a publication can make or break a reader's experience. Annie Dillard calls punctuation the drum set of writing. Perhaps layout-and typography-can be called the rhythm section of a publication, the underlying foundation that holds everything up and sets it off. Much has been written on layout and I'm certainly no authority; what I know I learned at some point from someone else. My thoughts on layout reflect my particular context: our diocesan newspaper, Trinity, is an 8 1U2 x 11-inch publication that comes out eight times a year. I lay out our paper using Quark XPress 4.0 for Windows on a PC. Trinity is printed strictly in black and white; I scan and manipulate photos using Adobe Photoshop. Simplicity and consistency An awkward layout will prevent your reader from reading. A clean, simple layout will invisibly lead your reader from story to story, page to page. The best piece of advice I've received-and can offer-is to use a template, one that not only defines page style but also defines (and therefore limits) column width, gutters, headlines, fonts, leading, rule lines, point sizes, shading and, to a certain extent, white space. Set all of these elements in stone. Simplicity and consistency is essential. To create a sound template, hire a graphic designer. Most editors are wordsmiths, not designers, and myriad considerations go into every element of the design of a paper. Making these choices is what designers do best. For example, when determining the right font to use for copy, the quality of the paper and how ink takes to it should be considered. Trinity is printed on the cheapest newsprint available; ink tends to bleed slightly and a heavy font can look like it's ready to smear. Using a light font for copy helps keep the pages looking clean, not like ink will rub off on a reader's hands. Let a professional make these design decisions for you; or consult with a designer after you set your own parameters. Even if the overall look and style of your paper is already established, a template will help maintain the integrity of that look. It's money well spent. The process Decide first the order in which you want your articles to appear. Front- and back-page choices are most critical. Create your layout in spreads, not pages. Group similar pieces together, like a series of articles on upcoming music events or parish Lenten programs. If you use software to do layout, start on paper. Laying out as you go on computer will waste time and tax your tendons. Does your paper include regular features or columns? Put them in the same place in every issue and lay them out the same way. Make it easy for readers to find what they're looking for. Respect your columns. If you have four columns to a page, avoid using just fractions of a column, even for photos. Line up photos vertically or horizontally on spreads so the eye sees symmetry and order. Strive to place each photo so that its content points toward the center of the spread, not off the page. If your photos are black and white, try boxing them with a thin line. Color photos can also benefit from this added definition. Help your reader. Define the space an article occupies by using rule lines between columns as well as around the perimeter of the story. Define the end of each article with a dingbat. If an article continues to another page, show clearly where it picks up. Typography is a subset of layout that deserves just as much attention. Look for gaps in your copy and headlines; kern as needed. Create some air between em and en dashes and the letters or numbers they surround. Give yourself enough time to do layout, especially if you're working with new software or adjusting to a new template or publication, but be sure to observe your deadlines. Layout tends to more than fill the time allotted, so a deadline can be the means of grace that allows-requires!-the job to get done. A few final thoughts I'm a big advocate for editors laying out their own papers. It's a synergistic experience: as editor, I can tailor headlines to fit a certain piece of space; I can shorten or lengthen an article to make it fit. I can change text or a photo at the last minute if it doesn't sit right. I can switch pages. Possibilities can simmer in my head during the whole process, and I don't have to explain my ideas to someone else in order to see them on the page. There is great joy in the process of laying out a newspaper, in the tweaking and molding of each page, in the manipulation of text and art. With every issue you'll move more quickly, your sense of what you're doing will broaden-and you'll soon need less time than you think.
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