newspaper design
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12.26.06

What makes this page a BFD: The right photo and the right play for the lead story.
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Everybody hates a slow news day. And the day after Christmas is typically one of the slowest. But many of today's front page editors had the story of James Brown's death to deal with, and some handled it better than others.

With so few compelling stories to choose from, it's surprising how few papers went big with the news of Brown's death. James Brown was a cultural icon if ever there was one. Coverage of his death should have a been a celebration of his life – and made one helluva story to add to the mix.

A slow news day seems like the perfect time to "blow out" the front page. But few papers took advantage of the opportunity. Brown was known for his bold, brash persona. So it was ironic to see his death announced in such timid terms on the front of America's newspapers.

Among the papers that ran a photo at all, there was little variation in their choice. Many papers used the same photo: Brown on stage in a red jacket clutching a microphone. An adequate photo, but nothing that said 'JAMES BROWN." And many papers played the story and photo below the fold. Pity.

Not so The State in Columbia, SC. They played up Brown's death big time, and unlike almost every other paper, they chose a photo with all the exuberance of the man himself. And they didn't stop at the big stuff, following through on the details as well. Note the use of the respectful black bar beneath the nameplate containing the years of Brown's birth and death. Virtually all the color typically found on the front page was removed to project a funereal tone. Then The State offered "5 reasons why James Brown will go down in history" – an excellent use of short form. Who wouldn't read that?

Room for improvement: It's tough to find a weak photo of James Brown, but strong headlines to complement these photos were conspicuous by their absence. Most newspapers missed the chance for a powerful headline-photo combination. Instead, they shot these headlines with a dull gun.

The Baltimore Sun offered "Godfather of soul was a showman, visonary." The Boston Globe went with "Godfather of Soul James Brown dies." After such a long career, surely one of Brown's song titles or lyrics could have provided a more meaningful sendoff. Copydesks needed to bring in 'da noise, bring in 'da funk.

James Brown deserved a headline worthy of the man – a headline that would have made him say, "I feel good." (This might have been a challenge under the circumstances, but you know what I mean.)



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CLASSIFIED NEWSPAPER DESIGN
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Read Steve Outing's interview with Alan Jacobson and learn why newspaper web sites are seriously flawed. Then see alternatives.
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Our redesigns are catalysts for positive change. Visit the gallery to see how we've transformed publications and websites.
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Bakersfield Californian
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NEWSPAPER DESIGN WHITEPAPER
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A redesign is a waste of time and money if it doesn't deliver a return on investment. Download our report to learn how to make your redesign pay off, then see how four newspapers boosted readership and revenue by following our advice.
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INTERACTIVE TOUR
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See in detail how a content-driven redesign did more than make a community daily look better – it made it a better paper.
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RADICAL STRATEGIES FOR CIRCULATION WOES
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A newspaper war, that is. The Sunday Star Times, New Zealand's largest newspaper, faces fierce competition on the newsstand from two tabloids. So it was redesigned to improve its above-the-fold presentation. The complete story will appear here and in the next issue of SND's DESIGN.
 
 






 
The Californian's redesign earned it a spot on Editor & Publisher's list of “Ten That Do it Right.” According to E&P, Bakersfield is appealing to its “really, really conservative market with a really, really radical redesign.”

And it’s working.

Circulation stops are down and revenue is up – over a thousand inches in the redesigned real estate section alone. See before and after, see more pages and read the stories.


 
 






 
The Eureka (CA) Reporter was just a 6,000-circ. weekly in 2004. Our radical yet elegant redesign helped this startup weekly grow to a daily in less than two years. The Reporter goes head-to-head with an established daily owned by Dean Singleton, who told The San Francisco Chronicle last month that his competitor, “does some good design things.” The Society of News Design agrees – they cited this redesign as one of the best in the world. See more pages.

 
 



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