D ESKTOP

PUBLISHING
FORM + FUNCTION
DESIGN + CONTENT
ALVIN B. HIZON
Junior Media Analyst, iSentia Manila
0927-6400-722

www.facebook.com/alvinhizon www.twitter.com/recycALVIN
Follow @recycALVIN
FORM
• Photos.
• Graphics.
• Design.
• Detail.
• Lines & Shapes.
• Black and White.
• White Spaces.
• Typography.
details
photos
graphics
A font choice can change the
message.
A FONT CHOICE CAN CHANGE THE
MESSAGE.
design
CONTENT
• Head.
• Lead.
• Angle.
• Style.
• Conclusion.
• Coherence.
• Significance.
SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT
ADOBE INDESIGN
INDESIGN INTERFACE
MS PUBLISHER
PUBLISHER INTERFACE
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
PHOTOSHOP INTERFACE
DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS

1 Rank your stories. Evaluate

their news value. Place them
in descending order on the
page according to their
importance.
DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS

2 Start with the art & build your

page around it. Pages are built
around photographs and graphics.
Your design options often will
become clear once you place your
photograph or graphic
DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS

3 Have one dominant element,

usually a photo with a story. Give
the reader one good reason to
stop and look at the page.
DESIGN FUNDAMENTAL

4 If you only have one photo

play it big. Research shows
most readers enter a page by
looking at photos.
DESIGN FUNDAMENTAL

5 Vary size and shape of

photos & graphics to add
visual appeal. Avoid square
photos
DESIGN FUNDAMENTAL

6 Use a mixture of vertical &

horizontal elements to add
variety to the page and to move
the reader’s eyes around it.
Avoid stacking the stories one on
top of another.
DESIGN FUNDAMENTAL

7 Use photos and other graphic

elements to break up the gray &
avoid tombstoning headlines.
Use secondary photos/ graphic to
break up headlines & add life to the
bottom of the page.
DESIGN FUNDAMENTAL

8 Honor the hierarchy of type.

Use 3-line headline above 2 line
headline. Exception – The
headline at the bottom of an
open page. Use 48 pt headline
for an anchor.
DESIGN FUNDAMENTAL

9 Use screens & color to add

variety to your pages. Use
screens when you have only one
piece of art.
Layout Defined
Layout is the make-up or the window
dressing of a page. It consists the arrangement of
illustrations, texts and graphics on a page which
is to be printed including the selection of font
styles, sizes and colors. Laying out a page is a
matter of personal taste. There are no criteria set
for it.

Therefore, the staff may experiment freely on

page makeup until they get the pattern
acceptable to them.
MB … etc. are the most common sizes used in many
campus papers. However, a more convenient size that
multinational companies, agencies and even other
universities/colleges and even secondary institutions
used today is the newsletter.

It is very convenient because it can be

published on your desktop computer with minimum
printer requirement. By using digital cameras or
scanning pictures, you can easily design the page and
resize pictures the way you want them.

And the most important thing is, it is camera ready.

Once printed from the computer, you can just send
this to the printing press for plating and eventually
printing. If there’s no printing press in town, for those
who are starting a campus paper, you can photocopy
or risograph it.
 So what can a good layout give a paper?
Layout does so much good to a newspaper
because it gives prominence to the news in
proportion to its importance; it makes the pages
appear attractive; it gives the paper a
personality/individuality of its own; and it makes
the different contents easy to find and read.
Boxes for pictures, arrows for texts and lines for
leads are among the symbols used in layouting.
 Journalism
according to Dr. Fetalver is
pragmatic… yes it is both
practical and experiential.
So why spend so much
time and money in having
your paper laid out and
typeset when you can do
it yourselves?
 Factors of an Excellent Layout
• Proportion – deals with the ratio of one part to another and of the parts to
the whole. Example: Pictures must be sized properly to keep up with other
shapes on the page. Square cuts are undesirable. Length of stories must be
considered. A long story may ruin the proportion of the page. A jump story
is better than a poorly proportioned page.

• Unity (Harmony) - the agreement between parts. Content of every

page/double page must blend as a harmonious unit. No one part of the
page should overshadow another. The headlines should complement each
other and the pictures should not distract the eyes too much from the type.

• Balance – a feeling of equality in weight; suggests the gravitational

equilibrium of a single unit or a space arranged with respect to an axis or a
fulcrum.
• Occult balance/assymetrical balance = “felt” balance. Visual
units in the other side of the axis are not identical but are
placed in positions so equated to produce a felt equilibrium.

• Emphasis – gives proper importance to the parts and to the

whole. It involves the differentiation between the more
important and the less important. Example: News/articles must
be displayed according to importance. The news value of every
story must determine to what page it should find print, its
position on the page, and the style and size of its headline.

• Contrast – is the blending of units as one. Every head and cut

on a page should contrast with adjoining materials. Contrasting
adjacent headlines will help emphasize the importance of each
other. Boxes and pictures between heads are sometimes good
makeup devices.
PAGE COMPONENTS THAT SHOULD BE
STANDARDIZED

• Page size
• Page orientation ( horizontal or vertical )
• Margins
• Number of text columns
• Column widths
• Gutters ( space between text columns )
• Justification for body text, subheads, headlines, headers and footers and captions
• Font size and style for headlines, subheadings, body and text and captions
• Leading ( spacing between lines ) and tracking ( spacing between characters )
• Paragraph spacing
• Page numbering
• Indentation
• White space between graphics and text
• Line weights and styles
• Respect the fold
FRONT PAGE
Name plate Ears
Index Banner
Headline Lead
News Story Column
Column rule Fold
Byline Cut
Cutline

The Front page is the show window of

the newspaper. It projects the
newspaper’s personality. To create a
good-looking front page, one that is
vigorous, authoritative and classy. The
layout artist should plan how to
effectively present the text, pictures,
caption and headlines.
TIPS FOR FRONT PAGE DESIGN
• Make the nameplate or “flag” distinctive.
• Use a dominant photo. More than any other element on the page, a
dominant photo has the best chance of grabbing the reader’s attention.
• Use a power head. The power head is a lead headline that is usually set in
a very bold typeface. It is the largest headline on the page and is used on
the most important story on the front page. Using a power head will allow
the use of a dominant photo with another story while still making it clear
to the reader which is the banner story.
• Use good headline hierarchy. Many front pages start with a lead headline
that is too small, thus making the page look weak. Headline hierarchy
helps the readers navigate the news pages. Hierarchy is not only
determined by size, but also by length and boldness of the typeface.
• Control the structure. Avoid the temptation of running each story in a
different type width. Inconsistent measures tend to confuse readers and
make them read at varying speeds.
• Open the spacing. Let the page breathe and draw attention to the
centerpiece elements by increasing the white spaces around those
elements. Extra space attracts the reader better than heavier or
colored rules.
• Use an index. It is a tool that makes navigating the newspaper a lot
easier.
• Remember the fold. Place the dominant story and graphic above the
fold. Do not go too deep with the nameplate, such that is pushes the
other ( more important ) elements below the fold.
• Use the ears, small items, often boxed, set on either or both side of the
nameplate, calling attention to special features, giving the theme of
the campus paper, presenting weather information and others.
• Place a special editorial on the front page, but make sure it justifies
such emphasis.
NEWS PAGE
Most of the articles you see in The
Dispatch are news articles. News articles
focus only on the facts <ETH> they
don't contain anyone's opinion There
are several types of news articles.
A local news article focuses on what's
going on in your neighborhood. An
example of a local news story would be
an article on a city council meeting.
A national news article focuses on what's
happening in the United States. An
example of a national news article
would be an article on the U.S. Senate
passing a new bill.
An international news article focuses on
news that's happening outside the
United States. A story on an influenza
outbreak in Chile would be considered
an international news story.
THE INSIDE PAGES

• Inside news pages should be designed as facing page units rather

than as single pages.
• The principles of contrast and balance should be applied in planning
the make-up of facing pages
• Inside news pages generally do not use large headline like in the front
page.
EDITORIAL PAGE
Folio
Flag
Editorial
Editorial Column
Editorial Cartoon
Letter to the Editor

An editorial is an article that contains the

writer's opinion. Editorials are usually run all
together on a specific page of the paper and
focus on current events. Editorials are not
considered news stories.
A column is an article written by the same
person on a regular basis. A columnist (the
writer of the column) writes about subjects of
interest to him/her, current events or
community happenings. Columns are not
considered news stories.
Editorial/Opinions
-distinct, dignified and
formal appeal
-small editorial box that
can be anchored in any
corner
-font types of titles are of
masculine appearance

RURALIANS
EDITORIAL PAGE CHAMPION
RSPC 2011
THE EDITORIAL PAGE

• These pages should have a distinctive, dignified and formal

appearance.
• Editorials traditionally appear in the first two columns of the left page
of the editorial spread. They are larger in types.
• The editorial box, which should be relatively small, may be anchored
in any of the lower corners, or on the upper left hand corner of the
left page of the editorial page.
• Heads or titles of editorials, like the headline of news stories should
be of the masculine appearance, not the italic type.
• Editorial and opinion columns ordinarily appear in the same position
of the same page every issue.
FEATURE PAGE
A feature article is an article that
is about "softer" news. A feature
may be a profile of a person who
does a lot of volunteer work in
the community or a movie
preview. Feature articles are not
considered news stories.
A feature article is an article that
is about "softer" news. A feature
may be a profile of a person who
does a lot of volunteer work in
the community or a preview of a
movie about to hit the theaters.
Like news writing, strong feature
writing is simple, clear and
orderly. But, unlike news stories,
feature stories don't have to be
written about events that just
happened. Instead, they focus on
human interest, mood,
atmosphere, emotion, irony and
humor. Here are some steps to
follow to help you write a good
feature story:
Features Page

Feature -literary and

feminine appearance
-wider columns and italics
font types
THE FEATURE PAGE

• These pages must have a literary and feminine appearance.

• All of the columns may be wider than the rest of the paper. Often,
columns are set in one and one-half columns wide.
• Roman and italic types are used for text, except for poetry.
• Different styles of headlines in different faces may be used for
feature stories.
• Usually fewer articles appear on these pages than on the news
pages. Pictures are used to capture interest and highlight the story.
• Feature columns ordinarily appear in the same position of the same
page every issue.
SCIENCE
PAGE
SPORTS PAGE
Sports
-bolder and lively
appearance
-suggestive of content
(action, speed and color)
THE SPORTS PAGE

• These pages have a bolder but livelier appearance than other pages.
• Page designs should suggest there content: action, speed and color.
• Large, bold heads, even streamers may be used.
• Use only a small sports nameplate. For school paper, it is
traditionally located at the last or cover page.
DESIGNING PHOTO PAGES

• Select good pictures. All the photos in the layout must communicate.
• Select the minimum number of photos needed to tell the story.
• Identify one dominant photo and play it large.
• Choose photos that show the event from different perspective.
• Blow-up or reduces pictures so that the final layout presents images
of different size.
• Crop out all unessential areas from the photos.
• Look for photos you can crop into horizontal or vertical shapes.
• On a dummy sheet, locate the best position for a dominant picture so
it can stand out.
• Keep even spaces between all photos.
• Write a caption and place it below each photo.
The competition in collaborative publishing is
designed to encourage teamwork among
campus journalists and simulate the
workplace of an editorial department in a
publishing house.
 (a) encourage teamwork
among campus journalists
(b) simulate the workplace of
an editorial department in a
publishing house.
A mini press conference will be held to become the basis for
the actual writing of the editorial, feature and news
articles.
The team will be given two (2) hours for data gathering and
writing and another two (2) hours for lay-outing and
editing.
 Each team will be required to bring a maximum of four (4)
laptops installed with EITHER Pagemaker OR In Design AND
Photoshop (for secondary level) AND Microsoft Publisher
(for elementary) for the lay-out the group's final output.

The laptops will be checked by the RTWG for any other official
applications and pre-written documents or references
therein.
Each group will be required to convert their output into pdf
format, print and submit it to the contest committee.

The collaborative publishing team shall submit both hard and

soft copies of their entries.

They should ensure that no identifying marks about their

school, division or region can be found on their output.
The output of the contest is an A4-sized four-page publication.