What works, what doesn't, II

For this iteration of “What Works, What Doesn’t,” we are going to look at two California papers and one from Alabama. I have discovered it is easier for me — ever the critic — to find things I think don’t work as things that do. Click on image for larger view.

Up first is the Long Beach (Calif.) Press-Telegram. I like the format of the second deck heds, with the bold sans serif lead-in to the roman. I also like the “More Inside” refers and the use of a two-picture package (parade floats). You should always tease from A-1, and a well-done two-pic package is preferred to a single large photo.

The above-the-flag content doesn’t work for me. The date and weather just sort of float there almost invisibly. The teases below the flag are both bad, one being weak typographically, and the Hooters one with that awful color. Ugh!

Another bad use of spot color is from the Times Daily (Alabama). The D in the flag seems superfluous, taking away from the silhouettes to the right. Worse yet is the column one rail colors: the old 80s blue and pink(ish). Not needed. Put color on things, not background.

At least the TD used a different line measure and extra white space (though probably too much!) with the special story.

This is a good place to compare the use of column rules to separate elements. Much of the time the line is not necessary. On the TD page, the tint block — poorly chosen as it is — separates well enough by itself. Take out the line. Same with the line between the bottom two stories.

On the Oakland Tribune front, the lines to the left and above the main photo are unnecessary. The two-picture package is the best of the bunch, however, because the main picture is a great close-up. In the other presentations, the scale of the people in the photos are too similar. Use the bigger photo for a close-in shot of something  and the smaller photo for a scene-setter.

The Appeal-Democrat (California) uses the old-fashioned box to separate the Postal package rather than the rules. It looks cleaner and makes graphic sense. Let’s also compare the white space around the package (larger than the gutters, but not overly large — good) to the Times Daily. Doesn’t that framing white space look too large now?

Finally, a word about cutlines. Most every paper uses sans serif, and I think that’s a good way to differentiate it from the body type. But I do think it needs to be a bold or semi-bold to visually separate the cutlines even more from the body type. Plus, the darker type better matches, and thus connects with, the photo itself. Compare these two (OT on left, TD on right).

Related posts:

1. What works, what doesn't, III
2. What works, what doesn’t IV
3. When design is overdone
4. Newspaper design tip: baseline grids
5. No. 8: Dealing with photographs