Concept of Newspaper Design

Successfully designing a newspaper page encompasses more than experimentation. It is actually a calculated art evidenced by the following four newspaper design concepts:

1.       Balance

Balance means equilibrium. It means that a page should not be overwhelmingly heavy in one section or extremely light in another. The goal of good designing is to bring about a feeling of equilibrium. In the balance concept, the page designer tries to balance heads against heads, pictures against pictures, stories against stories and artwork against artwork. This balance, however, is a relative balance, and it is not measurable but is something gauged in the viewer’s mind. Therefore, the editor has to sense, rather than measure, the balance for a page.

2.      Contrast

In the contrast concept, the editor strives to separate display items on the page so each gets the attention it deserves. The editor uses type, headlines, pictures, white space and colour to achieve contrast.

3.      Proportion

Proportion is the principle of comparative relationship. In newspaper design, the length of one line may be composed with the length of another or the shape of one story with the shape of another story, or width of a photograph with its depth.

4.      Unity

The principle of unity concerns the effect of a page design that creates a single impression rather than multiple impressions. In this concept, the editor tries to get the reader to move from one element to another element on the page. Unity is achieved in newspaper makeup by staggering headlines, stories and pictures on the page.