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October 11, 2005

Design decisions

I have returned from Houston, where the Society of Newspaper Design held its annual conference. Design editors from papers big and small came from all over the world. And there I was.

The European designers came to argue for their tabloid formats and to debate which typefaces work best. Americans debated things like the future of print newspapers with Web sites and Jon Stewart gaining ground.

Most readers would be amazed at how much study goes into typography, color, layout theories and interactivity.

Inconsistencies of any type are one thing that are subtly jarring to readers, whether they are fully aware of them or not. The Denver Post, our flagship, has a 150-page design guide for its design staff, just to make sure their pages are consistent and reflect their accumulated wisdom on what formats and policies work for them. New staff members are coming out of college with degrees in this stuff! We are really blending art with science.

Much of the effect of our presentation is subliminal, and that's the way it should be. We don't want you to appreciate the Post because of our delightful 8.7 point Nimrod font or because a teaser headline is suddenly in blue. But as a designer, I want you to be able to take in our news and information with as little effort and as much satisfaction as possible. And that's why we are always debating theories on how to make that happen.

Posted by lsteele on 11:14 AM | Comments (2342)