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2.13.07

What makes this page a BFD: Maximum impact with words

 
 
There's too much violence in the world and too many guns in this country. Today the toll was splashed across the front pages of many newspapers.

The San Jose Mercury News and The Miami Herald showed more devastation from Iraq. Both photos had more impact than the image used by The New York Times. The Houston Chronicle showed the human toll of the Iraq war in a different way.

The Sacramento Bee, The Deseret Morning News and The Salt Lake Tribune reported on the mall massacre in Salt Lake City.

Midwestern newspapers anticipated yet another winter storm with these headlines: The Indianapolis Star urged its readers to "Start digging." The Lima News predicted that "It could get ugly." The Dayton Daily News warned that "Here it comes again." The Columbus Dispatch asked "How much and when?"

The best headlines came from the Highlands Today: "Cash cows" and the Pensacola News Journal: "Red light district." Today's RedEye was simply luscious. The State had an elegant type treatment on their 911 story. The Virginian-Pilot posed an intriguing thought in a visually compelling way: "Imagine if you could regrow a finger."

Today's BFD goes to the Philadelphia Daily News for their powerful type treatment.

The Daily News depends upon street sales. Our research shows that big words, rather than big images, drive retail sales. Today's Daily News reflects this strategy. In contrast, The Philadelphia Inquirer's more traditional approach makes for a less compelling presentation.


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 Click to see all the BFDs in the archives. A selection appears below.

   
 
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newspaper design
2007 WORKSHOPS
newspaper design
API: New products
newspaper design
NAA: Marketing
newspaper design
Wyoming Press
newspaper design
Kentucky Press
newspaper design
Minnesota Press
newspaper design
New England Press
newspaper design
NAA: Single-copy
newspaper design
Inland: Classified
newspaper design
New York Press
newspaper design
API: Advertising
newspaper design
WCAA
newspaper design
CLASSIFIED NEWSPAPER DESIGN
newspaper design
newspaper design
ONLINE NEWSPAPER DESIGN
newspaper design
Read Steve Outing's interview with Alan Jacobson and learn why newspaper web sites are seriously flawed. Then see alternatives.
newspaper design
EDITORIAL, CLASSIFIED & ONLINE NEWSPAPER DESIGN
newspaper design
newspaper design
newspaper design
Our redesigns are catalysts for positive change. Visit the gallery to see how we've transformed publications and websites.
newspaper design
EDITORIAL NEWSPAPER DESIGN
classified redesigns
Bakersfield Californian
RepublicanAmerican
The Eureka Reporter
Sunday Star-Times
Yakima Herald Republic
St. Louis Post‑Dispatch
The Virginian‑Pilot
Observer-Reporter
The Sunday News
newspaper design
ONLINE NEWSPAPER DESIGN
classified redesigns
classified redesigns
NEWSPAPER DESIGN WHITEPAPER
classified redesigns
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.
classified redesigns
TARGETED PUBLICATIONS
classified redesigns
classified redesigns
INTERACTIVE TOUR
classified redesigns
See in detail how a content-driven redesign did more than make a community daily look better – it made it a better paper.
newspaper design
RADICAL STRATEGIES FOR CIRCULATION WOES
classified redesigns

 
newspaper design
Pocatello Idaho State Journal
NEWSPAPER DESIGN
newspaper design
Idaho State Journal
NEWSPAPER DESIGN
 
The ISJ shows its passion for Pocatello by filling its fronts with faces – featuring five or more per front per day. You can't be too local and you can't run too many faces of local people, because everyone loves to hear these words: "I saw your picture in the paper."

See the pages.
 
 






 
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.

 
 


 
 

big pictures
Do 6-column photos boost readership and revenue?>>

tv books
Who would have thought that TV books would lead to the end of newspapers as we know them?>>

Washington Post
Len Downie's memo calls for more emphasis on design.>>

newspaper next
Read our abbreviated version of API's report. It'll only take a minute and it's worth it.>>

lies, damn lies and statistics
See the charts that show why now is the time to redesign for revenue.>>

how to sell more newspapers
A practical, step-by-step approach with examples from newspapers large and small.>>

Knight Ridder sale
Learn from KnightRidder's mistakes at the Inky and the Merc.>>

nytimes.com redesign
This online redesign is not enough to please users and advertisers.>>

does design matter to readers

Design does matter to readers, but only if it's reader driven.>>

newspaper innovation
If newspaper markets are so different, why do most papers look so much alike?>>

newspaper redesign
I wish you luck and offer some advice.>>

newspaper tab conversion
This overhyped trend is a non-starter for America.>>

newspaper design contest
We can make a difference, but not by chasing awards.>>

newspaper classified advertising
At stake is nothing less than newspapers as we know them.>>

newspaper design contest
A thousand awards a year? Gimme a break.>>

readership institute
They never said higher RBS scores would sell more newspapers.>>


 

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