Today's
Ocala Star-Banner was on the ball.
OC Post displayed some bedeviling angels.
The Tampa Tribune had a remarkably clear presentation of a highly relevant subject: property taxes.
The Plain Dealer had a wonderful photo of Elizabeth Edwards, and a story by its Pulizter Prize-winning columnist, Connie Schultz. (Sometimes, long form is the best form.)
The State was simply beautiful. This page will look great in next year's SND annual, but nobody buys a newspaper for pretty flowers or headlines like "$21 million in grants go unchecked." Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
The Virginian-Pilot pushed their nameplate to the fold – it's a pity the clever graphic fell beneath it. The
San Antonio Express-News had a heartfelt headline that may have pushed the bounds of appropriateness: "Tears. For Two." Discuss.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution employed a overused headline technique which seems to be the latest design trend. Enough already! Newspapers shouldn't look like ransom notes, unless they're displaying ransom notes.
The
Chicago Sun Times … we're not even gonna touch this one.
The newspaper with the best front design today is The Detroit News for its powerful single-copy presentation.
There were prettier pages today, most notably The State. But it takes more than beauty to sell newspapers. First and foremost, newspapers must put relevant content above the fold. Stories about pocketbook issues and health/personal safety are most likely to get the attention of impulse buyers.
The News led with a highly relevant dollars-and-sense issue. It complemented that with a powerful photo which was topped with a one-word headline that provided context. The headlines in the above-the-nameplate promos were clear and the color was eye-catching.
Is this an elegant page? Hardly. But it does a better job of getting attention than today's
Freep or the always handsome
Hartford Courant.
First and foremost, newspapers are a business. If we're gonna stay in business, we gotta sell newspapers.
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