News Design – An Integral Part of Newspaper Design and Website Design
News design is basically the method of designing content on a daily paper page, based on various graphical and editorial guidelines and objectives. While graphical considerations consist of balanced, unobtrusive integration of advertising and other promotional elements, editorially significant editorial objectives usually include the arranging of news items by category and time of publication. Besides aesthetic considerations, news design usually stresses the conciseness of the news content and the organizational tasks it confronts. The news page of any newspaper or magazine contains not only articles that are prepared for topical, newsworthy context, but many more such graphics and images, as studies have shown.
News design has become a major concern for many newspapers and magazines, with increasing budgetary constraints resulting in a focus on visual efficiency and visual impact rather than pure content and sophistication. Newspaper and magazine designers have to deal with the ever-changing technologies that influence their production processes and their news design and layouts. In recent years, newspapers and magazines have resorted to hiring professional graphic design services and experts to meet these challenges. A recent study showed that print newspapers’ graphic design strength had declined sharply over the past fifteen years, owing to the widespread use of digital newspapers and Internet news portals.
Newspaper design and news design are intimately connected, but they are also different entities within the field of web design. While web technology helps to arrange, store, retrieve and deliver news and other information to the audience, news design works to provide appropriate visual cues in a format appropriate for the particular newspaper or magazine. Newspaper and magazine web design professionals may be able to contribute significantly to the quality and visual impact of printed media content, but web design professionals complement the work of newspapers and magazines by creating relevant and interactive web designs that fit naturally with the layout and design of the printed media.