News design is the act of arranging content on a newspaper page according to graphical and editorial expectations, under the principle of newsworthiness. It is also called news art or news design. Main editorial objectives of news design are the ordering of news content by category, for example, by date, or by relevance, and the balancing and organization of news features. News design also involves an act of newsworthy publishing, which means that it is an active rather than passive process.
While this profession has various aspects, most news design work is done in the field of freelancing or contract journalism. This is because many newspapers have no staff to devote to the creation of news design. Therefore freelance news designers are extremely valuable to the newsrooms. Their skills are in providing graphic design and knowledge of database requirements. They must be able to communicate with both staff and the readers.
Most newspapers have in-house news designers. But in most modern newspapers, the chief role of the news design department is to provide templates for the entire paper and then customize them for the layout of individual pages. Many newspapers today use the services of freelancers or contractors as well. This trend is a reflection of the increasing importance of multimedia in society and the increasing ability of newspapers to remain competitive.