Eleven editors and designers sound off on Election poster fronts
Our display of election pages sparked a lively discussion about the appropriateness of poster fronts on a big day like this.
We asked a number of editors and designers who were involved with some of those pages what they thought…
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Randy Brubaker
Managing editor, Des Moines Register
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: I think combination of factors led a lot of editors and designers to the same conclusion: In most markets, the historic nature of the results of the presidential election far outweighed all other news. The national polls were close to on target, there were no major problems with exit polls, so the results of the night were predictable and, in Iowa and many other states, there wasn’t monumental news out of our local congressional races.
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A: We shouldn’t be trying to evaluate a news organization’s election coverage solely by what they did on the front page. The Register offered readers an 18-page election results section, with no ads (and, ahem, no inside poster pages). So there was plenty of straight news coverage, reaction, voter voices and analysis inside.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it? What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: I think a more interesting question about the poster pages revolves around the question of using live photos vs. file images or portraits. If you have a compelling idea but you can’t execute it based on the actual news of the day (or the photos wind up not fitting your plan), is it still a good idea?
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Danny Finnegan
Senior editor, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: Because of the potential for such a historic night, we wanted to do something that made the front page look different and feel special. We’ve only done this a few other times in my 21 years here — Sept. 12, 2001 and April 20, 2007 (the Friday after the shootings at Virginia Tech, which was declared a national day of mourning.) So I think our design on Wednesday did send the message that this is a historic day and that this issue is a keepsake. The design connected with our readers — we printed about 50,000 extra copies of the paper, and we have sold all of those papers.
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A: I don’t think that’s a concern. We had 14 full pages of election coverage inside the paper that day that provided ample depth, analysis and perspective. Again, this was a very emotional experience for many of our readers, and we wanted something that captured that feeling.
On Sept. 12, 2001, we had 18 full pages on the attacks inside. On the Friday after the Tech shootings, when we ran a front that was just the pictures of the Tech shooting victims, we had seven full pages of coverage of the shootings inside the paper. That Sunday, we did a poster front that was part of a four-page wrap around the A-section, with a regular A1 and an A-section inside that included nine pages of coverage of the shootings inside the wrap. So on the occasions we’ve taken a different tact on A1, we’ve had the coverage inside that readers needed and expected.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
A: Perhaps you could make that argument for those who study front-page design around the world. But to our readers, I don’t think it’s a cliché. Again, we’ve done this a few times in the 21 years I’ve been at the paper, so I’m not worried about this coming across as a cliché. And yes, we’d do it again for the right news story.
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: I think I’ve answered that above — only the very biggest news stories will get that type of treatment in The Times-Dispatch.
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Charles Gooch
Front page designer, Kansas City Star
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: The thinking at The Star was that this was going to be a historic night - regardless of outcome. And we thought that it would be a great chance to print something that people might want to hang on to.
Turns out, that thinking was right. We’ve had to issue another run to meet demand for the paper. Another 25,000 will be available today [Thursday].
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A: We didn’t run a poster front, technically. We ran a large photo, sure. But our page had a rail of information (possibly a quicker and more informative election guide than we’ve ever done) running down the side as well as a locally produced story to go with 18 pages of inside coverage.
Our job, as journalists, is to convey information to people. Sometimes that means an in-depth story. Sometimes that means a full-page graphic. Sometimes that means taking a back seat and speaking to a segment of your audience that may feel that you’ve never spoken to them before.
You could make the argument that a page with a large photo and minimal type is exactly what a newspaper can provide the day after the election. We were a snapshot of a moment in time. Something the readers can hang on to. Something they can remember.
They can’t keep the CNN hologram video forever. They can’t keep the interactive maps on nytimes.com for 30 years. They can hang on to the Kansas City Star or the Chicago Sun-Times or the Salt Lake Tribune or the New York Times.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
A: Of course they are. And a lot of the time, they are unwarranted. The Star very rarely runs a 6-col. photo as the centerpiece, and in my four years, hasn’t run a full-page photo on A1.
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: This is a tough question for me to answer. I’ve done exactly one true poster front: The Ronald Reagan funeral when I worked at the Beaver County Times. I think the kind of page that warrants “poster-like” treatment is something that resonates deeper than a story could convey. Like the death of a national icon or the coronation of an African-American president. If it serves your readers (i.e. gives them a memento, a snapshot of something they might want to treasure) then you have to consider it as part of your arsenal.
As for the unanswered question that more readers had in the two days since the election: Would you have done the same thing for McCain? The answer, actually, is yes. It would’ve been a historic upset that merited the same treatment.
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David Kordalski
Assistant managing editor/visuals, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: Photographs are as valid a storytelling device as text, although they reach readers differently. The culmination of this presidential election is as much emotional as intellectual. Photographs capture that aspect much better than text ever could.
As for the size, three things to consider:
1) By working the headline and decks into the photo, this photo appears larger since some space does double duty. I call this “Holland,” in honor of the reclaimed land. We also factor in that, in this case, one photograph carries the page, but on a normal day we’d run two or more photographs … when they are added together, we start nudging closer to the square inches devoted to visuals on a more routine day.
2) Raising the scale of all the elements — head sizes, photographs, etc. — is a common device in raising the volume.
3) When we use this device on A1, we always have a “normal” A1 as well, for the few traditional readers who might prefer it. In this case, that “normal” A1 was the front of the second section, with no election news at all … all the election news was contained in a special section. With our big Sports celebration pages, the normal A1 appears on A3.
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A: We had plenty of room for the depth and analysis in the election package. And, repeating, photographs are every bit as journalistic as text. There is no one right way to tell a story. To assume that damages our credibility is pretty preposterous.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
A: First, as you noted, our page wasn’t a poster, but it does have a lowered story count. But yes, even though space is dear, we will use the technique again. We’ll consider it when an emotional resonance with readers is key to telling the story. Considering we just sold out of our second overrun of the section, I’d say we did right by readers this time.
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: This one, certainly. We would not have done it for, say, Bush getting a second term, and it would be doubtful we’d do it if Obama reaches that milestone. But it’s likely we will do it for his inauguration ceremony.
Our sports teams reaching high plateaus, like ALCS games, whether it appears on A1 or the Sports front. Some stories on the Arts section front, like the reopening of the Cleveland Museum of Art after a 2-year renovation. Our “visual opinion” pieces that Andrea Levy has done.
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Joe Knowles
Assistant managing editor, Chicago Tribune
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: Drama, impact, reader engagement… the poster-like front is the 11 on our volume knob. I looked back at our 9/11 pages and thought we really missed an opportunity. Why jump three or four stories on a day like this?
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A: I would respectfully disagree. We ran dozens of pages with depth, analysis, perspective… it’s not an either/or proposition, it’s an and/also.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
A: Until we can do holograms, poster fronts are the biggest gun in our holster. We will do them again, I’m sure, sparingly.
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: Cubs win World Series, 9/11… something that you’d put in a time capsule. The story has to have lasting impact and universal reach.
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David Newhouse
Executive editor, Harrisburg, Pa., Patriot-News
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: We’ve run poster fronts before for extremely high-interest events — in fact, (accusers of liberal bias, take note) we ran a full-page poster of President Bush’s 2004 re-election. That was one of the highest turnout elections in recent history (higher than this one in our state, at least) and we thought it merited that treatment.
It was a no-brainer for us this time because of the historic nature of the contest. We were going to have either a) the nation’s first African-America president and a symbolic fulfillment of the equality promised in our own Declaration of Independence or b) the nation’s first woman vice-president and the election upset of the century.
David chose to answer these next three questions as one.
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: To me, a poster front must be truly reserved for those rare events that consume us as a nation (or a region). When done right, it is a way that a newspaper can connect with the emotional significance of an event for readers in a way that goes beyond “information.” A newspaper fulfills many roles in the lives of its readers — provider of information is the classic (and a central) one but by no means the only one.
BUT we are a medium-sized paper (circ about 94,000) and yet we still devoted 9 open pages’ worth of coverage to the election in addition to the poster front. Plenty of space for depth, analysis and perspective, all of which I believe are essential. In fact, while I believe passionately in the value of photojournalism and strong graphic design as content, I would never trade depth for mere splashy “big pictures.” I think that’s one of the misguided directions far too many redesigns are taking these days, which go beyond rearranging the deck chairs on the you-know-what only to perhaps repaint the chairs and serve free cocktails. Readers are smart and they want smart, sophisticated information. It doesn’t take Paris Hilton on the front to dumb down a newspaper.
We think you can be graphically and visually dynamic, connect with readers emotionally (that is, tell stories) and also provide readers with content that provides blanket local news coverage and also truly helps them understand events. In other words, we don’t accept the premise of either-or. We want to provide it all.
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Tom Peyton
Visual director, The (Columbia, S.C.) State
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: Wednesday’s paper was a moment in history. A defining moment that has never happened before in our country. If this day didn’t call for something unique and special from the everyday design, I don’t know what would.
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A: A failing assumption, that somehow a large photo lacks depth, perspective or information.
A photo used well shows the importance, the meaning of the day. Do we do it every day?. . ..Nope.
The question also implies a photographer is somehow less of a journalist. A topic I have neither the time nor the energy to address. Ask a Director of Photography if the people he or she manages are not real journalists.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
A: Poster pages always need to be part of the design tool box.
We should use them more. There are not enough surprises in newspaper design.As an industry, both in design and story content, we have driven our readers to the web with our lack of energy. And boring news choices. Most newspaper website are just as boring as the print versions.
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: It depends on the news of the day and the readership.
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Melanie Shaffer
Design director, Hartford (Conn.) Courant
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A. We decided this was undeniably a historic moment for this county. It needed a unique presentation. It needed to be big and powerful and contemplative. It needed to break with our everyday news presentation to signal something momentous.
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A. No I don’t think so. You can call it our page a poster front, but don’t underestimate the power of photojournalism. It’s still journalism to capture the event in visuals, we didn’t manufacture an illustrative photo, we put forth a photo of a moment in history. We let the image do the work.
This night was the culmination of two years of campaigning and writing about this potential historic moment. The country was filled with emotion and celebration. We let the image say it. We presented an image of the new American first family.
We knew who won this election well before 11 p.m the night before this page was on our readers doorsteps. We wanted to celebrate the history in the moment. Inside our paper, with stories, charts, maps and powerful images full of emotions, we gave our readers the full scope of events.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
A: 1. I think there is risk in doing a poster image too often. Absolutely. We want to be surprising in our presentation every day, not predictable. But we do want to honor the moment of important occasions in the history of our country.
This is the second time The Courant has done a poster image on A1. We ran a horizontal image of the World Trade Towers breaking through cloud cover on the one year anniversary of 9-11. Then as now, the news of the event was known, but the image became a memorial or a momento, a moment of emotion between it and the reader.
2. I do think we would consider running a poster image again. When? who knows. But it would need to be the absolute right moment in scale with the two events where we have run poster images in the past.
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: Feature stories are the most prevalent place to use a poster front treatment. Stories on food and travel, and special sections for sports are typically where we see poster fronts. News is not commonly the area for poster fronts.
The argument is they diminish the news value of the story, by illustrating it, or creating an image to work with a story rather than using the news photo to add more information to a package and validate it. But when you can use the news photo as both the words and the visual, then in my opinion, it’s a beautiful thing.
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Todd Stewart
Design editor for A1 and graphics, Orlando Sentinel
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: Our goal was to maximize impact. Whatever we did, we wanted to be dramatic and really seize upon the historic nature of the day. We felt that nothing would be more dramatic or give us more impact and emotion than the amazing photo that came out of the celebration in Chicago. In the end I think we were right, and judging by response, our readers seem to have agreed.
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A: Not at all. The front page is just one of 20 pages of coverage in our election paper. Our election section was carefully planned for all kinds of storytelling and there was no shortage of depth, analysis or perspective in our report. Those pieces might not have all appeared on the front page, but we’re as proud of the depth and completeness of our entire election report as we are of our front page.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
A: I don’t think they are cliché at all. I can recall two of them in three years, so it’s a tool we’ll definitely keep in our toolbox, even if we don’t pull it out very often.
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: The dramatic, the highly visual, the commemorative, the defining days in our readers’ lives.
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Ben Villarreal
Design director, Greensboro, N.C., News & Record
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: This election, as everyone knew, was historic. I really wanted our front page to have that feel if Obama won.
We could have done that by putting a story, teasers or other blurbs of information out there with a large photo, but by doing a clean, poster/keepsake type of design, I felt readers would want to save our front page, which I believe, succeeded in capturing the enormity of this incredible moment in our history.
What we did, in my eyes, was a reader service.
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A: Not at all. Not in this case. This election/event was different. I could see arguing that for other large-scale events, but not this one.
Our paper went up in space, as I’m sure many papers did, and we built a “second†front page on A3, which had full color. We ran our presidential story on A2 and displayed the other key races (Hagan upsetting Dole, Perdue winning for governor) on A3. We had just about our entire A and B sections filled with live news coverage and analysis.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
A: I think poster fronts can become cliché if you overuse them. But that’s the case with any overused design treatment. Overdo something, and it loses its effect.
This was very different for us. I believe there are very few things that can happen that would warrant this type of treatment. But if the news warrants it, you’ve got to at least talk about it.
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: Very few in my opinion. I’d argue for the inauguration, our first female president or another event, God forbid, that starts with an “a†that I’m not going to say. The tone of the news has got to play into it. Do you think people would really want to see/keep a poster page about doom and gloom?
This election – for many, many, people – was about so much more than just electing a president. I know this might sound funny to some, but it’s really a “feel†thing. What we did on Election Day just felt right. We ran out of papers the next day (we went up an additional 5,000 papers), and have since printed an extra 15,000 copies of our A section because of our readership’s demand for them. That, my friend, says it all.
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Paul Wallen
Design director, Ft. Lauderdale SunSentinel
Q: Why did you make the decision to run a large photo on Wednesday’s front?
A: We looked at all kinds of options, believe me. We probably had more than 20 variations to look at early in the process, thanks to the efforts of News Design Director Chris Mihal. We had smaller photos, big headlines, more words, more story starts, more charts and everything in between.
The decision to run a large photo was really made in the same way we make these decisions every day. What’s the best tool to tell the story and connect with readers on this day? And while this was a very historical moment, it was also extremely emotional. In different ways for different people, but outside of 9-11 and the shuttle explosion, I can’t remember a more collectively emotional response to something. You could see it and feel it everywhere, all day long.
We thought a photograph made the strongest emotional connection and best reflected the moment. This was the best judgment of a whole team of editors and leaders, visual and otherwise, in our newsroom.
Q: Does running a poster front ruin our credibility as journalists? After all, it can be argued that a huge picture on page one occupies space that could be used for depth, analysis or perspective.
A: I never understood this argument. We didn’t put out a one-page paper. We had lots of depth, analysis, perspective, facts, charts, maps, big headlines, quotes — probably more than most readers would even get through — inside the paper.
Just because you use the front page as a way to make an initial impact and connection with readers as well as a launching point for the entire product, doesn’t mean there’s no depth. That’s how I feel, in general.
As far as our Wednesday front page specifically, we didn’t put out a “poster” front. We had a very large, storytelling image above the fold. But we also had a large quote headline, another headline to provide context, a whole menu of refers to what was inside the paper and a very, very healthy story start.
Q: Are poster fronts becoming a cliché? Will you consider running them again, if the news warrants it?
A: Well, first, I think we have to be careful about deciding things are “cliche” or anything else based on what we see as industry insiders. Our readers don’t go to Syracuse for the SND judging, pour through the contest annual or surf newspagedesigner. I believe we’d consider doing anything again if we think it makes sense for our audience and the story we’re trying to tell or the moment we’re trying to capture.
Q: What kind of stories lend themselves to poster front treatment?
A: Again, I think it depends on how you define “poster.” I try not to get caught up in these definitions or catch words.
We want to push our medium in any way possible to connect with readers. I do think that there are very, very rare moments that speak for themselves. In my opinion, this was one of them. So I have no problem with some of the front pages, like Hartford’s, that went with a simple, strong image.
In addition, Paul added a question I hadn’t asked about the SunSentinel’s page…
Q: Why didn’t you have a big headline above the fold?
A: We tried lots of headlines, right down to the final moments. But everything that we were willing to seriously consider felt completely obvious and unnecessary. We felt it was a moment that could speak for itself.
I’ve never heard anyone say: “I never thought I’d live to read a giant headline with the first black president’s name and an exclamation point.” Or: “I never thought I’d live to to read a very in-depth analysis piece on the front page the day a black president got elected.”
But I have heard many people say the last couple days: “I never thought I’d live to see a black president elected.”
That was the moment, when Obama walked out in front of that amazing, emotional crowd. None of the words we were considering added anything to that, so we decided not to have any above the fold.
However, I’ll take it a step further. For me, the question is not about whether to have words or a headline, but what those words say. Don’t get me wrong, I loved a lot of the front pages I saw. Still, here we are debating about clichés and poster pages when we’re all still doing mostly the same thing and being very predictable, at least in my opinion. I feel we’re still caught up in doing what’s traditional, doing things “for the record.”
My honest preference for Wednesday’s paper would have been to have words above the fold that really described that scene from Tuesday night, or connected with readers or looked forward to what the moment meant for us in the future. But if the only options are “Obama” (with or without punctuation) or “History” in giant type, I’d rather let the image speak for itself. I’ll be honest, I didn’t see a single front page headline for any paper I didn’t think was completely predictable. And that’s disappointing. But I understand it, because newsrooms are not really geared to think that way.
That scene Tuesday night was just electric! Why not some words that describe that and try to connect with how readers are feeling? I want dome voice, some attitude, something fresh in those words.
My feeling is that if you want to argue that big photos are predictable, I’ll listen. But I want to hear some ideas that are innovative, because putting big words on the front page for the sake of big words isn’t the answer either.
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Our thanks to all nine folks who responded.
What do you think? Food for thought? Were any good points raised?
November 7th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Thanks for doing this, Grarles.
Looking back at that other thread, I don’t think anyone was saying poster fronts ruined our credibility as journalists. In fact, I was the only one who used the word credibility, and I used it in the context of choosing a photo not from Obama’s acceptance speech, because it disregards the content in those photos and it starts becoming more decoration than information.
I thought Randy had the best quote: ” If you have a compelling idea but you can’t execute it based on the actual news of the day (or the photos wind up not fitting your plan), is it still a good idea?”
But I think eight of the 10 you talked to did use a live photo. Maybe the others was a deadline thing. I don’t know.
So the question I wish you would have asked was: Would you use a canned photo on your front page to show the election of the next president of the U.S.?
We could debate cliche or not or whether the design of the various 1As is why we’re all sold out of Wednesday’s editions and why we’re all printing more stuff to capture the public demand. But that’s not what was troubling to people on the other thread.
November 7th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Seconded.
I don’t understand why you would use a canned photo.
November 7th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
You’d think that with my monumentally longwinded replies, I’d have nothing left to say.
But you’d be wrong! :)
I failed to mention that I completely agree the huge response from the public this week had nothing to do with any of the designs. There are still some advantages to the physical nature of our product and we see that when there is such historic news that people want to “hold onto.”
Like many papers, we sold out and readers were left asking for more. But I’d never for a second consider it was because of the design, photo choice or anything else. It was all about the moment. Hopefully we did it justice.
November 7th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
this is great stuff. awesome post.
did any newspapers think to push / sell subscriptions while people where buying up their papers to sell on ebay?
November 7th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I agree with Paul Wallen: The designs had little to do with big sales, it was the news itself. Ours — the Republican-American — sold like crazy even with two other stories about local races on the page.
Question for the poster papers: Assuming the poster idea didn’t come up at 7 p.m. Tuesday, what would you have done had McCain won?
November 7th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I should clarify my previous post. Designs had little to do with big sales. Obviously, readers wouldn’t have been as pumped up to buy a really horribly designed paper.
November 8th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
That the Obama speech was as much an event for images as for words should by no means necessitate the use of a file photo. (You wouldn’t run file images of another car crash because you didn’t have good images of Princess Diana’s crash, would you?)
To me, the election-night images were powerful enough that you wouldn’t even think of looking at previous days’ images.
So I guess I’m thirding C-Dish and The Hawg.
I’m glad to see the newspaper-sales boost, and it puts me in mind of the boost we enjoyed industry-wide after Sept. 11, 2001. It reinforces the importance and the authority we still wield… though I’m scratching my head that I’m equating Obama’s election with a terrorist attack.
You can’t put the Internet in a keepsake photo album, but where does that put us for run-of-the-mill daily papers? Guess we need to Pump (clap) It Up? Heh.
November 10th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Were there no Plan Bs out there?
November 14th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Nothing?