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Five decks over one leg?

Discussion in 'Design Discussion' started by forever_town, Apr 12, 2008.

  1. RedCanuck

    RedCanuck Active Member

    I don't mind three decks over two, but agree completely with one deck over anything three columns or more.
     
    TarHeelMan likes this.
  2. fossywriter8

    fossywriter8 Well-Known Member

    One challenge headline writers have faced over the past several years has been the shrinking page. Today's papers are the equivalent of a column narrower than when I started 20 years ago.
     
  3. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    When I started a page was 78 picas wide.

    Now it's 60.

    What used to be 3 columns (38.5 picas) is now 4.

    So in today's trimmed-down version of newspapers, 2 lines of a four-column head are perfectly acceptable.
     
  4. TarHeelMan

    TarHeelMan Member

    Nothing worse than having a double deck head over 4 columns or more. I have seen a few times two decks over 6 columns. Not a good look at all!
     
  5. apeman33

    apeman33 Well-Known Member

    Whenever I have a page with no ads on it, I go with a five-column template instead of six. The text looks really crowded to me in a 9 1/2-pica wide column. In the five-column format, a column is 11 1/2 picas, so it's almost as wide as a column was (12) when I first started.

    But I still can't stand a double-deck column over anything more than two columns, whether I use the five- or six-column layout.

    I once took a photo of a recent edition laid over top of one from the 1970s. The recent one is exactly one column (70's version) narrower.
     
  6. Sports Guy

    Sports Guy Member

    How about a four-decker in a two-column hole? Never seen it before, but you never know. Five-decker in one-column head is way too much, and a four-decker in a one-column space still seems a bit much. I prefer three-deckers in one column holes, and two- and three-deckers in two-column holes and two-deckers in three-column holes. Four- , Five- and Six-column holes are usually the norm for me as art headers (One-word head), accompanied with three-deck, one-column subhead.
     
  7. BDC99

    BDC99 Well-Known Member

    4 decks over 2 columns and 5 over 1 are a bit much. A 2-col, 4-deck hed looks like shit. I like 4 decks for 1-col heds. Unless it's a small point size, it's tough to write a 3-decker, but that would be the way I'd go if I can make it work. I think 4 decks looks a little better with our 3-line subheds.
     
  8. Sports Guy

    Sports Guy Member

    Yea, four decks for two columns is waaaaaay too much.
     
  9. BDC99

    BDC99 Well-Known Member

    I think three is even pushing it, depending on the point size.
     
  10. Sports Guy

    Sports Guy Member

  11. Sports Guy

    Sports Guy Member

    In retrospect, the three-column head for two-column hole is one deck too much. Too wordy. Clutters page design.
     
  12. Riptide

    Riptide Well-Known Member

    Nah, three decks over two columns is great if the story takes up a deep hole.
    Gives the rim some room to write a better hed. And two decks looks small atop a deep hole.
    Just don't let the hed size get too big. Three decks of 27 often looks better than two decks of 36.
     
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