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Five decks over one leg?

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

  1. pallister

    pallister Guest

    And an 8-inch story held to the front.
     
  2. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    We poke fun . . . and yet that headline included the important details in its banner type.

    Today's headline would be two words . . . 10 times bigger. Something like "The Unsinkable Happens" from the NY Post.

    And we would depend on the decks to actually explain the significance.
     
  3. forever_town

    forever_town Well-Known Member

    How about: The unsinkable liner sinks for a hede?

    Or: Titanic crashes into iceburg, hundreds reported dead?
     
  4. buckweaver

    buckweaver Active Member

    Yes, but at least the art was dominant:

    [​IMG]
     
  5. forever_town

    forever_town Well-Known Member

    Hey! Did spnited create that front page?!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  6. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    That's what I learned in my first job as well and I've stuck with it.

    I have seen five and even six decks on one-column heads and I HATE it!! I won't disgrace myself by doing it. I'll do a four deck and then a three-deck subhead in smaller type if necessary.

    It's retarded when the headline takes up more space on the page then the body copy (before a jump). My last paper had the maddening habit (on news desk) of one or two paragraphs on the front with a huge (maybe 20 inch) jump inside. I told the news editor how assinine it looked.
     
  7. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    For someone who has never done page design, can someone explain to me the phrase "decks" and so forth?
     
  8. Each of these lines
    is called a deck.
    So a five-deck hed
    would have five lines.
    Understand, mustang?
     
  9. pallister

    pallister Guest

    This is more of a five-deck subhead, though.
     
  10. forever_town

    forever_town Well-Known Member

    A "leg" is also another name for a column.

    So when I was bitching about five decks over one leg, I was bitching about headlines that were five lines in one column.

    The rules I'd typed were as follows:

    Five column story = one line headline
    Four column story = one line headline
    Three column story = two line headline
    Two column story = three line headline
    One column story = four line headline

    Obviously, if you can do a one line headline (or one deck hede) over three columns, that's OK. But going over (say, four line headline over a five column story) is BAD.
     
  11. pallister

    pallister Guest

    Every paper needs "rules" for style and design to avoid a daily free-for-all, and said rules should be followed, for the most part, but without any leeway, you severely limit innovation and creativity.
     
  12. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    Got it. Thanks.
     
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