HEADLINE TYPOGRAPHY

Modern newspaper design with its strength below the fold allows for a great variety of headline shape, especially in broadsheets. Pages these days consist of one-deck, one-thought headlines, as opposed to the multi-deck style once favoured, although sometimes a second deck is introduced. A deck of headline can consist of a number of lines of type depending on its width, or measure, and upon its shape and position in the page.

Shape

Single-column headlines are usually of two, three or four lines, although sometimes they can have as many as five or six if they have dominant end-column positions, or contain some particularly wordy phrase which the page planner wants to put across (see example on page 136).

Double-column or three-column headlines are usually of two or three lines and of a bigger type size than single-column heads since they are found on the more important stories on the page. The page lead has a headline that crosses most of the page – a banner or streamer – running into perhaps a shorter second line alongside a picture or another story (see examples in Chapter 2).

In addition to these conventional shapes there are long single-line headlines crossing the page, often down-page, and extending perhaps from three to as many as six columns in maybe 36pt or 42pt type. These cover stories carried in a number of legs, such as under a picture. See also examples in Chapter 2.

The more important stories both in tabloid and broadsheet layouts, particularly the page lead, might occasionally introduce a second headline thought for emphasis or for design purposes by means of a strapline or overline, as in:

Sects break truce in border flare-up
TEN DIE IN JORDAN AMBUSH

A strapline can justify a main heading which might seem bare on its own, or make possible one that might not otherwise stand at all. The second deck is also used on some papers for this purpose as in:

RAIL FIRMS FACE
SAFETY PURGE
Action follows
Southall smash

This method permits a bold main heading to hold the top of the page while giving needed explanation below it in smaller type.

A one-thought headline consisting of an opinion might have a tag-line to justify as in:

EXPORT BOOM
A TRIBUTE TO
‘NEW LOOK’
INDUSTRIES

Chancellor tells City

Although it would have been better here to include ‘Chancellor’ in the main headline thought.

Most headlines, however, concentrate on one point in one deck. In single-column ones of this sort the character count in the bigger type sizes might be as little as 6½ characters to the line, although where an 18pt or 24pt headline is used, usually down-page, the count is easier. With wider headlines across two or more columns the count is not necessarily any easier since the typesize called for is bigger. A seven-column streamer in large type can offer the most difficult count of all. Its one advantage is that the words do not need to break into a number of even lines to satisfy a narrow single-column measure.

A headline that offers a really generous character count is the freestyle one which is often built around a statement or a quotation which aptly sums up a story. Such headlines are made a focal point in page design, often in conjunction with a picture, and cannot be arbitrarily imposed on a page without breaching its type balance. Here is a headline that accompanied an atmospheric picture:

Weapons at the ready,
faces daubed, No 2
Platoon move off into
the dawn light

The aim of this sort of headline is to give an impressionistic treatment to a news story. It succeeds by being different from other headlines. It signals that here is a special sort of approach.

To have visual balance and what newspaper designer Alan Hutt used to call ‘eye comfort’, a page of news items cannot be a hotch-potch of headline shapes altered at will to suit a subeditor’s whims. Fitting the headline thought to a nominated shape and type is a discipline that has to be learned. It also focuses your thoughts wonderfully on the facts.

Arrangement

Within the various shapes a headline is arranged in two main ways. Either it is centred on the space available, or it is set left, sometimes indented by half a pica (a nut). Readability is usually the deciding factor, although type style can come into it where a paper opts for predominantly centred or set left headlines. A centred headline with a wide difference in width of lines has the eye jumping about to find the starting point of each line and is therefore hard to read. A successful centred headline should have fairly full lines with not too much variation in width, with the top line full to lend it strength (as below).

A set left headline is supposed to drop the eye to each successive line more easily. Yet it must still have a have a full top line to look visually right, and if the lines are too uneven the raggedness on the right leaves noticeable white on the page. This can give the outside edge a weak look if used in the right-hand end column. It is banned from this position in some papers.

A set right headline (or caption for that matter) is seldom used for the reason that the raggedness on the left makes it hard for the eye to pick up each line. Look at these examples:

POLICE HOLD LOOTERS IN SWOOP ON CITY SHOPS

POLICE HOLD LOOTERS IN SWOOP ON CITY SHOPS

POLICE HOLD LOOTERS IN SWOOP ON CITY SHOPS

The only other arrangement is the stepped headline, still favoured by some US papers:

METAL FATIGUE
    IS LIKELY CAUSE
        OF JUMBO CRASH

The first line should be set full left, the last full right, and the middle line placed evenly between. The lines need to be the same width to look right. It is a style now little used.

Type style

In a well planned newspaper the types conform to a regular stock range, with a variant introduced to give emphasis to a particular story or to form a display focal point, perhaps in conjunction with pictures, as we said in Chapter 2. Newspapers are careful to stick to their main stock types. If the seriffed Bodoni or Century is used for the news pages, perhaps a sans serif Gothic or Helvetica face will be the variant, with a greater but still controlled type variety allowed on the features pages. If Gothic or Helvetica is the stock news face, then Century Light or the heavily seriffed Rockwell or Pabst (see pages reproduced in Chapters 1 and 2) might be the variant.

Within most headline types, including the bit-mapped computerized clones now mainly used, there are bold, light and italic versions and condensed and expanded ones. There is thus ample variety in size and shape within a range without need to mix the ranges other than to introduce a chosen variant.

What is helpful to the headline writer is the modern tendency for newspapers to use only the lower case of a range in different sizes and weights. This might be accompanied by the occasional use of capitals in a variant type (Helvetica and Century light are popular for this) for logos or special headlines, of sometimes second decks. We have already referred to the theory that lower case headlines with their flowing outline and more varied contour are easier to read at sight, as with ordinary reading text. Along with the trend towards lower case is a decline in the use of italic type, both lower case and capitals, for the same reason – readability.

Character counts

The office type book, of which all production journalists should be given a copy along with the office stylebook, will provide you with character counts for the different standard measures. The examples should show each size in capital and lower case letters, with roman and italic, expanded and condensed versions where applicable, along with numbers, fractions, punctuation, stars, blobs and other type ‘furniture’ in each range. It will be seen that letters within a type size vary in width not only in their lower case form but in capitals, too. The count for a headline has to take account of these variations and also of the letter space needed between the words.

A headline count is easier in capitals. Apart from the I which counts as a half character, or the M and W which count as two, the variation in width among the remainder in virtually all types is slight enough to be self-cancelling between one letter and another. Allowing the space between words as equal to one character, it is easy enough in most types to get an accurate count. Even so, a rash of Is or Ws can lead to imbalance however carefully the characters are counted.

In lower case letters there is more variety of width, with f, i, j, l, r and t being narrower and averaging out at about half a character each, while w and m count usually as one and a half. Punctuation can vary from a half character to a full character, as between a comma and a question mark. Dashes and ellipses can take two or more character spaces.

Most systems are formatted for single character space between words, although this can be reduced to accommodate a much-wanted headline or otherwise save space. The readability of reduced word space depends on whether the letters separated by the space have upright or receding strokes, the latter giving the impression of greater white, as with the letter c or with capitals A, V and W.

Working out a headline count goes like this:

ISRAEL IGNORES
½111111½111111 = 13
UN ARMS WARNING
111112112111½11 = 16½

The second line here is too long for a headline which allows for a maximum count of 14, so ‘UN’ is deleted, leaving the headline as:

ISRAEL IGNORES
½111111½111111 = 13
ARMS WARNING
112112111½11 = 13½

This gives two almost equal lines with a little white each side when centred on the space.

But watch out when numerals are used. They are narrower than letters. The odd one or two will make little difference as in:

TEACHER
CHOOSES
PRISON
INSTEAD
OF ‘UNFAIR’
£10 FINE

But in the following headline the last line will be a good deal shorter

SHOPLIFTER
TOLD: PAY
BACK FIRM’ S
£50,000

Type, as we have seen, can be reduced or enlarged to any size within its top and bottom limits in a computerized system. Yet systems are formatted to give type in standard size sequence (see Chapter 2). This helps in visualizing and in giving pages calculable type balance and eye appeal. When writing a headline you can press a ‘headline count’ key to show on screen whether it fits or if it is too strong and by how many characters. It is allowed on most papers to vary a chosen size up or down by up to 5 per cent to accommodate a wanted headline.

Having a typebook around is important in visualizing, especially for a new subeditor. It gives the ‘feel’ of type and helps in understanding projection and page design. An editorial production staff with a feeling for type and an awareness of its possibilities is an important requirement for a good-looking paper. A paper’s type character is threatened if subs are blindly writing headlines they cannot visualize or connect with the pages. It is a pity some offices use headline sizes and shapes coded by numbers or letters. Though quick and convenient, such cyphers discourage the young journalist keen to know about page design.

The type book is your introduction to the world of typography. The usages and nuances of effect of different types and variations of letter shape can convey to you a feeling for the psychology of type, an awareness that there are fast and slow types, and male and female, that some types are suited to particular purposes. If you lean towards page design and have a flair for visualizing you will learn how to give weight and boldness to a news page, authority to a leader page, and busyness to the sports section. You will discover how a condensed type used sparingly can enliven a standard format layout, and how a newspaper’s visual character is maintained by cunning and consistency in type use.

Spacing

Tight character counts pose problems not only with the words in headlines but with the visual balance of the lines. White space used sparingly and creatively in a page can help the eye, but white space in a headline that was intended to be occupied by type is a waste. It does nothing for the page and, if occurring frequently, can make it look empty.

Try to get the letters, as far as possible, to fill the space allotted. If white is wanted for visual reasons the lines can be indented (i.e. set narrower than the space to be filled) or a deliberate display can be projected with planned white space as part of the pattern. Some glossy magazines are very good at this.

In headlines the use of white space is to give adequate separation between words and lines so that the message is easy to read and the visual effect satisfying. For instance a headline should not finish up looking like this:

GIRL
TEN, SAVES
CAT IN STORM
DRAIN

Nor should it become pyramid-shaped:

SPIN TWINS
SHATTER SURREY
HOPES AT THE OVAL

Or be a staircase:

SUN BREAKS
ALL RECORDS
FOR SEPTEMBER

If you find it hard to get a good shape, change the words and start again. The bigger the type the greater the damage caused by bad balance. An 84pt banner that falls short by half a column at each end weakens the top of the page and loses authority. Likewise, long single line headlines below the fold need to be full if they are to dominate as they are intended to.

Vertical or line spacing is automatic with most systems but it helps with headlines if space can be varied visually in lower case lines where ascenders and descenders clash one on to the other. Lower case type is difficult to line-space tidily. Spacing lines of capitals is matter of consistency, but beware the intrusion of the cross-line descender on the capital Q.

Spacing – other than the above strictures – is a matter of visual style. There can be no universal rules for headline or columnar spacing. Some magazines make a feature of tightly spaced lines, which can be easily achieved in computer setting and can look good in gravure and in advertising display. Others go for all-round air or massive front indents. Some newspapers, as a matter of style, indent all columns by a nut each side to give more vertical separation of matter, or indent the front of the lines only. Others print the text with type that has a bigger body – 7pt on 8, or 8pt on 10 – thus marginally increasing the separation between the lines and avoiding clash of ascenders and descenders.

The creative moment

There are two methods of thinking your way into writing a headline. One is to read the copy and try to come up with the wording before subbing the story. This is necessary if the headline is to be the keystone of the layout. The method has the advantage that the headline is written at the stage when the type and even the layout can, if need be, be adapted to accommodate it.

The other method is to sub the story, absorb the material and then work out the headline. The disadvantage here is that by now you are closer to the page deadline and time might be short.

Some stories produce a headline easily so that in reading the copy it jumps into your head; others are difficult to transmute into a few words. In human interest or ‘mood’ stories the hard facts can be few. The effect is in the telling or the description, as with royal visits or elaborate ceremonials.

Whatever the story, if a headline has not immediately occurred to you it is a good idea, as you sub the copy on screen, to jot down likely words on a pad. As many as half a dozen key words might emerge. You then shuffle them and arrange them in the right order to give balance and sense, as in a puzzle.

Take an imaginary situation. A teenager called Janice Thompson has gone missing from home. Her friends tell the school head that the girl has quarrelled with her mother over drugs and glue sniffing. A reporter on the local paper, which has already been told by the police that the girl is missing, hears about this and goes to see the mother. She is anxious to talk. She wants her daughter back. She says Janice, who is fifteen, walked out after being told by her that she was no longer welcome in the house if she continued to smoke pot and sniff glue. The reporter files the story and it is given a strong top-of-the-column space on page five.

The copy is late. The subeditor checks it, tightens it up a little, casts it off quickly and writes down the words: mother, teenager, drug, quarrel, vanish and home. The first effort is:

TEENAGER
VANISHES
AFTER ROW
AT HOME
OVER POT

This is no use for the fact that the girl has gone missing is not new. Also the word after splits the headline thought into two.

MOTHER’S BAN
ON POT DRIVES
TEENAGER FROM HOME

is better. Nearly there, in fact. How does it look as five lines of single column?

MOTHER’S
BAN ON POT
DRIVES
TEENAGER
FROM HOME

Still a bit slow. Also the second and last lines are one character too long for the type size and the size must not be reduced. Using the name would connect the story better with the readers. Try again

MISSING
JANICE:
MY DRUGS
BAN TO
BLAME
SAYS
MOTHER

Better, but too many lines, and the headline thought has again been split. Try not to use the colon. Thought: why not mum instead of mother?

MY DRUGS
BAN DROVE
JANICE
FROM HOME
SAYS MUM

fits the five lines and is just right. Fill out the middle line by making it JANICE, 15, and we’ re there.

In another story a foreman at the local car factory is sacked after an altercation in which he hits an apprentice and knocks him down. The apprentice had accused him of being a ‘scab’ (a non-striker) during a strike.

The words on the pad are: union, sack, foreman, angry, scab, factory. First of all, the ‘scab’ jibe is not new or contested. The new issue is what has happened to the foreman. The sub’s first effort at a two-line double column lower case headline is:

Foreman loses job
in ‘scab’ jibe row

‘Scab jibe row’ is not liked. Also the headline needs more pace. A neat shuffle produces the answer:

‘Scab’ jibe costs
foreman his job

There are advantages in subbing a story before writing the headline. The sub knows thoroughly what the copy is about so that whatever headline emerges has to square with it. A headline written first could be based on a misconception acquired at a superficial reading. There is a subconscious tendency, too, where a good headline has cropped up first, to bend the story towards the headline. This is how distortion begins.

Alternative words

‘If there is one outstanding fault in present-day headlines it is that very sameness with which they speak day in and day out. Much of this monotony in inevitable because of the cramping space limitations that compel repeated use of words, phrases and constructions that have been found most serviceable.’

Garst and Bernstein, Headlines and Deadlines

It will be seen from the examples quoted in this chapter that the limitations on word length and the search for type balance lead the headline writer to use a short word where alternatives are available. Fortunately this offers few problems. There is almost always a shorter word. The danger arises where certain ‘serviceable’ short words are allowed to become clichés: words to fall back on as familiar get-outs especially in those cases where the facts of a story do not entirely justify their use.

Using the same truncated words can lead to tired don’ t-read-me headlines, which is a pity with a language as flexible as English. As a young sub, you will find the best way out of this trap is to devise your own list of short alternative words for use in headlines. A good thesaurus of English words, a modern usage dictionary such as the Penguin English Dictionary and a stout exercise book are all that you need for this assignment.

Here to ease the way are some suggested alternative words, but remember in using synonyms that there can be nuances of meanings between one and another, and that a situation or statement could be misrepresented if an alternative word were used without proper thought. Also, as the list shows, some words have two or more meanings, each with its synonyms.

A

abandon

desert

drop

give up

leave

neglect

pull out

quit

abbreviate

cut

lop

reduce

shorten

abolish

close

drop

end

finish

rid

squash

abscond

flee

leave

run

accelerate

hasten

hustle

press

push

quicken

rush

speed

accumulate

amass

build up

gather

hoard

store

acquire

buy

collect

gain

get

grab

take care

adjust

alter

change

revise

shift

administer

boss

control

direct

give

manage

rule

run

aggravate

annoy

inflame

irritate

provoke

worsen

agreement

accord

bargain

bond

deal

pact

treaty

alleviate

ease

lessen

let up

lighten

reduce

relieve

soften

allocation

lot

part

portion

quota

ration

share

amalgamate

combine

fuse

join

link

merge

mix

team up

unit

amalgamation

joining

link

merger

tie-up

announce

disclose

notify

proclaim

report

reveal

state

tell

appeal

ask

call

plead

appoint

choose

invest

name

pick

appointment

job

mission

place

post

apportion

allot

distribute

divide

share

split

appreciate

enjoy

grow

increase

like

rise

appropriate

grab

loot

nick

seize

snatch

approve

agree

allow

OK

pass

permit

arbitrator

go-between

judge

mediator

referee

umpire

argument

dispute

quarrel

row

rumpus

set-to

ascertain

check

confirm

discern

ensure

find out

inquire

learn

seek

assistance

aid

back-up

help

relief

attain

achieve

get

reach

secure

authorize

allow

approve

back

favour

let

permit

sanction

sponsor

B

beginning

birth dawn

debut

onset

opening

start

bequeath

allot

give

leave

provide

will

bewilderment

daze

puzzle

shock

surprise

business

company

firm

C

calculate

assess

estimate

rate

tot up

value

challenge

contest

dare

defy

dispute

change

alter

amend

revise

reword

shift

circumvent

balk

foil

outwit

skirt

close

call off

end

finish

shut

commence

begin

embark

open

start

take off

communicate

call

pass on

reveal

tell

write

competition

contest

fight

game

rivalry

complain

bitch

groan

grouse

grumble

moan

nag

object

protest

resent

confront

challenge

face

halt

present

congratulate

comment

praise

consider

examine

inspect

look at

mull

probe

report on

study

construct

assemble

build

erect

form

make

put up

raise

continue

extend

go on

persist

plod on

contradict

deny

dispute

dissent

gainsay

oppose

refute

reject

control

curb

limit

organize

Peg

run

cooperate

help

join with

share

create

build

design

form

invent

make

criticize

assess

censure

challenge

chide

decry

evaluate

rap

rebuke

review

slam

D

damage

harm

hit

hurt

spoil

sully

deflate

contract

pinch

shrink

squeeze

demonstration

demo

march

show

sitdown

sit-in

deprecate

belittle

damn

discount

discredit

knock

run down

description

account

picture

sketch

story

tale

designate

appoint

fix

name

select

destroy

break

end

ruin

shatter

smash

disagreement

clash

conflict

dispute

quarrel

rift

row

rumpus

wrangle

discriminatory

biased

partial

distribute

circulate

give out

issue

supply

division

break-up

parting

split

donation

gift

grant

hand-out

present

E

employment

career

job

post

task

work

endorsement

acclaim

approval

backing

sanction

support

essential

key

main

necessary

vital

exaggerate

blow up

boost

distort

magnify

overstate

examination

analysis

inquiry

probe

scrutiny

study

test

exonerate

absolve

acquit

clear

expedite

hasten

hurry

push

quicken

rush

speed

explanation

account

alibi

answer

excuse

F

fabrication

falsehood

invention

lie

story

tale

untruth

facilitate

advance

ease

expedite

smooth

forbid

ban

bar

block

deny

disallow

prevent

reject

stop

foundation

base

basis

charity

grounds

origin

roots

trust

fundamental

basic

primary

vital

G

govern

command

control

direct

manage

rule

run

grievance

grouse

grudge

injury

wrong

guarantee

(noun)

bond

pledge

promise

support

surety

warranty

(verb)

endorse

ensure

pledge

warrant

guillotine

axe

chop

cut off

gag

silence

H

hallucination

delusion

dream

freak-out

illusion

mirage

vision

hazardous

dangerous

dodgy

perilous

risky

unsafe

I

illegitimate

banned

illegal

illicit

lawless

unlawful

illustrate

explain

picture

show

imminent

at hand

near

soon

important

big

great

high

key

notable

prime

top

vital

improve

better

enhance

heighten

polish

restore

improvement

advance

betterment

progress

recovery

inaugurate

begin

install

launch

open

set off

start

independent

free

impartial

neutral

unbiased

influence

colour

induce

lead

push

sway

inquire

ask

beg

look into

question

see

instigate

cause

incite

provoke

set off

spur

start

interfere

hinder

interrupt

meddle

pry

thwart

interrogate

ask

examine

grill

pump

question

quiz

vet

introduce

explain

float

launch

promote

start

investigate

analyse

check

deliver

examine

inquire

probe

pry

sift

study

invite

ask

beg

bid

call

J

jeopardize

endanger

hazard

imperil

risk

judgement

decision

finding

result

ruling

verdict

justify

back

bear out

confirm

defined

endorse

excuse

explain

support

K

kidnap

abduct

capture

carry off

grasp

seize

snatch

steal

take care

L

leader

boss

chief

head

master

ruler

guv’ nor

legalize

allow

ordain

permit

ratify

luxurious

costly

lush

plush

posh

rich

M

maintain

assert

hold

keep

insist

support

management

board

company

directors

executive

firm

owners

manoeuvres

dodges

exercises

plots

ruses

tricks

wiles

manufacture

build

construct

make

produce

mediate

decide

intervene

judge

moderate

allay

control

lessen

limit

modification

alteration

amendment

change

switch

N

negotiate

bargain

confer

discuss

haggle

parley

talk

neighbourhood

area

district

environs

locality

place

section

zone

nominate

appoint

call

choose

decree

invest

name

present

propose

put up

raise

O

objective

aim

ambition

end

target

observe

check

eye

inspect

look at

note

see

spy

watch

operate

act

control

run

work

oppose

bar

block

challenge

combat

contest

counter

fight

obstruct

rebuff

reject

repel

organize

control

develop

fix

form

plan

run

set up

P

pacify

allay

calm

cool

ease

heal

quieten

settle

permanent

abiding

constant

durable

enduring

lasting

postpone

delay

hold up

putt off

prohibit

ban

bar

disallow

end

forbid

half

prevent

rule out

stop

veto

prohibition

axe

ban

embargo

end

halt

veto

proposition

idea

notion

offer

plan

purpose

aim

ambition

end

idea

plan

reason

pursue

chase

dog

follow

harry

hound

hunt

search

seek

trace

track

trail

pursuit

chase

hunt

quest

search

Q

question

challenge

doubt

point

probe

query

R

recommend

back

boost

comment

praise

present

support

urge

reduce

axe

chop

cut

lower

slash

regulate

control

govern

legalize

order

run

vet

relinquish

abandon

drop

forgo

give up

leave

quit

resign

repudiate

deny

disclaim

spurn

requisition

acquire

get

grab

seize

take

resign

abandon

give up

lay down

leave

quit

responsibility

duty

job

role

task

S

sanction

allow

approve

OK

pass

permit

scrutinize

check

examine

inspect

study

vet

settlement

bargain

bond

deal

pact

treaty

truth

support

aid

back

foster

help

prop

push

standby

uphold

T

terrorize

awe

bully

frighten

scare

threaten

tolerate

accept

allow

endure

live with

stand

U

unblemished

clean

faultless

flawless

guiltless

spotless

virgin

unyielding

firm

fixed

resolute

solid

steady

stout

unmoved

unshaken

undermine

belittle

impair

sap

weaken

undertaking

agreement

bargain

deal

duty

mission

plan

promise

task

V

vacillate

demur

hedge

hesitate

sway

waver

wobble

vanquish

beat

defeat

rout

scatter

shatter

smash

trounce

vindicate

bear out

justify

set right

uphold

vulnerable

delicate

exposed

suspect

tender

weak