Slides for an internal staff workshop on how to effectively integrate headlines and visuals.

1. HOW TO CREATE
POWERFUL
WORDS &
VISUALS.

2. When we think of papers who write the most aggressive headlines to sell papers, we often
think of the NY Post. We don’t have to sell titillating stories to have more engaging headlines.

3. Bloomberg Businessweek
doesn’t get accused of being
timid or apologetic.

4. This headline addresses
the reader directly for an
emotional response.

5. The New York Times has
been getting in the game
as well.
Question headlines address
the reader directly.
Here the loosely set
headline functions as an
overlay that interacts with
the art.
NYT Magazine

6. The Virginian-Pilot has never
been timid with headlines
either.
Here the all-caps headline is
set very tightly, creating a
dense block of type.
The Virginian-Pilot

7. They also use
punctuation for
emphasis.
The Virginian-Pilot

8. Conversational headlines
can be much more
relatable than the formality
of traditional “headlinese”.
The Virginian-Pilot

9. These two
headlines carry on
a conversation,
while moving the
story forward.
The Virginian-Pilot

10. Nothing is more permanent
than a giant period.
The layers of headlines also
do a great job of storytelling
before the reader even gets
to the story.
The Virginian-Pilot

11. This a well known use of the
one-word headline, a reaction to
when LeBron James leaving
Cleveland.
The small type forces the reader
close to the page. It says “Seven
years in Cleveland. No rings.”
The Plain Dealer

12. Sometimes any more than a
single word diminishes the
emotional impact.
Lower case adds to the defeat.
RedEye

13. Step back. Think about the
story. What's the real angle?
The number of 481 is the
number of fatalities and the top
number of the page-high chart.
It's a powerful choice for
headline.
The Virginian-Pilot

14. Here, the key points of the story
are told in four words.
Once again, periods in headlines
add pauses for emphasis.
The Virginian-Pilot

15. Multiple headlines can work
with multiple photos to tell
various aspects of a story.
The Virginian-Pilot

16. Conversely, there are times
when a headline needs many
more words.
For non-display stories, using
longer headlines can eliminate
the need for decks. That makes
cleaner pages.
The Virginian-Pilot

17. Look how much
storytelling happens in
this two-stage headline.
The V-P is quite good at
asking the questions
their readers may be
wondering.
The Virginian-Pilot

18. Long headlines can be effective
when you pop key words.
Be careful not to use too many
tricks at one time.
The Virginian-Pilot

19. A strong headline can be more
powerful as an art element than
available (or unavailable) art.
How often would we do this on
an inside page?
The Virginian-Pilot

20. This headline reads like the
lead of the story.
With the increased leading
allowing the photo to show
through, it also acts like an
art element, interacting
with the photo.
NYT Magazine

21. Headline point size can be more
flexible than you might think.
Normally, we’d say that this
headline is too small and too
long to have any impact. But
here the clean design and
ample white space gives the
headline all the contrast it
needs. It helps to know the
subject.
Also notice the mirroring of the
text blocks for the head and
body.
The Virginian-Pilot

22. An understated headline works
because…
The Washington Post

23. … everything on the page aligns
with the headline type.

24. Are typographic elements like
this headlines or art? An
Emmett Smith page.
Plain Dealer

25. There are many techniques to
really integrate our headlines
into our pages, from making the
words part of your art to hand-
drawing your display type.
Poughkeepsie Journal

26. Here the display type extends
the image. The word “broken”
is BRO-KEN to help illustrate
the concept of a community
broken by Sandy.
Asbury Park Press

27. The ultimate headline works
both verbally and visually,
requiring writers to think
visually and designers to think
verbally.
This is a Green Mountain cover
for The Burlington Free Press.

28. When your headline tells the story both verbally and visually, you know you have something. SPD.org