Here I go again tooting the horn of news design. Sorry Sue, I thought this Freep page looked good :)
In the past ten years or so, news page designers have been using alternative story forms (or ASFs or "STD's" Detroit Free Press designer Steve Dorsey referring to story telling devices) used to portray stories outside traditional text and box photo. In this Poynter Online article, a journalist examines a study The Poynter Institute administered to 600 readers. Using six identical stories, each with the same facts and three print/three online, designers experimented with ATFs using factboxes, different fonts, graphics and photo alteration. Although the same information was presented in all six stories, the ones portrayed with ASFs were read more. Even more information was retained by the readers because a visual stimulus helped them remember facts better.
Check out newspagedesigner.org for some more ASF-designed pages.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Alternative Story Forms
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Chris: I like the page too. And I absolutely believe reporters should try to think about how best to tell their story. Sometimes an alternative story form works better than traditional long-form stories. Sometimes, it means brainstorming with photographers, artists or online producers about supplemental material. As the study points out, what we all really want is readers/viewers. So whatever works to call attention to our work is the best way to go.
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