The Boston Globe Calendar Section Redesign
Feature Story Spreads Redesign
Prior to the redesign, we weren't taking advantage of the color positions we had available for the cover story pages.
Photos were few in number and as a result represented only a small number of the locations discussed in the cover story. This meant we were missing out on telling the story at another level, with more depth.
Charts and maps in the cover story were rare before the redesign. And the package as a whole was fairly flat visually. There were few entry points into the story.
From a typographic standpoint, there was little to help a reader scan the text for key points or locations mentioned. Also, information such as addresses and phone numbers were not highlighted in a way that made them easy to find.
Solutions Proposed
We repositioned the cover story so it would begin on a page spread that nearly always had color.
We requested a larger number of photographs be shot for the cover story, and I did my best to display strong photos prominently. Photographers became increasingly interested in shooting for the section because they knew that more of their photos would be used and that a good number of those would run in color.
With better advance planning between editor and designer, we were able to incorporate more charts and maps into the cover story presentation. We began thinking and talking about possibilities for graphics when the story was first proposed. Take the top example on this page, the graphic showing what a man and woman were wearing and how much it cost. This would not have been possible without early planning to enlist the help of the reporter, the models, and the photographer. Creating graphics like this one gave readers a different entry point into the story.
The editor and I worked closely to develop ways of breaking up the story using subheads and bolding key points in the text. I worked on standard styling of information such as address and phone number so that it could easily be found when a reader scanned the text.
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