JAKE OFFERS the second batch of pages from the Press Publications group.
FROM JAKE:
I am sending you some covers from two of our papers here at Press Pubs.
Feel Free to critique them at full force; I am really interested in how we can make our papers better.
Thank you.
FROM ED:
1. Nameplate: ditto previous post.
2. Ad in ear: ditto previous post. Actually, this one is even busier.
3. At a glance header, secondary headers, typography and blue screen: ditto previous post.
4. Bottom ad: Not quite as overdone as Vadnais, but still pretty bad. Too many images, too many fonts, too many words. It’s overdesigned.
5. Hmmm. Wonder where I’ve seen that bee photo before. Oh, yeah: previous post.
6. Did we need all that sky in the construction photo?
7. I can’t see Pete Larsen’s face in the photo.
8. Like what you did with the Ranger art.
9. Rules between packages: ditto previous post. I’d rather see rules than a box, such as you have around the farmer package. It you use rules between packages, boxes are unnecessary.
10. Jumps: ditto previous post.
FROM ED:1. Ad at top left is probably the worst of the bunch…thought the Maplewood Toyota ad on the next front is close. These are overdesigned and they tend to cheapen the product (your newspaper) that you’re trying to sell to advertisers.
2. Why the heavy rule around the Jeff Anderson photo?
3. Ditto everything I’ve said previously about the At a glance package.
4. Ditto jumps.
5. The round corners on the graduation package is a very ’60s look. I think your design is stuck in a time warp!
FROM ED:1. Looks to me like the racetrack story is the only real news piece on this page. Shouldn’t it get the lead?
2. Maplewood Toyota ad is u-g-l-y.
3. Is “Best Brightest” a standing head? If so, you can do better. This has a retro look to it that seems out of place with the rest of the page.
4. Type to the right of the Thomas head shot is poorly word-spaced. Whenever we do a text wrap, we must pay attention to how the text breaks…and fix it if necessary. Not doing so just makes us look sloppy.
5. Thomas head shot should be cropped more tightly. No need to show half his torso.
6. More word-spacing problems in the third paragraph of the racetrack story.
7. Ditto jumps.
FROM ED:
1. Glad to see the map here but would advise your using much lighter colors. The bright colors here make this a bit more difficult to read. Best to emulate the colors in the graphic in the lead package.
2. Bike package is the best centerpiece in this group of pages. There’s no hassle with reading text over the photo. Instead, it’s a clean graphic over a good photo. OK, I’m not so good with the green headline.
3. Rules between packages would obviate the need for a box around the lead package.
4. Though still pretty busy, the bottom ad is a bit better because of the use of a photo here instead of computer-generated artwork. The entire ad just seems more structured and organized.
5. Ditto word-spaced type in At a glance.
6. Ditto jumps.
FROM ED:
1. Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I really wanted to see the altar and windows behind the choir in the centerpiece. Overlaying the box and story here denies me that—and makes the test more difficult to read. So, no, I’m not taken with this package.
2. Ditto bottom ad.
3. Ditto word-spaced type in At a glance.
4. Ditto jumps.
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Is it me, or is there too much similarity on these fronts from issue to issue? It seems to me the approach is “centerpiece…and then everything else.” I don’t see much variation and that concerns me because it give me the impression that you’ve locked in to one approach on the fronts…and there should be more variety and more freedom to react to the news than what you’re allowing here.
