Body Copy
All body copy is set in 10 pt. Minion with 11 pt. leading.Briefs and Shorts
Briefs are short stories up to 5 inches in length. Shorts are up to 8 inches long. Briefs’ heads are 24-pt. Interstate regular condensed bold one-line heads across 2 columns
Bylines
Use the Library. Bylines run in their own box.
Centered heads
Occasionally we use a centered headline, primarily in feature layouts. These are always one-line heads.
Cutlines
Use the Library. Cutlines are set in 9 pt. Interstate regular bold and should briefly identify and site the people in the picture by using parentheses (left) (top). The first sentence describes the action in the photo. What are the people doing? If there are no people, but only a tree, for instance, why is the tree significant?
Decks
Decks, or drop lines, are another graphic device and are used under the main head to expand it or to highlight additional elements in the story. They are set in a smaller point size, although not as small as kickers, and can be centered under the main head when a story runs across four or five columns, or set in a one column width when a story runs in a one or two column width.
Editorials and Editorial Headlines
Editorial body copy is set in 12-pt. Minion regular type over 13 point leading. Editorial heads are 36-pt. Interstate regular and are designated as “label” heads. Like titles, these do not require a verb.
Headlines
Headlines are the most read words in the paper. A headline does three basic things:
- Get readers’ attention
- Summarizes the content of the story
- Provides graphic interest.Headlines can make the difference between someone reading a story or passing it by for something more interesting.
- Our main head is usually Interstate Black.
- Headlines are set flush left.
A short overline to a headline, set half the point size of the main head, usually no more than two or three words (approximately one-third the width of the headline). It is primarily a graphic element to provide white space and should not repeat words used in the headline.
Jump heads and jump lines
The Channels has adopted the two-part jump head as its style. The first part, the key word in the main head at the beginning of the story, is set in 30-pt. Times bold, all caps. Next comes a colon. The second part is Interstate Regular Condensed bold, 60%.
1. If your headline is:
Headlines are hard
2. Your jump head might be:
HEADLINES: Not easy
3. Your jump line would read:
See HEADLINES, Page __
(set in 10-pt. Minion bold)
4. Your continuation line would be:
Continued from Page __
(also in 10-pt. Minion bold)
Letters to the Editor
All letters are reformatted to begin, Editor, The Channels: in 10-pt. Times bold and signed with the letter writer’s name and title (or major) flush right in bold.
Liftouts
A complete sentence or two from the copy used as a graphic device (see pullquotes for format). Used in opinion pieces.
Mug shots
A photo of a person’s shoulders and face. Standard mugs are one column by three inches and run with the subject’s name only (no title) underneath in 9-pt. Interstate bold (same as cutline but centered). The Channels occasionally runs a smaller mug, called a “thumbnail,” which is one-inch square. No photo credit.
Mugs with quotes
Can be used in a vertical or horizontal layout. Use the same style as pullquotes.
Paragraph indents and spacing
Do not indent by using the tab key. Channels paragraph indents are formatted using the body copy style sheet.
Photo credits
Set in 8-pt. Times bold italic with photographer’s name, a slash and Channels. No spaces.
Pullquotes
A quote from someone within the story. A pullquote should be the most compelling, relevant quote in the story consistent with the context of the story. Use the pullquote box from the Library.
Subheads
Short dividers inserted into long legs of copy add graphic interest. If subheads are called for, use at least three throughout the story. The first one should go in at least six paragraphs down from the beginning of the story and should address the content following it. Allow another six inches of copy before the next subhead, and so on. Give one line of space before the subhead, no space after, and set in 12-pt. Times bold, centered. Subheads are short; one word is best. Two words are acceptable if they are short. Keep words the same parts of speech or in like grammatical structure.
Tag lines
Tag lines are used instead of bylines for stories up to eight inches in length and shorter, and are placed at the end of the story preceded by an em dash (Option>Shift>Hyphen) and set in 10-pt. Times italic bold. —Che Tabisola
Teasers
We use several types. See Harrower’s book “The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook” for format.
Voices
Answers are not indented and do not get quotation marks. Include students’ names and majors, teachers’ names and discipline, or administrators’ names and titles. Voices style is name, major or title in 12-pt. Times bold and quote (no quotation marks) in 10-pt. Times regular. Questions are set in 24-pt. Times bold, and credit lines should be set in 18-pt. Times bold. Keep in mind that published answers to Voices questions should not be repetitive. Try to get a blend of faculty and students. Make the questions creative and get good, honest, creative answers.
Wild art
Occasionally we run a picture as “stand-alone” or “wild” art. It doesn’t go with any particular story; it is its own story. Or maybe we just have a hole we need to fill. Nonetheless, these pictures always have a kicker — a clever few words — that runs above the picture and an extended cutline.