Chapter 5
Newspaper Layout
Creating your own newspaper from scratch is possible! With Canva or InDesign, you can start from a blank page and begin your design.
Layout, article integration, images - embrace the conventions of the newspaper format.
Chapter 5
Newspaper layout
Choosing the format of your newspaper
Before starting the layout of your newspaper, you need to decide on the format of your newspaper.
The Tabloid is the most common format, offering an excellent balance between compactness and readability. It suits all types of projects.
The Broadsheet is much larger, making it a beautiful object to showcase photos or infographics and allowing for great layout freedom.
Layout softwares
Numerous software options are available for designing your newspaper layout. Here is a selection:
InDesign: We recommend InDesign to design your newspaper. It's the best software for advanced users, it's perfect for making a clean and professional template.
Canva : www.Canva.com is an online design tool, no need to install any software. Sign up and fill the 'Custom size' filed with Tabloid 260 x 370mm or Broadsheet 332 x 475mm. Then, design and export your artwork!
Scribus: Scribus is open-source, free and quite exhaustive. It's great software for clubs or schools. However, Scribus has some limits for advanced users.
Illustrator / Photoshop: These Adobe software suites are not publishing oriented. However, you can use them in order to design your newspaper since PDF export is well managed.
Word / Publisher / Pages: You can use word-processing software in order to template your newspaper, but you won't have as many options as Scribus and InDesign.
Template the cover of your newspaper
You can base your work on the main newspapers you know to template your own.
The cover of a newspaper has a big title - and a specific font. A reminder based on the content of the newspaper is under the title.
Here's an example:
Title of your newspaper
You can complete your front page with one or more eye-catching images, as well as an informational banner:
Front page of your newspaper.
Template your newspaper articles
Formatting your various articles and sections helps to imbue your newspaper with your identity.
To make your content easier to read, layout your newspaper with text in 2 to 5 columns, apply drop caps at the beginning of paragraphs, and punctuate your content with illustrations.
To ensure your text remains legible under any conditions, do not go below a font size of 7 to 8 points.
Here is an example of a template with a text-heavy approach:
Newspaper article layout.
If you wish to insert white text boxes on a colored background, make sure to use a font thick enough to keep the text legible.
Adorn the footer with a separator, the page number, and a reminder of the newspaper's title or section.
If you have less text and more visuals, you may opt for a more creative layout:
Newspaper article layout.