Since The Kansas City Star launched its redesign in June, readers are becoming familiar with the new look. But one feature still generates more questions than any other: the “visual briefs” that appear at the top of section fronts.
On June 5, The Star’s lead design consultant Mario Garcia wrote that these photos and graphics, presented with minimal text, are intended to “offer … quick and appealing bits of information to move you through the section.” Sometimes they simply refer to longer stories inside the paper, with pointers to another page. But they are often meant to stand alone as self-contained news tidbits.
In theory, I really like the idea, which is merely a variation on the “wild photos” that have appeared in newspapers for decades. Some items don’t really demand much more than an image and a brief bit of explanatory type.
A perfect example of the concept working right: A 87,500 square-foot rendition of the new Kentucky Fried Chicken logo in the Nevada desert, which the company claims is “visible from space.” A visual brief at the top of Wednesday’s Business section told the story succinctly with a photograph and 31 words. Complete, concise and eye-catching.
I often hear feedback almost always positive when photographers and page designers work together to stretch a single horizontal image across the entire top of a cover, taking the place of the color block that’s usually there. As long as the technique isn’t overused, these dramatic looks can keep the design fresh and surprising.
However, readers sometimes point out that certain visual briefs simply don’t stand on their own very well. Case in point: I heard from several people who were confused by a tiny item at the top of an FYI cover last month. Beneath a picture of actress Suzanne Somers was a fairly cryptic caption: “Book gets blasted; Suzanne Somers is getting criticized for her book on hormone therapies.”
About a dozen others phoned and e-mailed me because they couldn’t find the story inside the section. “Surely this can’t be all there is, can it?” asked one. “Who’s criticizing? What does the book say that’s so controversial?” In this case I see the readers’ point. The caption told too little of the story.
Writing headlines and photo captions, both provinces of the copy desk, is actually much more difficult work than it seems. It’s a skill that I certainly don’t possess myself. And readers will often confess (sometimes sheepishly) that they don’t have a better suggestion themselves.
At any rate, visual briefs do a disservice to the news when they’re overly truncated. I think The Star’s gotten better with these items as the staff grows into the new format, and readers aren’t bashful about pointing out when some items aren’t clear enough.
