HEADLINE FUNCTIONS

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the functions of the headline.

The modem trend in headlines is toward simplicity. Most newspapers now use heads that say what has to be said in a minimum of words. A good headline conveys the news in a story and the significance and meaning behind the story. It never implies more - and should not say too much less - than what actually appears in the story. It does not contain misleading suggestions and it does not leave false impressions.

An easy way to remember the functions of the headline is through the acronym HEADS:

H - Heralds the days news; tells what is of importance.

E - Entices the reader with essential or interesting facts.

A - Advertises the most important story by size or placement on the page (the most important stories are displayed at the top of the page).

D - Dresses up a page with typography; helps male design attractive.

S - Summarizes the story with a "super" lead; tells what the story is about.

HEADLINE STYLES

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recognize the various types of headline styles.

There are several ways in which you can display headlines. For style variation, your headlines can beset in all-caps, caps and lowercase or downstyle. These methods are covered in the following text.

ALL-CAPS HEADS

The all-capital letter headline style is almost extinct. All-caps heads, while they are easier to write than others, are the most difficult to read To test this premise, read the following paragraph:

AS THIS PARAGRAPH DEMONSTRATES, THE ALL-CAPITAL SETTING IS NEITHER EFFICIENT FOR THE READER, NOR PLEASING TO THE EYE. WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST USED TO HAVE KEY GRAPHS IN HIS EDITORIALS SET ALL-CAPS. INSTEAD OF MAKING THE POINT EMPHATICALLY, AS HE INTENDED, SUCH SETTING ACTUALLY CUT DOWN THE READERSHIP AND ITS IMPACT.

Even the most patient, attentive and skilled reader will be blinded by the onslaught of all those capital letters. By the way, did you spot the typo?

CAPS AND LOWERCASE HEADS

A widely used headline style is the uppercase and lowercase head In this headline style, all words, other than articles, conjunctions, and prepositions of fewer than four (and sometimes five) letters, are set with the first letter in caps and the others in lowercase.

DOWN-STYLE HEADS

The down-style head usage has increased in popularity in recent years. In down-style heads, the first letter of the first word - and the first letter of any proper noun - is set as a cap, and all other letters are lowercase. Down-style is presented in the way persons are taught to read and write. The style is visually attractive and enhances the readability of the line. By design, it lacks the numerous capital letters in a headline which serve as "eye stoppers."

Figure 9-2. - Banner head.

Figure 9-3. - Crossline head.