mario garcia

164

Page oneNewspaper front pages are not to be studied. They are to be reacted

to. Magazine covers should not contain complex “concept photos”

that readers have to struggle over to understand. The amount of time

readers give to Page One before deciding their reaction has become

shorter and shorter. To pass the “kiosk” or “coffee table” test, there-

fore, a publication's front page must have strong visual impact,

which 99 percent of the time depends on a good photograph.

The number one problem with most front pages is lethargic, pas-

sive photographs.

At the same time, Page One is not a gallery for artsy photography. It

is a venue for the best photo of the day, one that conveys a story or

two, creates an emotion, pulls readers in, and makes them read.

Page One photos should be active, surprising and, whenever

possible, show people. This is not the place for a still view of the

beautiful Alhambra, unless world leaders are seen meeting there.

Especially in magazines, cover photos should be iconic, graphic,

not overly complicated.

With few exceptions, Page One also is not the place for gigantic

info-graphics, which require that the reader study their contents.

Info-graphics are one of the great storytelling techniques a news-

paper editor can use, but they are best on inside pages.

pure design

165

Impacting through photography:The front page of the San JoseMercury News excels in its use oflarge, dominant photos to attractreaders. By contrast, the headlinessurrounding the photo tend to besmaller as not to compete with thevisual impact of the photograph.

mario garcia

166

pure design

167

Icons: Covers, whether on a book, maga-zine, or newspaper, need to be simple andiconic. For the Vanity Fair and Legendscovers, John Miller chose images thatwere simple and stark, then croppedtightly to give a feeling of immediacy.Garcia Media employed the same iconiclook for Momentum, the empolyee maga-zine for MAN Roland in Hamburg,Germany.