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Type on photographsIf there was ever a subject that could get the emotions soaring in a

newsroom, it is the dilemma of whether to put type (headlines) over

a photograph or not. Photographers do not want anything to come

between their photo and the reader; designers want “freedom” to

express themselves; editors either love the practice or hate it. Some

publishers I know ban the procedure entirely in their newspapers,

sometimes for such trivial, but understandable, reasons such as: “My

wife hates that.” (True story!)

I have seen type over a photo make everyone look great: the photo,

the story, the writer, and the designer, with readers smiling all the

way. I have seen it used poorly, especially when a type-happy design-

er mistakes the photograph as a drawing pad.

As with everything else in design: make it pure, make it simple. If

the photo lends itself to it, put type on it, discreetly and as a second-

ary touch to the photo. And fewer words work best.

If a designer decides to put type on a photo, a conversation with the

photographer will be appreciated. He or she may think the integrity

of the image is being compromised.

But tread easily when proposing it, and be ready to scratch your

concept, since this is one of those battles that, in most cases, is not

worth fighting. Save your energy for real issues, like writing a good

headline that does not land on the great photo.

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Numbers and pictures: In an unusualvariation, John Miller designed simpleinfographcis to be used over photo-graphs for Charles Schwab’s investormagazine. The effect achieved an edi-torial goal: a strong link between therelationships depicted in the imagesand the company’s success, depictedin the portfolio charts.

Not just for magazines: The place-ment of a headline or other type ele-ment over a photograph comes natu-rally to magazine designers but ismore carefully calculated amongnewspaper editors. However, a largeheadline that is easy to read can com-plement a photograph, as we see onthis front page of Germany’s MorgenPost, the popular Hamburg daily. Theimage and the headline form a “miniposter” or magazine cover to separatethe lead story from the rest.

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