When the newly redesigned edition of The Wall Street Journal appeared, one unexpected reaction became a constant in interviews, presentations, and seminars: Are boxes back?
Did they ever disappear? It’s true that boxes, which traditionally have been used to separate articles on a page or to highlight items that editors wish to call attention to, are not used as frequently today as in the 1940s and 50s. But boxes still serve a utilitarian function for editors and designers.
Boxes are not trendy or whimsical decorations. In fact, newspapers that use boxes that way are not serving their readers well.
Boxes should be part of every newspaper’s design strategy — with a clearly defined style and purpose.
Some tips for using boxes on a page:
1. Determine from the start what types of articles will carry boxes. (I recommend them for shorter, not longer, pieces; to set off sidebars or related articles that appear within a text package; to isolate a photo story treatment, when the photo is not accompanied by a story.)
2. Use very thin borders around boxes. Do not call attention to the box itself with thick borders. Instead, create a box that delineates territory on the page, without overtaking it.
3. Allow some white space between the border of the box and the contents of it. Do not run photos or text right into the box.
4. Sometimes it works to use a thicker rule at the top or bottom of box, but never on the sides. The designer’s task is to make sure that the box blends well with other elements of the page. Boxes are intended to offer boundaries, not to totally isolate themselves from other items on the page.
5. Boxing an entire page should be reserved for one-topic items, long reportages or photo essays. In most cases, it is best to go with an open page, without borders — but, here, again, discretion and attention to the special content of the page is the key.
Boxes are not back; they never left. They are, and always will be, a useful tool to make the reader’s journey through a page faster and more orderly.
–All or a portion of this column was originally published in the IFRA newsletter.
