Newspaper Layout and Design Course Outline

Department of Mass Communication

Faculty of Social and Management Sciences

Bayero University, Kano.

Course: MAC3307 Newspaper Layout and Design

Course Lecturers: Nura  Ibrahim/Musa Adamu Labaran

Email: maimesa2010@gmail.com musaadamulabaran@yahoo.com

Contact: 08036572655/08069768518

Academic session: 2013/2014 First Semester

 Course Description:

This course is designed to prepare students on how best to layout and design a newspaper pages. The personality of newspaper is determined by the interplay of content and layout. Attention therefore will be given to both the theoretical and practical aspects. Though series of lectures will be conducted, more emphasis will be placed on the practice. Areas to be covered include identifying and selecting types of newspapers, knowing the fundamentals of the newspaper layout and design such as types of layout, layout formulae and principle of design etc. At the end of this course, it is expected that students will be able to differentiate between good and poor layout in the popular press as well as master the techniques and skills necessary for newspaper layout (production) and design.

Course Objectives:

1.      Students are expected to be familiar with newspaper layout and designing principles and techniques.

2.      Student are also expected to be able to practically apply these principles and techniques by designing and producing newspaper

  

Course Outline:

1.      General introduction

v  Definition of Newspaper

v  Characteristics  of Newspaper

v  Newspaper content

2.      Types of Newspaper

3.      Concept of Layout

v  Functions  of  Layout

v  Types of  Layout,

v  Layout Formulae

4.      Newspaper Design

v  Defining Newspaper Design

v  Development of Newspaper Design

v  Principles of Artistic Design

v  Importance of Design

v  How to Recognize a well Designed Newspaper

5.      Front Page Design

6.      Filling the Remaining Spaces

7.      Writing Newspaper Headline

v  Functions of Newspaper Headline

v  Headline Writing process

v  Types of Headline

v   Counting the Headline

v  Headline Writing Rules

8.      Introduction to Using Types

v  Different typefaces

v  Types Selection

v  General Type Measurements

9.      The Role of Computer in Newspaper Layout and Design.

Reading Materials

Halan, Y, C. (2009). Effective Editing : A practical handbook to develop good editing skill, Sterling Publishers Ltd, New Delhi.

Stoval, James Glen (2005). Journalism – Who,  What, When, Where, Why and how, Pearson Education inc., New Delhi.

Jethwaney, Jaishri and N. N. Sarkar (2009). Public Relations Management, Sterling Publishers Ltd, New Delhi.

Hasan, Seema (2013), Mass Communication: Principles and Concepts 2^nd Edition, CBS Publishers & Distributors Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.

Assessment

Continuous Assessment (CA) 40% which include Test and Production of Newspapers

Semester Examination (SE) 60%