Customer Reviews

The Newspaper Designer's Handbook

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I actually used this book as a undergrad. I have to admit that, like most harried college students, I usually opted to go out with friends when given the choice to go out or read a textbook. This book definitely gave my friends a serious challenge. The difference was in the practicality and wealth of information in this book. It was practical in the way that it covered the current newspaper design trends without diverting to an oddball discussion on past trends, like I've seen in other handbooks and journalism texts. It was practical in that it really didn't discuss useless theory. It displayed and demonstrated through extemely well-designed graphic examples. The wealth of information contained by The Newspaper Designer's Handbook was equal to its practicality. The book covered every part of design that I could imagine, from cutlines to infographics. And it covered all of the elements with detail. And, unlike most of my college texts, it was easy to understand. It seemed that each and every page had an example of the current topic along with detailed explanations on the how's and why's of newspaper design. So, even though it's sad to say, I do remember a few nights that this book beat going out. That's one of the reasons that I'm buying the next edition. You see, I hate spending my own money to buy classroom books that may not used often, but I know this book is worth it. My newspaper students really need something like this. A lot.

This book is an absolutely essential guide for anyone planning a newspaper design. I bought it while re-designing our company staff newspaper and found its graphic examples and easy to follow examples excellent.

I've used the publication several times to justify design decisions to my colleagues with great success.

Also, the book doesn't waste unnecessary space describing design basics. While an absolute novice could make great use of this book, it's certainly not 'over-simple' for a professional designer. It's just an example of an author who really knows his stuff and happens to be an excellent communicator.

FOR GOOD DESIGN ... GET IT!!

I love this book. My dad owns it -- he took a class by the author -- and I have borrowed it several times, as well as recommended it to friends -- all of whom have been impressed by the humorous and intelligent approach Harrower takes to newspaper design.

If you want to know more about layout and design, but don't want to read a book -- try this one. After reading the first two pages, you'll forget you don't want to read a book and will be spellbound. How many textbooks can claim that?

I have used this book for three years in my high school journalism curriculum. It seems there is nothing Mr. Harrower does not know about designing a newspaper. He gives multitude examples of layout, but also gives tips on overall design, photos, advertising, the list goes on. My fiance is teaching journalism this year and this book will tops on his birthday list! Note: the material is a bit above the high school level, but his ideas are adaptable and his suggestions fundamental. Enjoy!

Incredible resource! A must for anyone in the publishing business. Basic, common-sense approach to layout and design. Rich in ideas and packed with useful information explaining the how and whys of modern newspaper production. A perfect addtion to a library that seconds as a resource for "this is why we do it this way!" Tim has long been a advocate for a graphic approach to the print business and this book lets you have it with both barrels.

I give this book 4 stars on content alone. But the publisher gets failing grades for price, binding, paper stock, and included CD. With the thousands of books I own, I never had to complain about binding and paper stock until now. I recommend purchasing the hardcover version. I purchased this manual to help me start a local newspaper. I searched through the Internet and there seemed to be few book resources like this one. But there are some good news and bad news related to this book. You decide for yourself. The good news is that this is a wonderful book. It has a little bit of everything. It has lots of examples, defines everything you need to know about a newspaper. It even includes some history. The book makes a big deal of the color added to this edition. I would have suggested it be added several editions ago. The fifth edition even includes a good web design section and a poorly crafted CD. The bad news is that this book is over priced - probably since it has a monopoly on the subject matter. If there was competition the value would be more like $20 at best. The binding is spiral type and the paper is on the thin side so the pages will bend and tear easily. The cover is heavy stock paper as you would expect in any soft covered book. I don't know about you, but when I spend $60 on a book I expect it to be of the highest quality in binding, cover, and paper. I expected the CD to be loaded with all kinds of goodies, examples, and probably a digital version of the book (would have been very handy). After reviewing the CD, it is nothing less than worthless. It looks like a last minute attempt to grab and entice you to buy. The resources provided from the website is not even worth mentioning. Hopefully, after writing this review the author and publisher will take their customers more seriously, especially when they are paying a high premium. The author has much to be proud of with the content inside this book. But when I contacted him he made fun of the fact I was complaining about the paper stock. I guess he does not care about quality.

This book is absolutely peerless. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Tim Harrower presents the basics of newspaper design in a natural, informative, and entertaining manner. It's the type of book that, while each chapter may build on concepts in previous chapters, one can open up the book to any page and learn an important facet of layout and design. Whenever you open the book, you will learn something. The way Harrower presents his lessons, you have to be actively ignoring them not to be educated.

The negative comments about the spiral binding are completely off the mark. It's one of my favorite practical aspects of the book. You can sit down at your computer, open up the book to the lesson you need, and lay it flat down on the table or on a document stand. With standard binding, you would not be able to do this. The spiral binding is a conscious decision on the part of the publisher and author, and I'm sure it was made for this reason.

Every aspiring designer should read this seminal text; it is perfect for the entry- and intermediate-level layout artist. Tim is a great teacher with a good eye and keen sense for tasteful newspaper design.

I use this book to teach page design to my high school journalism and yearbook students. Middle school students could also benefit from this book. However, it is not limited to 6-12 education. Any person who needs to know about layout would be well served by this book.
Furthermore, the resources available on the CD-ROM are outstanding. Chapter quizzes, self tests, photo cropping examples, crossword puzzles, and more really make this book stand out. The disc also links to the McGraw-Hill website which offers even more content to supplement the book.
Overall, a terrific resource for journalists, designers, teachers, and students.

I am an editor these days.
I came on this book quite a few years ago when I was a sub. It was recommended to me by an old hand in the newspaper game.
Without doubt, it is the single best aquisition I have made in terms of newspaper design.
In the places I have worked, I have been regarded extremely highly for my layout skills.
This book, with a little creativity, is the basis of almost everything I do in terms of layout.
If you are serious about the newspaper game, get it, study it and then apply what you learn. It will help our career enormously.

I'm a college student and taking a class on editorial practices. Our instructor gave us these books to use because the school bookstore didn't get the ones he wanted in.

Almost all of the text has some graphic explanation. There wasn't a lot to read, which is great for a college student. The graphic examples make it very clear what the author is trying to tell you.

Another great thing about this book is that it is very easy to understand. All of the newspaper terms used have clear definitions, along with a diagram. It is in the first chapter, and a photocopy makes a great cheat-sheet when you are working on a layout of your own.