A news page designer is typically employed a newspaper or, less frequently, a news magazine. This person will use various types of design software to visually, graphically design each page of the publication, ensuring that it adheres to the newspaper editors’ style preferences as well as the publication’s formal style guide. The news page designer may also design graphics and logos, as well as any other visual representations or advertisements, in addition to the layout. Some publications will hire freelancers for this position, but most will hire a full-time designer who will be required to work in the office.
A news page designer’s job is to make a newspaper visually appealing to read, entice readers to flip through the pages and read the entire story. The designer also tries to come up with visually appealing headlines to entice readers to pick up the paper, and he uses a lot of photos and images to supplement the story. Newspapers will typically use a standard layout, and the news page designer will have to fit the day’s or week’s stories into this layout in the most visually appealing and effective way possible.
Most designers have a college degree in graphic design, journalism, or visual media, usually an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. To be successful in this position, you must be able to use a variety of design and layout software, as well as have experience with various journalism style guides. A news page designer’s job at a newspaper can range from entry-level to mid-level, depending on how much responsibility an individual is given and how many other people he or she works with.
News page designers for newspapers and magazines have similar job descriptions, though news page designers for magazines typically use more graphic design and images nature, whereas newspapers focus more on layout and photos. A news page designer may need to collaborate with freelancers to gather photographs for the newspaper, or even to gather stories for publication in some cases. A news page designer, on the other hand, will typically work on their own for the majority of the time, sometimes working late hours because they may be one of the last people to make additions or changes to a newspaper before it goes to final printing.