One of the many decisions that has to be made day in and day out is what the front page of the newspaper is going to look like.
Sunday, our main story was titled In too deep: County housing seeing rebound, but foreclosures still causing hurt. It was a strong story with a personal, human element dealing with foreclosure.
This was the original design for Sunday’s page 1. It was abandoned for a more conventional design with a powerful photo.
We had a pretty clever front page lined up. Rather than photography, the front page would feature a visual element, with a play on the “F” word.
Then photographer Helen Comer showed us her photo. The image of Mr. Rick McGrath standing in his empty home, with that look on his face told the real story of the impact of foreclosure.
We had to make a change.
The design we chose was a more conventional design with one large photo “above the fold.” The photo also played very well online, which is a critical consideration these days.
Was it the right choice? Ultimately I think so. I was very excited by what we called “the F word” design. I thought it was an interesting play on words and had a really cool look. The visual element was strong, and it certainly grabbed a person’s attention.
My biggest concern with the artistic element is how evenly the large swath of black might print.
This is the ultimate front page we chose to use Sunday. The photo was the deciding element for our team.
But that photo. I just couldn’t let it go. Neither could Senior Editor Gary Frazier. It was the personal element that added power to the story. The family was how the story opened. The photo alone told a story.
Was it the right decision? A bit late to second guess now, but I think so.
What do you think?
Clay Morgan is @clay_morgan on Twitter.