The final project
Your final project is to design EITHER:

1. The front page of a newspaper with a Web site

- OR -

2. A newspaper features page with a Web site.

Students will form into groups of three for this assignment. I would suggest that you seek out partners with complementary skills. For instance, someone who is primarily a wordsmith might seek out someone who is more of a visual thinker. A writer might pair up with a photographer or artist, for example. However, this is just a suggestion. The composition of a group is up to the students. But, no more than three students per group, please.

For this assignment you need to:
1. Read the Harrower textbook, especially Chapter 8.

2. Study a variety of newspapers and Web sites. Use the links on my Web site for examples of newspapers from around the country and the world. You'll find links to design tips there as well.

3. Pick up out-of-town newspapers that you can get at local newsstands. Study them to discover how they bring different elements together to create a "look." Consider what elements you want to borrow (or steal) to create your design.

4. Decide what kind of market your newspaper will have. Is it a large metropolitan or a small suburban newspaper? Come up with a name for your newspaper. Give it a town, either fictitious or real.

5. Make sure you create a complete newspaper page, with all the elements.

6. Using elements stolen from - or borrowed - from other newspapers create a unique look for your newspaper. Consider use of type, photos, graphics, cutlines. ect. You will develop a style guide for your newspaper by March 10, in which you will establish what kind of fonts and typsetting tools you will use for bylines, cutlines, credits, factoids, refers, indexes, etc. You may amend your style guide later on, but I want you to have something to work with by March 10.

7. You'll build your newspapers with Indesign and Photoshop and will email me the results as an Acrobat PDF by April 23. I'd like to see early versions before you hit deadline. We can talk later about what sort of files you should use.

8. Then, you will work up a Web version of the newspaper using Dreamweaver. You may use the Web sites for the newspapers that inspired your print version, or you may draw from other news Web sites for inspiration. You can continue to tweak your print version, but both the print and Web versions must be submitted by May 7. Tweaking your print version will be useful because you will probably realize you have online elements that you want to promo in your print newspaper.

9. The Web version will also need to include a simple video. I can help you with that, but it needs only be a video of at least a few seconds that can be embedded from YouTube. By the way, your Web projects will be posted on my Web site: www.edbond.com.

10. Your final project needs to include a sheet to explains your newspaper and Web site.

Here are some newspapers I would encourage you to seek out and study: