Newspaper editors have to deal with text, pictures, lace, shading, etc. every day. The first is writing. Our country’s writing has become more mature and perfect through continuous reform and evolution. Since the popularization of computer typesetting, the types of Chinese characters have become more diverse. According to statistics, there are currently more than 100 types of Chinese characters used on computers, including dozens of fonts used in Peking University Founder's book printing system, Weiss system and Feiteng system. Such rich and colorful Chinese characters, coupled with the fact that there are a lot of laces, shading, some decorations, small illustrations, etc. stored in the computer can produce very beautiful and appropriate newspapers and periodicals. However, these fonts, laces, shading, etc. must be used correctly to produce good artistic and reading effects.
The use of general fonts in newspaper and periodical layout
1. Types of Chinese characters
First of all, we must fully understand various Chinese character fonts. Generally speaking, various Chinese character fonts can be used at present. Chinese-like fonts are divided into three major types. The first category is Song fonts and Hei fonts (including thick and thin line fonts) developed from the movable type printing in the Song Dynasty; the second category is fonts evolved from calligraphy, such as regular script, imitation Song script, Xingkai, Li script, and Wei script , Shu body, Yan body, thin gold body and pen writing fonts, etc.; the third category is art fonts, such as variety show, tanning, amber, water column, etc. Most other fonts are variations of the above three types of fonts, such as: Dabiao Song, Xiaobiao Song, Bao Song, Chang Song, Zhong Song, Yao Ti, etc. that evolved from Song Ti; Da Hei and Ping Hei evolved from Hei Ti. , thick black, isoline (including thick, medium, thin and other linear fonts, and later evolved into thick, accurate, thin round fonts), etc.; Zhongkai and fine imitation Song fonts evolved from regular script, imitation Song style, etc.; Meihean evolved from Hengti and Songti; Li variant evolved from Li type, etc.
2. Characteristics of Chinese characters
To use various fonts well, you must first understand the structure, strokes, glyphs and other characteristics of various fonts. At present, the text of books, periodicals and newspapers is more commonly used. It is Song style (including Zhong Song, Shu Song, Bao Song, Biao Song, etc.).
The font of Song Ti is square and steady, beautiful and clear, and eye-catching in reading. It is a font that has been preferred by people for thousands of years in books and periodicals. Therefore, most of the main texts of books, periodicals and newspapers use this font ( Books and periodicals generally have larger fonts and relatively larger line spacing, and often use Shu Song fonts with slightly thicker vertical strokes. However, some magazines or books now also use thin isoline fonts. Newspapers often use thin line spacing and smaller fonts. Use Bao Song font).
The Heilongjiang characters have absorbed the advantages of the rigorous structure of the Song fonts on the frame. In the shape of the strokes, the horizontal strokes are thickened and the shrug angles of the Song fonts are flattened into equal lines, forming a consistent thickness of the horizontal and vertical strokes. The Song-style characters have pointed tips and thin tails and strokes of varying thicknesses at the tip and tail are square strokes, making them unique and giving people a feeling of being thick, powerful, solemn, solemn, simple and generous.
Kail style, Xing Kai, Li style, Wei style, Shu style and other fonts are calligraphy fonts. All calligraphy fonts can be written directly with a unique Chinese brush. The font of regular script is elegant, the strokes are round, and the font is graceful. The regular script font is elegant, the strokes are flexible, there is a certain degree of randomness, and the upper and lower strokes are connected.
The fonts of official Chinese characters are simple and flat, with twists and turns, like silkworm heads and wild goose tails, giving it the softness and continuous beauty of dancing.
The font of Wei Ti is vigorous and powerful, with thick strokes.
Shu Ti is a font created by Shu Tong, who was hailed as the "Red Army Calligrapher" by Chairman Mao. Its font is more lively, has large stroke changes, and has great flexibility and randomness.
Yan style was created based on the calligraphy characters of Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Its font is relatively similar to Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy characters, with strong muscles and solemn beauty.
Fountain pen font is a font that imitates hard-pen calligraphy. It is similar to pen calligraphy. The strokes are more lively and have the beauty of being connected and uninterrupted like lotus roots.
Variety font is an art font. It maintains the thick and powerful characteristics of bold strokes, and makes bold changes in the structure and strokes of the characters, giving it artistic beauty.
Beautiful Heilongjiang combines the beauty of Song Dynasty and the solid beauty of Heilongji.
The font of Amber is full and round, bold and bold, and superimposed naturally.
3. The use of Chinese characters
After understanding the types and characteristics of fonts, how to use them correctly can make people read easily and visually comfortable without losing the charm of various fonts. It is even more important to consider the styling characteristics and national appreciation habits, etc., and pay attention to the structural beauty of the fonts and the overall beauty of the article. We know that the vast majority of Chinese character fonts are square (some are long, such as Yao style, Song style; some are flat, such as Li style, Li variant, etc.). This is the shape characteristic of Chinese characters, and should be used during use. Keep this feature as much as possible, so that the font can play its role and make a certain form serve certain content to obtain the best use and publicity effect.
In the process of using Song fonts, regardless of their size, as long as they are square, they will not lose their characteristics. If you use typesetting software to stretch or flatten it at will, its characteristics will be affected to a certain extent. The greater the extent of elongation and flattening, the greater the loss of its characteristics, so pay attention to it when arranging. Generally speaking, it is appropriate to use a computer to process square characters with a height-to-width ratio of 2:3 or 3:2. Once this ratio is exceeded, the font will look awkward, unsightly, and does not comply with the law of the golden section (0.618). For other types of fonts, the height-to-width ratio should also be controlled at 2:3 or 3:2 when processed by typesetting software.
For calligraphy fonts such as regular script, Xingkai, Li style, Wei style, Shu style, and Yan style, it is best to use them in their original form without any deformation. Because these fonts belong to the category of calligraphy, their font structure is extremely strict. As long as they are slightly processed and the height and width are slightly changed, the original style will be lost. If you encounter an unavoidable situation, the height-to-width ratio should be strictly controlled within the range of 3:4 or 4:3. If this ratio is exceeded, the effect will be difficult to accept. In addition, the Li style and Li variant characters themselves are flat characters, so they must not be stretched during use, otherwise it will be like putting a beautiful image in front of a funny mirror, and the effect can be imagined.
When using design software to perform special processing on fonts, such as designing three-dimensional, embossed, chamfered, hollowed out, overlapping, hollow, bold, thinned, slanted, etc. effects, it should be based on the various fonts. The structure and stroke characteristics are processed. Generally speaking, fonts with thin strokes should not be given a three-dimensional effect, while fonts with thick strokes can be given a three-dimensional effect. For example, designing the Song font into a three-dimensional effect or chamfering effect will not look good because the horizontal strokes of the Song font are too thin; while designing the Hei, Wei, Li, etc. into three-dimensional characters will have a better effect, but the thickness of the three-dimensional shadow will not be the same. Should be more than 1 times the stroke width. If the font is outlined, the width of the outline should not exceed the width of the stroke itself, and should be 1/3 to 1/2 of the stroke width. For special design and processing of text using design software, it is best to be operated by professionals with art foundation to avoid being counterproductive.
Generally no special treatment is allowed for the font of the article body. For foreign language, numbers and ethnic minority character fonts, they can be compared and analyzed with various fonts of Chinese characters. For example, fonts with thicker strokes and a square head shape can be used in the bold style of Chinese characters; such as fonts with large changes in strokes and different thicknesses, can be used in the Song style of Chinese characters; such as fonts with large stroke changes and strong randomness, It can be used according to the Xingkai and Shu styles of Chinese characters. If the fonts of foreign languages ??and ethnic minority languages ??are used appropriately, good results can also be obtained.
For celebrity inscriptions, they can be used in the same way as photos and pictures. They can be used as long as they are scanned or photographed. They must not be deformed. Only the spacing and height of the characters can be slightly processed. The originality of the inscriptions must be maintained. The style and photos are not distorted.
As for the use of Chinese characters in specific articles, most books and periodicals generally use size 5 or small 5 Song fonts. Recently, publications also use thin circle or thin isoline fonts, but most people think that it is difficult to read. The effect is not as good as Song Dynasty. Newspapers mostly used small number 5 to report the Song Dynasty. Some small articles were printed in regular script, imitating the Song Dynasty and other fonts to change the monotonous and rigid layout and make it appear lively. At the same time, it could also be distinguished from adjacent articles.
Since the font size of titles in newspapers and periodicals is large, they can be typeset in a variety of fonts, and laces, shading, etc. can be added to make the layout more flexible and diverse, but there must also be some use of fonts. method. For example: when encountering solemn and serious articles, such as articles on rules and regulations, criticism and other types of articles, the titles generally use solemn and serious boldface fonts; articles on literature, art, reviews and other articles can use some lively fonts, such as Xingkai, Kaiti, etc. ; For some satirical articles, you can choose Wei style, Shu style, etc. The selection of these fonts is generally determined by the editor. The specific operators usually just follow the rules. When individual modifications are required, the editor's consent is required. When you encounter some less knowledgeable customers, you can make choices based on the above principles for their reference.
The use of common laces and shadings
In computer typesetting, there are thousands of laces and shadings to choose from. In addition, newspapers and periodicals can also be used for head and tail flowers. Various forms of cartoons, simple drawings, etc. Appropriate use of some lace and shading can make the layout appear novel, beautiful, lively and generous, and play a certain foiling role.
1. The main role of lace and shading in the layout
Lace and shading do not appear independently on the layout, but are used in combination with titles or text. The People's Daily, which in the past did not or rarely used lace or shading in its headlines, has now changed its serious look and uses lace and shading on every page. The common use of lace and shading on the layout adds many unexpected effects to the layout. Its functions on the layout can be roughly summarized as follows:
(1) Highlight key points
Important manuscripts can be highlighted with the help of lines. For example, if you add an outer frame to the entire article or add thin lines in the column gaps of the article, coupled with special title word effects and unique text fonts and font size effects, the layout will be different from other articles. differences that attract the reader's attention. Adding shading to the title will form unique "surfaces" on the page, which are particularly eye-catching and can easily create a strong impression on the page. Therefore, adding shading to the title of key manuscripts can highlight the key points.
(2) Distinguishing effect
Add lace between articles to separate them more clearly, avoid illusions, and facilitate reading. In addition, you can also add a light shading or a colored shading to adjacent articles to effectively distinguish the articles.
(3) Combination effect
A group of manuscripts reflecting the same theme often need to be grouped together with lace to form an overall feeling in order to distinguish them from other types of manuscripts . Also, when a press release is accompanied by a review, photo, and photo caption, use lines to tie it all together. Speech articles generally use regular script, but the characters in regular script are tight and small, and the distance between characters is large, giving people a loose feeling. Therefore, speech articles often use lace frames to "bundle" the articles. , to enhance the sense of compactness.
(4) Express feelings
Since the shapes of lace are different, their styles and emotional colors are also different. Lace composed of various patterns appears more vivid, lively and decorative. Stronger; civil and military lines and straight lines of different thicknesses appear simple, deep and serious. Good news, good deeds, anecdotes, etc. are suitable for decoration with lace; while critical or revealing reports, reports reflecting difficult situations, and reports that can arouse people's sadness should not be decorated with patterned lace, but thicker ones should be chosen. black line frame, civil and military line frame. Similarly, adding a black line frame around general news photos or landscape photos can give the picture a more sophisticated feel, but if the picture is a portrait of a person, you must not add a black line frame arbitrarily. Because the shading has different patterns and different levels, it has different emotional colors. When using shading, you must pay great attention to this point. For example, if the content of the article is about something festive, when shading the title, you can choose a more lively or lighter pattern (except for color). It is not appropriate to add a dark shading and hang a "blackboard" there. For articles with solemn and serious content, the shading chosen should not be too fancy.
(5) Beautification effect
Appropriate use of lines can add changes to the entire layout, making it appear lively and lively. The lace has a certain beauty in shape and can also produce decorative aesthetic effects. Therefore, the rigid status of some layouts can be changed. Except for pure black shading, most shadings are patterned, especially various light-colored or colored shadings that do not mask the words. In addition to having patterns themselves, their shapes can also be "cut" into various shapes. Various shapes can be placed anywhere on the layout to balance and beautify the layout. Therefore, shading has a natural beautifying function. Appropriate use of shading on the layout can make the layout more active.
(6) Forming a layout style
Using lines according to certain rules can also form a certain layout style. For example, in the "News and Publishing News", sometimes each article is arranged in a rectangle and surrounded by wireframes, forming one area after another, making the layout a whole composed of many sections, which is clear at a glance, and the layout is simple and bright.
In terms of typesetting, with the continuous improvement of the technical level of typesetting personnel, many excellent typesetting examples and techniques have been created in newspaper typesetting. Sometimes an article looks very monotonous without lace or decoration, but as long as some lace or decoration is added, it will make the article lively and achieve unexpected effects.
2. Comprehensive application of lace, shading and text
(1) Combination of shading and title content
Because the shading consists of various patterns Therefore, when decorating the title with shading, if the title content can be combined with the pattern, the title and the shading will complement each other and enhance the reader's appeal.
But if not combined well, it can be self-defeating. For news with more serious content such as politics and economics, the shading of the title should be plainer, while for articles or newsletters with light content such as culture and art, the shading should be more lively.
(2) Shading and matching of shading
When decorating a title with shading, sometimes more than one shading is used. Because the title often has both a theme and a lead or subtitle, in order to make the title rich in decorative changes, one kind of shading is often used for the theme and another for the lead or subtitle. In addition, another shading can be superimposed or covered at any position in the shading to obtain different effects of typesetting. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the matching of shading and shading, and there are only three types of matching. The first is plain shading and plain shading, usually with matching shades, and the characters above are made into yin characters and yang characters respectively. The second is floral shading and plain shading. Since the plain shading pattern is relatively fine, the floral shading pattern matched with it should not be too large, otherwise the contrast will be too great, giving people a sense of being out of place. The third is flower shading and flower shading. This combination is difficult to master and is generally not used.
(3) The combination of shading and lace
When beautifying the title, lace and shading are combined. This combination of lines and surfaces often produces a strong decorative effect. Sometimes, it is necessary to add lace around the shading. For example, when using a shading with a large pattern, the surroundings are often uneven. If you use lace to surround a frame, it will look perfect. When combining shading and lace, there is a certain gap between the lace and the shading, which makes it look unsightly when the shading area is small. This situation can be solved in two ways. The first is to reduce the line number of the lace; the second is to place the shading outside the lace for typesetting. If the area of ??the shading can be slightly larger than the lace during typesetting, and then overlap it, the problem of blank space can be solved.
(4) The combination of shading, fonts, and font sizes
More solemn fonts such as Hengti and Songti should be matched with plain shading; Lively fonts with appropriate flower shading will be particularly beautiful. If the font size is larger, it can be matched with any shading. If the font size is small, it is not advisable to use a floral shading with too thick lines and too large patterns. Otherwise, the words will be submerged in the floral shading and affect reading. In addition, when arranging small fonts, all fonts should be outlined in white to avoid confusion with the shading. Of course, when printing shading in color, the fonts do not need to be outlined.
(5) Combination of patterns and pattern characters
Various pattern characters can be made on the shading.
Deep shading should be made into negative characters or black characters with white borders; light shading should be made into black characters or hollow characters with black borders. Any shading should be made into black characters with white borders and black frames. Whether it is three-dimensional with hollow black edges or three-dimensional with black characters and white edges, the shading should not be too deep.
In addition, shading (especially dark or completely black shading) also plays a role in balancing the weight of the page in the layout of newspapers and periodicals. For example, the title font size in the upper left corner of a newspaper is thicker and larger. If there is no big title or picture in the lower right corner, you can choose some small black backgrounds to make subtitles or small advertisements with negative characters, etc., so as to balance the weight of the entire page and make people's visual comfort.
In addition, in typesetting (mainly books and periodicals), decorative images such as front and end flowers in newspapers and periodicals, cartoons or simple drawings are sometimes used to enhance the flexibility of the layout (such as Place them next to or above the title, etc.) and promote the integrity of the layout (such as placing them in the blank space at the end of the article), which can play a finishing touch. The selection of these decorative pictures should also pay attention to the coordination with the content of the article and cannot be arbitrary. Use it indiscriminately to avoid self-defeating.
For the special treatment of text, the application of lace, shading, etc., generally speaking, we should pay attention to the following three points: first, it must not be the same, such as using the same form in the same layout; second, Don't overdo it. If each title is specially treated with lace and shading, it will make the entire layout look messy; thirdly, in addition to the fixed format, the layout must be different within an appropriate time. Changes should not make people see the same old faces. "Heaven remains unchanged and Tao remains unchanged." These are all issues that should be paid attention to in typesetting.