Analysing a front page: headlines, images and layout
English · Key Stage 3 · The School
Headline language
A headline has almost no space, so every word is chosen deliberately. Short, punchy words carry more impact than long, formal ones. Alliteration and wordplay make a headline memorable. A question headline invites the reader in without committing the paper to an answer.
Image choice and size
The image on a front page is not simply illustration — it is an argument in itself. A close-up face shows emotion and makes a story feel personal. A wide shot of a crowd shows scale. The SIZE of an image signals importance: a huge photo says "this matters most today", regardless of how the headline is worded.
Where a story sits
The MASTHEAD story, at the very top, is the day's single most important piece. Stories lower down or in smaller print are being signalled as less urgent, even if they are, in truth, equally significant. Placement is a judgement the editor has already made for the reader, before the reader has read a word.
A front page reports a proposed new tax. Version A: small headline, no image, placed low on the page — signalling a minor, technical story. Version B: huge headline reading "FAMILIES TO PAY THE PRICE", a large photo of a worried-looking parent, placed at the very top. Both could report the exact same facts about the same tax. Version A signals "this is routine policy detail". Version B signals "this is a crisis that will hurt you personally" — before the reader has read a single sentence of the actual article. Comparing the headline, the image and the placement together, not just the words, is what a genuine front-page analysis actually does.