Columnist confesses: 'I Read the National Enquirer!'

● Huge type. I mean HUGE. Some Enquirer headlines go beyond 100-point type, dominating their pages. It’s the visual equivalent of a blaring siren. You will pay attention to it.

● Flexible layout. While most Enquirer spreads maintain a grid, the rules are stretched to the breaking point. Headlines are sometimes below their stories. Type is over photos (headlines are more often over photos than not). Photos frequently are tilted at a slight angle, giving the sense that they are “snapshots.” Photos also are often cut out or cropped to unusual shapes, or even with “torn” edges. I wouldn’t recommend most of these techniques; you have to be a super ace designer to do stuff like that and not end up with an unreadable stew. And, well, it’s very tacky.