Chapter 3

Conceptual Framework

The redesign of the Philippine Daily Inquirer triggered a response in the readers of

the broadsheet. This brought the idea of visual communication in newspapers as a new

way of possibly helping the print industry to rise again and get more audience

engagement. With this observation, this chapter presented a conceptual framework

regarding the design and layout of newspapers and the audience reception towards it.

Gestalt Theory of Design. Gestalt Theory of Design was utilized in this study as

a means of finding out what the components of the front page will be and what will be the

audience’s reaction towards it (See Figure 3).

Figure 3

Philippine Daily Inquirer. This is the topmost part of the conceptual framework.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer issued a redesign of their newspaper which was looked at

in this study through the Gestalt Theory of Design.

 Similarity. This component looks at what components of the newspaper are

similar enough to make it look unified. A unified layout pertains to the technical devices:

font, pictures, font size, headlines, and placement of the text and pictures.

Continuation or Continuity. This component looks at the elements of the front

page that compel the eye to move in a certain direction. What was the reader compelled

to look at first glance, articles and pictures in horizontal or vertical format?

Closure. This component looks at the parts of the front page that are packed tight

and leave empty spaces. Were the readers more likely to read newspapers that are more

compact as opposed to newspapers with loose spacings?

Proximity. This component looks at the parts of the front page that are placed

together in a certain distance to make it look unified. Were the elements in the newspaper,

such as the colored text boxes, etc., smartly placed?

Figure or Ground. This component looks at the part of the front page that gives

the audience a clear perspective that it is separated from the background. Would the

readers be able to clearly point out the banner story on the front page?

Symmetry and Order. This component looks at the parts of the front page that

give the reader the idea that the parts are balanced. Were the pictures and articles evenly

distributed throughout the front page?

Audience Perception. In relation to feedback, the audience perception would look

at whether the audience preferred the current or old layout of the front page of the

Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Chapter 4
Method

The study, after the review of the related literature, used qualitative method with

quantified data to find out how design and layout could amplify the print platform of the

Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI). The goal was to determine the audience perception and

their preferences in the design and layout of the front page of PDI through the Gestalt

Principle. To discover such, the research was conducted in a sequential fashion, where

it first identified and analyzed the elements present in the front page using Dr. Mario

Garcia’s 2016 presentation of the PDI front page. Subsequently, the study made use of

a survey to know the reading habits and newspaper design preferences of its

respondents. Following the survey, several respondents were chosen for a focus group

discussion to further delve into the readers’ design preferences on the front page’s design

and layout. The questions presented in the survey questionnaire were derived from

previous literature, while the questions used in the focus group discussion were grounded

on the respondents’ answers and from the Gestalt Principle. In doing so, the results would

answer the question of whether or not the design and layout could help amplify the print

platform and increase reader attraction.

4.1 Design

The design of the thesis was on a comparative-exploratory scale. The comparative

aspect of the study manifested at the contrast between the previous and current layout of

the PDI.
 Dr. Mario Garcia’s illustration of the PDI’s front page was used as the grounds for

the identification, analysis, and factual comparison of the elements present in the PDI

front page. Garcia’s front page cited the colors and fonts present in the current design.

In addition, the Gestalt Principle was also used as a guideline in further identifying

the components of design present in the PDI. The design and layout of the PDI front page

were analyzed through Gestalt’s six principles: similarity, figure, proximity, closure,

continuity, and symmetry. These principles conceptualized the other elements of the front

page including the font sizes, placement, and spacing between the elements.

A factual comparison between the previous and current layout was conducted

based on the data presented by Garcia and principles of Gestalt.

The exploratory part of the thesis examined the audience perception towards the

current layout of the PDI. It intended to explore if the audience preferred the current layout

compared to the old one or the other way around, and if they are more encouraged to buy

and read the newspaper after the redesign.

A survey was initially administered in order to find out the reading habits and design

preferences of its respondents. The respondents were asked if they know about the

Inquirer’s redesign and if they are reading its print counterpart. Furthermore, they were

also asked to scale their attraction towards the two front pages’ layout and design. Lastly,

the respondents were probed about their preferences in buying and reading the Inquirer

between its previous and current layout.

For the latter part of the study, a focus group discussion was conducted to find out

the reasoning behind the respondents’ answers. They were randomly chosen from the

survey respondents and were further questioned about their design preferences and
reading experience. The focus group discussion also included questions on how the

respondents felt about the current layout, and their tendencies to buy and read the

Inquirer because of its updated design.

Results from the factual comparison and surveys were illustrated in tables and

diagrams. Meanwhile, quotations and highlights from the focus group discussion would

help establish more concrete responses.

4.2. Approximation of Content and Respondents

One copy of the previous and current front pages of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

were used for the study. For the previous layout of the PDI, the front page used was from

August 29, 2016 (See Figure 1). On the other hand, the thesis utilized the front page of

the PDI last June 08, 2017 (See Figure 2) to represent the current layout of the

newspaper. Both were chosen based on content and the elements present in the layout.

Both newspapers had the same subject, which was about conflict in Marawi, to eliminate

biases on the news content. And both newspapers chosen contained the commonly

present elements usually found in the Inquirer broadsheet.

Figure 1. The August 29, 2016 front page of the PDI.

Figure 2. The June 08, 2017 front page of the PDI.

 Both newspapers were used as the subject for the factual comparison in terms of

the technical elements such as the colors, font styles, font sizes, images, and spacing.

The newspapers were also utilized in presentation during the survey and the focus group

discussion, in fulfillment of one of the objectives of the research.

There were 40 respondents chosen at random through stratified random sampling.

They vary from students to individuals in Manila who may or may not necessarily be

employed. They were also either readers or non-readers of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

broadsheet. The respondents of the study did not have any formal education and

background behind visual arts and techniques.

For the latter part of the research, six respondents were chosen at random from

the original 40 to participate in the focus group discussion. They were a diverse group of

readers and non-readers of the PDI and had varying answers in terms of their preferences

between the previous and current layout of the newspaper.

4.3. Data Measure

Comparative Chart. The criteria for the factual content comparison were coded

based on Garcia’s findings and the Gestalt Principle, which is a principle that refers to

visual perception and how unified the front page will look. As illustrated in Table 1, the

principles were applied towards the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Table 1. Criteria for the factual content comparison.
ELEMENTS DEFINITION

The colors present in the Philippine Daily Inquirer as

Color Scheme
cited by Dr. Mario Garcia.
The font styles used in the texts of the Philippine Daily
Font Style
Inquirer as cited by Dr. Mario Garcia.
The font size that were used in the body and headlines
Font Size of the Philippine Daily Inquirer as derived from the
principles of Gestalt.
The placement of several elements of the Philippine
Placement of Elements Daily Inquirer such as the images, texts, and the
masthead. This is derived from the principles of Gestalt.
The spacing between the different elements of the
Spacing between the
Philippine Daily Inquirer. This is derived from the
Elements
principles of Gestalt.

ELEMENTS OLD DESIGN NEW DESIGN

Color Scheme

Font Style

Font Size
Placement of Elements
(i.e. masthead, images,
and text)
Spacing between the
Elements

Comparative Chart. The criteria for the factual content comparison were coded

based on the Gestalt Principle, which is a principle that refers to visual perception and

how unified the front page will look. As shown in Table 1, the principles that were applied
would measure how unified the newspaper would look in terms of: a) figure, b) similarity,

c) proximity, d) closure, e) continuity, and f) symmetry.

OLD DESIGN NEW DESIGN

HORIZONTAL VERTICAL HORIZONTAL VERTICAL
Continuity
YES NO YES NO
Similarity
Closure
Proximity
Figure and
Ground
Symmetry and
Order

Survey Questionnaire. The survey questions were derived from reviewed

literature. The questions were about the respondents’ reading habits, their awareness of

the Philippine Daily Inquirer and its rethink, their visual preferences of the readers towards

the current and previous layout, and their behavior in buying and reading the PDI after its

rethink. See Appendix A for the survey questionnaire.

Interview Guide. The interview questions directed towards the respondents were

based on their answers from the survey questionnaire and the Gestalt Principle. The

groups were further probed on their preferences between the current and previous layout,

and the likelihood of the chosen respondents to buy and read the Inquirer after its

redesign. Furthermore, the respondents were asked about how they felt about each

element and the overall layout of the newspaper. See Appendix B for the interview guide.
4.4. Data Collection Procedures

The research compared the previous and current design and layout of the

Philippine Daily Inquirer. The front pages used were taken from Inquirer’s archives and

were reviewed in terms of news and design content. The chosen issues were PDI’s front

page last August 29, 2016 to represent the previous layout, and PDI’s front page last

June 08, 2017 for the current layout. Prior to the actual survey, a pretest was conducted

to five individuals to evaluate the cohesiveness of the questionnaire and the effectiveness

of the chosen front pages.

After the final revision of the questionnaire, a survey was administered to 40

individuals who are residing in Manila. While answering the survey, the respondents were

presented with the previous layout of the Inquirer first, followed by the current layout, and

finally, both front pages were presented side-by-side for comparison. The answers were

coded and 6 people were chosen at random to participate in the focus group discussion.

The focus group discussion was held at different times to accommodate to the

schedule of the chosen participants. No specific time limit had been implemented to allow

more information to be shared and follow-up questions to be asked. The six interviewees

were divided into two groups and were interviewed separately. They were still presented

with the same front pages and were asked to further elaborate their answers from the

survey, with added questions regarding the paper’s overall look. The answers of the

respondents were recorded, transcribed, and then were used to further concretize the

study’s findings and conclusion.

4.5. Mode of Analysis

The data obtained from the content analysis of the front pages of the Philippine

Daily Inquirer were collated in a comparative chart. This was an organized way in

evaluating the identified elements in the previous and current layout of the newspaper.

The criteria were anchored on Garcia’s data and were derived from the principles of

Gestalt.

The responses from the survey were coded using an Excel spreadsheet. The

answers were computed to accurately measure the answers and the levels in terms of

the scale-based questions. The answers were illustrated in diagrams and charts for easier

comprehension of the results.

The answers in the focus group discussion were recorded and transcribed to

ensure the accuracy of the quotations. The answers were then substantiated using the

review of related literature and the Gestalt Theory. The findings of the three sequential

procedures helped in identifying and determining if the design and layout amplified the

print platform of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

4.6. Ethical Considerations

The previous front pages of the Philippine Daily Inquirer were looked up online

from the Inquirer’s website. Respondents for the survey were chosen at random and were

asked if they were willing to participate in a focus group discussion. Six of those who

agreed were then randomly selected and then contacted through their given contact

number and email requesting their participation in the study.

 The focus group discussion was audio-recorded for data gathering, but the

respondents had the choice to refuse to be recorded. They were also given the free will

to answer in the language they were comfortable with, either in Filipino or in English. On

the other hand, the survey respondents also had a consent form signed saying that they

agree that the information they put were used for research purposes.