Copying someone else's words may seem obvious, but plagiarism also exists with news design, though it is harder to document and even more difficult to punish.
If a design looks similar to another, could it be pure coincidence? I'm sure it's possible for two people to produce similar pages without knowing or seeing one other's work.
And how else will designers get inspiration except for looking at other well-designed pages?
Where do you draw the line between inspiration and plagiarism?
Take a look at these two pages.
This one was printed in the Virginian-Pilot Feb. 24, 2006.
The Journal Review printed this front page April 3, 2006.
Both centerpiece stories were about a smoking ban with the same shape and even extremely similar type. I find it hard to believe such similar results could be produced without copying.
While no legal action can be taken, closely copying another page makes a designer look lazy and unoriginal.
How can a designer stick to getting inspiration and avoid stealing? I heard a solid piece of advice once: It's OK to copy the idea but not the execution.
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