Typesetters actually used to “set” type and fonts and weights (thus, the moniker). Back when such design capabilities were not just a quick keystroke away as they are today, old-school headlines were written with every word — or nearly every word — initial-capped on every word:

• Jane Doe Relocates To Denver, Buys Mountain

Such stylized formatting helped readers back in the day know that the headline was, indeed, separate from whatever followed. More robust. More important. More headlinerish. The mix of uppercase and lowercase letters was a technique that was supposed to draw readers in, hopefully to have them become engaged with whatever followed. And that technique taught readers that the headline was a headline simply because every first letter of every (or nearly every) word was bigger than the rest. Sometimes, though, that technique focused more on the presence of the headline than on what followed.

In this modern world of faster-than-Superman wordsmiths who can craft headlines as they go, type treatment has evolved — so says the AP Stylebook. For some time now, the go-to writer’s guide has mandated initial caps only for the first word in the headline, as well as any proper nouns:

• Jane Doe relocates to Denver, buys mountain

Easy, simple and clean.

Character design overload: down style, all caps, all initial caps and an improperly used ellipsis, to boot.

Tiny articles (e.g., a, an, the) and prepositions (e.g., to, of, for) no longer receive preferential initial-uppercase treatment. The size of the initial letters no longer suggests heightened meaning. Now, writers must truly offer compelling text that lures casual passers-by, drawing them into their mystical world of words. Headlines must make the reader want to read more, not only the headline.

Viva the down-style headline! If nothing else, it’s easier on the reader’s eye. It invites readers instead of coercing them. It implies a (slightly) higher level of understanding rather than speaking to the audience as if it’s a first-grade teacher reading a held-up book. That alone must count for something.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Alamosbasement.