For years, photo cutouts and superimposed headlines were taboo in newsrooms. But look at magazines now. Look at newsmagazines like Time and Newsweek; they run shadowed photo silhouettes and fancy reversed headlines everywhere. Newspapers are behind the curve when it comes to stylizing images. They still treat photos, especially local photos, like sacred art objects.

You can argue either side and never get anywhere. So try this: Bring a pile of magazines into the newsroom. Analyze the cutouts, the superimposed headlines. Discuss what works, what doesn’t. See if you can reach agreement on where to draw the line. Designate certain places in the paper (Features, Sports, the front-page promos) where it’s OK to bend the rules.

In other words: Expand the boundaries gradually — don’t alienate your photographic colleagues in a sudden race to become Rolling Stone magazine.

And use common sense. Yes, you can attract readers by presenting images more dramatically. But you can quickly destroy the integrity of many photos by badly cropping, loudly overprinting type, or cutting out inappropriately. Taste and skill always play a major part in the success or failure of any design effect.