34 published examples
In review I look at scan time first. Cover the section, then uncover it for three seconds. Can you name the newest piece, the kind of writing, and where the full archive lives? If those three answers are fuzzy, the layout is competing with itself. Equal cards are honest and easy to maintain. They sag when every crop, every title length, and every stock photo is identical. Four-line headlines turn a tidy trio into a wall. I tend to keep a single metadata line—type or date—unless the library is large enough that people will actually sort. A featured lead earns its height when you publish in bursts. One wide story says the site is alive. Pair it with a quiet archive link instead of a second row that shouts just as loud. Photography should argue for the click. Abstract color blocks are fine for product education; they look cheap next to a real customer or a real place. Filters and read times only pay off if each bucket will still hold a few pieces next quarter. Empty chips make the section feel unfinished.
Yes, if the visitor’s job is to keep reading about this company. Split them if the jobs differ: proof versus opinion versus product education. When you mix, the type label has to be the first readable thing on the card, not a whisper under a photo. Otherwise people open a case study expecting a point of view and leave.
Three is enough when cards are image-led and titles run long. Six to nine suits a denser newsroom grid. A single featured story can carry a homepage if you publish slowly. The last visible item should still look chosen. If you are filling a row with older leftovers, drop the row.
Use a list when recency and type matter more than atmosphere—updates, interviews, announcements, research notes. A thumbnail plus a date-forward headline scans faster than a photo grid, and it stays readable when images are uneven. Cards win when the picture is the hook, as in hospitality, food, or fashion editorial.
