Production and the page
Sidebar
A short, self-contained item that runs alongside a main story to add facts, background or a related angle.
A sidebar breaks a subject into digestible pieces. The main story carries the narrative; the sidebar holds the things that would clog it, a timeline, a list of key players, a single case study, a box explaining the method behind the numbers. It gives the reader a second way into the page and the designer a useful block to build with. Keep it tight and let it stand on its own, because many readers will look at it before the main piece.