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Newspaper · Countdown · 4 × 2 widget

Newspaper countdown widget

By the WidgetCraft team · Updated

A newspaper countdown widget counts the days left until a date you choose. Front-page layouts with a masthead, columns and black rules. This page gives the exact colors, type settings and layers, with a preview drawn from the same values.

Newspaper countdown widget design preview: Front-page layouts with a masthead, columns and black rules.
Design preview drawn from the recipe below. Example values are shown; your widget uses live data.

What a newspaper countdown widget shows

A countdown widget keeps one date in view: a trip, a birthday, an exam or a launch. The number of days is the hero, the event name gives it meaning and a bar shows how far along you are.

WidgetCraft's countdown layer works from the phone's clock, so it is free, needs no permission and works offline. You pick the target date in the layer's details.

How the newspaper style shapes it

Newspaper widgets copy a front page: a bold serif headline, a dateline in small capitals, double rules and tight columns in black on newsprint.

Newspaper countdown widget recipe

LayerSettings
Canvas360 × 180, background #F1EEE6, corner radius 0
Layoutsplit: label and event name on the left, the number right aligned and larger on the right
Textlabel "Days until", size 12, color #666159
Countdowndays remaining, Playfair Display, size 76, color #111111
Textevent name, size 20, color #111111
Progressa thin 4-point bar, 312 wide, progress #111111
Ornamenta masthead rule at the top made of a 4-point bar with a 1-point line beneath it, and a 1-point rule along the bottom
FontPlayfair Display (import the font file), or the built-in Serif
Home screen size4 × 2 cells

Newspaper color palette

How to make a newspaper countdown widget in WidgetCraft

  1. Create a widget and open Canvas. Set the size to 360 × 180, the background to #F1EEE6 and the corner radius to 0.
  2. Tap Add and choose Countdown. Pick your target date and show days only.
  3. Set the font to Playfair Display, the size to 76 and the color to #111111.
  4. Add a Text label "Days until" at size 12 in #666159, and a second Text layer for the event name at size 20.
  5. Add a Progress layer as a thin 4-point bar in #111111 to show how much of the wait has passed.
  6. Add the newspaper ornament with Shape layers and move them below the other layers in Layers: a masthead rule at the top made of a 4-point bar with a 1-point line beneath it, and a 1-point rule along the bottom.
  7. Tap Save, then Add to home screen and resize the widget on your launcher if needed.

Everything in this recipe works in the free version.

Tips for newspaper countdown widgets

Questions about the newspaper countdown widget

What size is a newspaper countdown widget?

It is designed for 4 × 2 home screen cells on a 360 × 180 canvas. You can resize it on the launcher and the design scales in proportion.

Which colors does it use?

Newsprint (#F1EEE6) for the background, Ink black (#111111) for the main text, Halftone (#666159) for labels and Ink black (#111111) as the accent.

Is it free to make?

Yes. Countdown widgets use free features in WidgetCraft, and the newspaper styling is free too.

What else is this style called?

People also search for news style countdown widget, headline countdown widget, print countdown widget. They describe the same look as this newspaper countdown widget.

More newspaper widgets

Countdown widgets in other styles