Diagonal Billing (or Staggered Billing)
A solution for equal movie star billing The 1974 disaster movie The Towering Inferno had the advantage of two huge stars: Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Supposedly, neither of them wanted to be portrayed as second to the other. So the studio had a problem: whose name should go first on the movie poster and in the credits? What is Diagonal Billing? Diagonal billing, sometimes called staggered billing, is a way of arranging the names of movie stars to give them equal prominence. Instead of listing one above or in line with the other, the names are placed diagonally: • one name in the bottom-left, • the other in the top-right. This balances the natural reading hierarchy—left to right, top to bottom—so that either name can be read first. It was the clever compromise used for McQueen and Newman in The Towering Inferno, and it has been repeated in many Hollywood films since. Why Diagonal Billing Works In English, we naturally read from left to right and top to bottom. We start reading this way in articles like this, but also posters, adverts, and web pages. Which means what we see top-left is naturally emphasised compared to what we encounter towards the end in the bottom-right. It's also why my sketches typically have a title in the top-left and a logo in the bottom-right: you're meant to see them in that order. Diagonal billing cancels out a name on the left by placing it at the bottom, and emphasises the name on the right by placing it at the top. Examples of Diagonal Billing Balancing Steve McQueen and Paul Newman in The Towering Inferno is how I first learned of staggered but equal billing (from my Dad, though he denies it). You can see the staggering of names in the original movie poster. Other examples include: Cheers TV credits: Ted Danson and Shelley Long Scenes from a Marriage (2021): Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac Chicago (2002): Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones Westworld (1973): James Brolin, Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004): Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow Righteous Kill (2008): Robert De Niro, Al Pacino Keep an eye out for it in movie posters and opening credits, and help me add to the examples! Related Ideas to Diagonal Billing Also see: The Gestalt principles of visual perception The Blur Your Eyes Test F-Shaped Reading The Rule of Thirds Use styling instead of colons Design for a Glance, a Look, a Read Information Radiator The real shape of a crossing (diagonal!) The site TV Tropes also discusses diagonal billing.
I hope the #admin team is getting the #acknowledgment for working and fixing the #cloudflare incident [1]! And for all the site only being available through cloudflair, you maybe want to think on a 2nd method.
[1] https://www.cloudflarestatus.com/incidents/8gmgl950y3h7
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🎩✨ Behold! The Magic Circle, in a groundbreaking move, finally acknowledges the existence of two guys who've been performing magic since
#dinosaurs roamed the Earth. 🦖 Meanwhile, the New York Times kindly asks you to sacrifice your soul (and privacy) for a chance to read about it. 📜🔒
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/arts/penn-teller-magic-circle.html #MagicCircle #Acknowledgment #NewYorkTimes #PrivacyConcerns #HackerNews #ngated
After 50 Years, the Magic Circle (Finally) Inducts Penn & Teller
There had been resistance to admitting the duo because of their willingness to reveal the secrets behind their illusions. But it was always more complicated than that.
This morning I acknowledged the land I stand on.
Getting a massage on my massage chair. It was needed.
Prayer, gratitude, and respect.
@3goodthings #gratitude #acknowledgment #selfcare #3GoodThingsToday #3goodthings
Sunbeams, dancing on spilled milk; a tiny grace.
Even small, unexpected joys deserve gratitude! Find the sunshine in every day. Share your appreciation! #gratitude #appreciation #acknowledgment #ShareYourJoy
https://zenli.xrevi.com/en/sunbeams-dancing-on-spilled-milk-tiny-grace/
Sunbeams, dancing on spilled milk; a tiny grace.
Even small, unexpected joys deserve gratitude! Find the sunshine in every day. Share your appreciation! #gratitude #appreciation #acknowledgment #ShareYourJoy
Sunbeams, tickling sleeping giants awake; that’s gratitude.
Feeling grateful? It's like sunshine waking up something amazing inside you! Share your appreciation! #gratitude #appreciation #acknowledgment #spreadthejoy
https://zenli.xrevi.com/en/sunbeams-tickling-sleeping-giants-awake-thats-gratitude/
Sunbeams, tickling sleeping giants awake; that’s gratitude.
Feeling grateful? It’s like sunshine waking up something amazing inside you! Share your appreciation! #gratitude #appreciation #acknowledgment #spreadthejoy
Sunlight spills, a gold coin in my palm. Thank you.
Feeling grateful? Let the simple things shine! Share your appreciation. What small gold coin brightens your day? #gratitude #appreciation #acknowledgment #ShareYourSunshine
https://zenli.xrevi.com/en/sunlight-spills-gold-coin-my-palm-thank-you/
Sunlight spills, a gold coin in my palm. Thank you.
Feeling grateful? Let the simple things shine! Share your appreciation. What small gold coin brightens your day? #gratitude #appreciation #acknowledgment #ShareYourSunshine
Sun-kissed raindrops: tiny thanks, vast joy.
Even small things deserve gratitude! Feeling thankful makes a big difference. Share your appreciation! #gratitude #appreciation #acknowledgment #spreadthejoy
https://zenli.xrevi.com/en/sun-kissed-raindrops-tiny-thanks-vast-joy/
Sun-kissed raindrops: tiny thanks, vast joy.
Even small things deserve gratitude! Feeling thankful makes a big difference. Share your appreciation! #gratitude #appreciation #acknowledgment #spreadthejoy
🐢 Wow, it's 2025 and Libera Chat just discovered
#burnout is a thing! 🎉 Only took them a few years to "finally" acknowledge what everyone else figured out decades ago. But hey, at least they're evaluating... something! 💼💤
https://libera.chat/news/burnout #LiberaChat #Acknowledgment #TechNews #CommunityWellness #SlowProgress #HackerNews #ngatedAddressing Burnout
Update: This was our April 1st 2025 prank. It was a reminder that burnout is real, especially in volunteer efforts, and that it has no easy answers. This is also a protest about the social burden created by LLMs - often trained using questionable ethics - including on the quality of support resources. And sometimes with the ultimate goal of replacing real human interactions that make communities like ours so special. <3
Weigh
#Critiques carefully—only voices of trusted
#Wisdom deserve
#Acknowledgment #FeedbaackLoop with Narghiza Ergashova
Inautilo
Chris 
N-gated Hacker News
NeeAnah 🇵🇷
Zenli EN
Narghiza Ergashova