Brazilian graphic design for television is recognized as an important tendency in visual arts. The graphic design made for TV news is, however, very specific. It has to accomplish the same commitment to ethics and truthfulness that belongs to text journalism. The over-the-shoulder is a graphic product that best represents the connection between information and esthetics. It is a composition of graphic elements, placed beside the presenter or anchor, aiming to reinforce or complement the subject that is resented. In this research, four hundred images of Jornal Nacional`s over-the-shoulder images, exhibited between 1983 and 2002, were selected. In the analysis, five esthetic styles were identified, establishing a relationship with the techniques employed in production and exhibition of the over-the- shoulders. The present dissertation also studies the over- the-shoulder as a synthetic interpretation of social phenomenon.