Remaking the Redesign

The word “redesign” is in need of a redesign.

In today’s media world, the act of designing follows extensive research, discussions, focus groups, coverage changes, fights, drinks and belly aches.

Only after every print and online element is considered, can the look and feel be determined.

I’ve heard the words remake, modernization, face-lift, overhaul and many others used in reference to redesigns. But, whatever word is used to label the updating of news publications now and in the future, we’ll need good models to guide their creation.

Let’s consider the recent remakes of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The (Baltimore) Sun.

After two years of research and hard work, the Star-Tribune recently completed the simultaneous reengineering and re-launch of its newspaper and Web site.

The overhaul included a marketing campaign in print and online that gives readers a look inside the change. The centerpiece of the campaign is a exceptionally well-executed online guide to the new designs. (There’s also a PDF version of the guide)

The guide features nice quality videos of the main players of the project discussing why it was done, and what went into it. A blog enables editors to respond to readers questions, concerns and comments. The use of video adds an element of personalization. Rarely do we get such a glimpse of the people behind the scenes in print and online newsrooms.
It appears that the creation of the guide was not an after-thought but an important part of an overall strategy to reach readers. Readers are always the focus of a big change, but how they are informed isn’t always considered on the front-end. The news industry could learn from other fields where the consumer experience is a critical element of product buy-in.

The (Baltimore) Sun employed a similar strategy with its recent redesign.

After more than a year of focus groups and research, and with the assistance of newspaper consultant Lucie Lacava, deputy managing editor Monty Cook and colleagues introduced the paper’s readers to a bold new Sun.

While The Sun focused only on the redesign of the print edition, they also created a useful guide to the redesign on their Web site. It features video and up-close details of the major changes to each section. The online guide gives the newsroom a more accessible feel, while targeting a younger audience.

As a marketing tool, including an online guide as a key part of a print redesign may also enhance a publication’s image as fresh and relevant.

Make no mistake. A redesign, remake or modernization is in your future. Some readers will love it, and some will hate it. You might hate it. But staying fresh and relevant in readers’ lives will require a level innovation and swiftness that hasn’t been experienced before.

The success of such efforts depends largely on the legwork done before fonts or color palettes are chosen. The journalists at the Star-Tribune and The Sun did their legwork, tested ideas and took their time. Models worth following.

What do you think of these redesigns?

RELATED LINKS
• Get a close-up view of the new Star-Tribune and Sun pages, and other recent redesigns, at VisualEditors.com.

The (Baltimore) Sun:
• Podcast from VisualEditors.com
The Sun’s Monty Cook and design consultant Lucie Lacava talk about the redesign of The Sun.
• Sun Deputy Managing Editor Monty Cook on NewsDesigner.com
• The Sun fonts
• Feedback from readers about the redesign

Star-Tribune:
• Reinventing Hard News in the Core Newspaper for Young Adults
The Star Tribune partnered with the Readership Institute to test pages with younger readers.
• Addressing reader feedback
• Editors blog

Recent Redesigns in the News:
The Guardian, London
• The Guardian‘s online guide
• The Guardian’s New European Look
• Guardian pages at VisualEditors.com

St. Louis Post Dispatch
• About the Redesign

The Wall Street Journal compact editions
• International Herald Tribune article
• Mario Garcia on the compact editions
• The Compact Journal