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Time for Re-Design in 2007

Posted on January 05, 2007 by Jeff Sanchez.

It's a new year and as it has probably  been said many times already, out with the old and in with the new. A fresh year is always a great opportunity to revamp the designs of your publications. As a new year begins, many readers may expect to a see a new format in some of their subscriptions.

Take for instance the revamped Wall Street Journal. NewsDesigner.com gives a taste of the new Journal, which I guess you can say has cut down the fat. It's now slimmed down with narrower columns and added splashes of color. Designer Mario Garcia, responsible for the Journal's new design, gives the eight principles followed for the redesign and many of them can easily be applied to a re-design of any  online or print publications:

1. Make it easier for readers to navigate the Journal.
The Journal long has been a pioneer in this
area, with its famous “What’s News” columns
on page one pointing to key stories inside the
paper. But we have introduced new, more visual
guideposts at the top of each section front, and
labeling on every page.

2. Create a hierarchy of stories, so readers know
the relative importance of news. The size of
headlines and the placement of stories within
the architecture of a page should make it clear
to readers what stories matter most, to help
them prioritize their reading.

3. Maintain the best visual traditions of the Journal.
Readers of The Wall Street Journal like the
paper’s traditions—the 70-year-old “What’s
News” columns, the serendipity of an offbeat
feature on the front page, the hand-drawn stipple
portraits. Readers should recognize their
Journal.

4. Remember that Journal readers come to read,
not to look. We wanted to steer readers to the
strong content inside, with new display pages
inside the newspaper to showcase the authoritative,
long-form journalism that people expect
of the Journal.

5. Innovate graphically where improvements can
be made. Today’s Journal features a new, custom
typeface that is easier to read. We have
introduced more art elements throughout the
paper. We use color more to emphasize areas of
importance, but we stuck to a limited palette of
mostly pastel hues.

6. Don’t skimp on good journalism. In an era when
information is often truncated for fast digestion,
the Journal’s trademark Page One stories
are refreshing for their authority, depth and
completeness. We underscored the importance
of those stories by creating a new, daily space
for their continuations and graphics, just before
the opinion pages.

7. Balance long-form stories with secondary readings
and quick story summaries. You will see
new “In Brief” columns on some pages, as well
as what we’re calling “summary boxes,” to amplify
and highlight the main news events and
points of longer stories.

8. Guide readers to the Online Journal—but don’t
overdo it. A large number of the Journal’s print
readers also read the Journal online. But they
don’t want to feel they have to go online to get
“the rest” of a story.

Take a look at the new Journal here.

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January 5, 2007 in award winning newsletter, Blogging Tools, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, Business editorial, Business Marketing, Business relationships, company blog, company newsletter sample, Company publication, corporate magazine, Corporate publications, create a newsletter | Permalink

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