What makes this page a BFD: A better photo than almost everyone else.
Last night's State of the Union address provided little news or drama, which was reflected in America's front pages today. The best front design today would be the one that made the most of the State of the Union, despite the meager offerings. Most papers used the same headline for Bush's speech: "Give it a chance" or "America must not fail." Likewise, most used the same, lifeless photo of Bush at the podium. The Washington Post was typical of these uninspired solutions.
In contrast, the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle blew off Bush almost entirely, using a remarkably low-tech visual metaphor for their high-tech story. The Chicago Sun-Times pushed the boundaries of good taste with a teaser you gotta see. Words can't do it justice.
Day Two of the Rocky Mountain News redesign saw a return to hard news and clarity of presentation – nothing like the magazine-style cover served up yesterday. (They still need to add space between those teasers – there are two up there but they read as one.)
Today's best front design is the Hartford Courant. The Courant stood out because they broke from the pack with their choice of lead photo. This rarely seen image by Lawrence Jackson was the only "moment photo" of the lot today. Feigned or not, the expressions and gesture seem human and genuine.
The Courant put the speech in perspective by offering short-form text on all the key points: energy, global warming, health, education, Iraq, immigration and spending. The entire package was nicely framed and organized with a cushion of white space. Lead headline and image cleared the fold for effective single-copy presentation.
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ONLINE NEWSPAPER DESIGN Read Steve Outing's interview with Alan Jacobson and learn why newspaper web sites are seriously flawed. Then see alternatives.
EDITORIAL, CLASSIFIED & ONLINE NEWSPAPER DESIGN Our redesigns are catalysts for positive change. Visit the gallery to see how we've transformed publications and websites. EDITORIAL NEWSPAPER DESIGN
NEWSPAPER DESIGN WHITEPAPER A redesign is a waste of time and money if it doesn't deliver a return on investment. Download our report to learn how to make your redesign pay off, then see how four newspapers boosted readership and revenue by following our advice. TARGETED PUBLICATIONS
INTERACTIVE TOUR See in detail how a content-driven redesign did more than make a community daily look better – it made it a better paper. RADICAL STRATEGIES FOR CIRCULATION WOES
A newspaper war, that is. The Sunday Star Times, New Zealand's largest newspaper, faces fierce competition on the newsstand from two tabloids. So it was redesigned to improve its above-the-fold presentation. The complete story will appear here and in the next issue of SND's DESIGN.
The Californian's redesign earned it a spot on Editor & Publisher's list of “Ten That Do it Right.” According to E&P, Bakersfield is appealing to its “really, really conservative market with a really, really radical redesign.”
And it’s working.
Circulation stops are down and revenue is up – over a thousand inches in the redesigned real estate section alone.
See before and after, see more pages and read the stories.
The Eureka (CA) Reporter was just a 6,000-circ. weekly in 2004. Our radical yet elegant redesign helped this startup weekly grow to a daily in less than two years. The Reporter goes head-to-head with an established daily owned by Dean Singleton, who told The San Francisco Chronicle last month that his competitor, “does some good design things.” The Society of News Design agrees – they cited this redesign as one of the best in the world. See more pages.
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Len Downie's memo calls for more emphasis on design.>>
Read our abbreviated version of API's report. It'll only take a minute and it's worth it.>>
See the charts that show why now is the time to redesign for revenue.>>
A practical, step-by-step approach with examples from newspapers large and small.>>
Learn from KnightRidder's mistakes at the Inky and the Merc.>>
This online redesign is not enough to please users and advertisers.>>
Design does matter to readers, but only if it's reader driven.>>
If newspaper markets are so different,
why do most papers look so much alike?>>
I wish you luck and offer some advice.>>
This overhyped trend is a non-starter for America.>>
We can make a difference, but not by chasing awards.>>
At stake is nothing less than newspapers as we know them.>>
A thousand awards a year? Gimme a break.>>
They never said higher RBS scores would sell more newspapers.>>
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