OFTEN AT THE START of a newspaper redesign process, when discussing with a new client what will be the right approach, I have compared the newspaper’s relation to its readers to that of a close friend. Their daily newspaper is someone who they see regularly, someone with whom they feel comfortable, someone whose opinions they value, and someone they rely on.
And how do we want our closest friends to be?
Speaking for myself, I appreciate if they basically stay the same – because the way they are was an important reason why we became friends in the first place – and yet sometimes give me small surprises by showing new sides of themselves or by making subtle changes, like getting a new haircut, or playing a different kind of music for me, or taking on a new hobby, or maybe expressing a new point of view on something which we might have discussed before. These are signs that we are still alive, and who doesn’t want that?
HOWEVER, IF A CLOSE FRIEND suddenly turns up looking totally different, or behaving strangely, or his or her tone of voice sounds completely new, I tend to worry rather than be amused. Such a dramatic change will usually be interpreted as a sign of some kind of identity crisis … and every now and then, you may sadly realize that the person you used to consider a close friend has turned into a stranger, and your friendship may weaken and eventually dissolve.
And how do we want our closest friends to be?
Speaking for myself, I appreciate if they basically stay the same – because the way they are was an important reason why we became friends in the first place – and yet sometimes give me small surprises by showing new sides of themselves or by making subtle changes, like getting a new haircut, or playing a different kind of music for me, or taking on a new hobby, or maybe expressing a new point of view on something which we might have discussed before. These are signs that we are still alive, and who doesn’t want that?
HOWEVER, IF A CLOSE FRIEND suddenly turns up looking totally different, or behaving strangely, or his or her tone of voice sounds completely new, I tend to worry rather than be amused. Such a dramatic change will usually be interpreted as a sign of some kind of identity crisis … and every now and then, you may sadly realize that the person you used to consider a close friend has turned into a stranger, and your friendship may weaken and eventually dissolve.
I BELIEVE THAT THE SAME THING can happen to a newspaper.
Sometimes, a newspaper may change its visual appearance so drastically that its readers can no longer recognize the newspaper – and the reading experience – which they used to like. And this will increase the risk that the friendship (as well as the subscription) will soon come to an end.
Sometimes, a newspaper may change its visual appearance so drastically that its readers can no longer recognize the newspaper – and the reading experience – which they used to like. And this will increase the risk that the friendship (as well as the subscription) will soon come to an end.
THE INDEPENDENT of London is not one of my personal close friends but I have always found the paper interesting and worth a look. Its 25-year history is one of almost constant crisis and for at least five years now, circulation figures have been in what seems like a free fall.
Nevertheless, more than 150,000 Englishmen still buy the paper every day.
And looking at how the design of The Independent has been changing ever since 2003-04 when ”Indy” made its latest bold and successful move – the famous nine months in which readers were allowed to choose between a broadsheet and a tabloid version of the paper – my concern would be that for each and every one of these radical redesigns, a considerable number of readers must have sensed that now they were losing a close friend.
The climax, so far, was reached on October 11 with a new design created by Errea Comunicación in which the newspaper’s nameplate has been blown up to a size which makes it hard to see how any other visual element will ever be able to compete with it for attention, let alone dominate it.
See for yourself:
Nevertheless, more than 150,000 Englishmen still buy the paper every day.
And looking at how the design of The Independent has been changing ever since 2003-04 when ”Indy” made its latest bold and successful move – the famous nine months in which readers were allowed to choose between a broadsheet and a tabloid version of the paper – my concern would be that for each and every one of these radical redesigns, a considerable number of readers must have sensed that now they were losing a close friend.
The climax, so far, was reached on October 11 with a new design created by Errea Comunicación in which the newspaper’s nameplate has been blown up to a size which makes it hard to see how any other visual element will ever be able to compete with it for attention, let alone dominate it.
See for yourself:
2011
2011
2010
2009
2009
2007
2003
