Plain Dealer redesign

[CitizenTino]

Any thoughts on the Plain Dealer's redesign, which went into effect today? Here's my $0.02:

- Was the world clamoring for two-deck headlines on just about every story?

- If your editor and publisher come out and say a lack of space is your biggest problem, why are you junking up 1 1/2 columns on every section front on a rail promo'ing lesser wire stories that appear inside the section? Are we incapable of turning the page?

- Your first day rolling out a new design and the promo you splash across the top of A1 is that Jon and Kate are getting divorced? Right below this, we see: "Read by 1,305,203 in print and online each week." Not for long, guys.

Boo-urns all around.

 

[steveu]

I didn't think it was too bad. It wasn't ground-breaking, nor was it a complete trashing of the product like the Sun in Baltimore. (My imagination or are they cleaning up that FUBAR a little bit?)

 

[Colton]

Pretty much my reaction: meh...

 

[forever_town]

Now The Plain Dealer isn't good enough for Ace to work there.

 

[JackReacher]

Wow. Just looked at A1 on Newseum.org.

That's flat-out unattractive. Just bad on all levels. Oy.

 

[Colton]

Now The Plain Dealer isn't good enough for Ace to work there.

Very. Well. Played.

 

[slappy4428]

Now The Plain Dealer isn't good enough for Ace to work there.

Outstanding!

 

[I Digress]

It's a lot of headlines. I don't mind the index.

 

[BigSleeper]

Compared to some of the hideous redesigns upchucked in recent years, this was refreshingly simplistic and subdued.

 

[BTExpress]

I actually like more two-deck headlines. Not necessarily from a design standpoint, but for how they allow the headline writer to do his job: TELL THE STORY.

Too many times large, one-deck heads can only serve as labels --- or tired cliches --- because there are not enough counts (or the story is just too complicated). The other day I had a six-column head to write for local MLB team winning. But the head was so big (and in ALL CAPS) that I could only get 2 words in those six columns.

That being said, it's hard to believe that Plain Dealer page is the product of a redesign. Looks more like a "Before" page in a "Before - After" comparison you would show someone after a redesign.

 

[ClevelandWill3]

I kind of like the design.

It plays well for the sports section.

Kind of an "old school" throwback look.

However, it was an interesting choice to go with no border below the section head.

 

[forever_town]

Wow. Just looked at A1 on Newseum.org.

That's flat-out unattractive. Just bad on all levels. Oy.

I also looked at A1 on newseum.org.

There is a damn good reason you're supposed to use one deck over four legs. Whoever decided differently should be forced to write an essay supporting inducting the Jonas Brothers into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. It'd make as much sense.

 

[RickStain]

I love it. The need to put actual information into spaces seems to be outweighing purely graphical concerns.

 

[JackReacher]

To avoid starting another redesign thread.....

I saw today -- and I'm probably way late on this -- that the Huntsville Times looks redesigned.

Looks pretty good, I think, even though I only saw A1.

Anyone know when this happened?