Online Design & Rethinking | Custom Staff Training/Client Portfolio | Tips, Articles, Resources "Design With Reason" Blog | Marketing Services | Bio/Contact   Newspaper Redesign: How? Why? Who? LANDSCAPE OF CHANGE PROMPTS 6 QUESTIONS ON THE NEWSPAPER REDESIGN PROCESS FOR 2011 | |||
| ON THE BLOG: An updated entry confronts the editors who still have no concern with the financial side of things, and those who bristle at unconventional ad placement as a source of new revenue. Also search the blog for case studies and visuals from seven clients who reinvented in 2010. HOME PAGE: www.ronreason.com, with links to archival redesign case studies in visuals and text. One of my predictions of a few years ago has come to fruition, big-time, in 2010: newspapers moving to a heavily templated design. Clients including the Tampa Tribune, Richmond Times-Dispatch and Winston-Salem Journal, as well as the community papers of Media General, all moved in this direction. But this doesn't preclude creativity, or innovation. | By Ron Reason Updated January 2011 "You redesign newspapers?" My line of work has always elicited curiosity, but in the last few years, it's been met with concern as well. Everyone knows that times have been challenging for newspapers, but the good news is, 2010 has been a year of stabilization, steady work for me and increasingly, reinvention for my clients. Among the dozens of new entries on my blog for the year are case studies of clients moving forward with redesigns, format changes, rebranding efforts, and even staff training. For those who question why I don't move entirely to web design, I offer this: for many publishing companies, advertising from print still accounts for 90% of their revenue, with digital hovering around 10%, and for mainstream news publishers, growing at a glacial pace. Newspapers aren't going away anytime soon, nor will the desire, and need, to redesign, rebrand, rediscover, and reinvent. Here are the most common questions I field about that process. 1. Why redesign? When Is it worth it? Newspapers continue to redesign. The most common instigating factors taking us into 2011 include the following:
In addition, interest has taken off in the following category: the newspaper that moves to a heavily templated design, or newspaper group that creates a consolidated editing/design center which requires consistency across products, but creativity as well. Regardless of what category your publication might fall under, heightened attention must be paid to the role of advertising in the design or redesign process, and in any solution that results. In past years, advertising was an afterthought, if present at all, in a redesign. Today, in my work, it becomes the starting point. Working earlier and better across all departments becomes essential. (Related blog post.)2. Should we hire a consultant? Is it possible to create change in-house? Some newspapers are able to carry out a redesign in-house. The argument is that they know the history, market, staff and mission of the paper more intimately than an outsider might. On the down side, an in-house team can also bring politics, preconceived notions, a lack of innovation, or historical baggage to the table. Further, they may not have all the skills needed for such a complex project, or quite simply, they lack the time or energy required. In 2010, clients began seriously questioning how they can shake up their market in the most substantial ways. Or, as the publishers who hired me this year at the Creative Loafing chain of alternative weeklies put it: "On a scale of change from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most dramatic, we are seeking a 10-plus." Even a talented in-house team may be too invested in the historic, or current, way of doing things to produce the "10-plus" ideas you need. Going in-house is not an entirely cost-free way of doing things. The weeks of salary and benefits for the person taken off-line are real costs; if their prototypes ending up stalling on the tracks, or being junked along the way – I've seen both, increasingly, this year – and these are real losses that may cost you more than hiring an efficient consultant. A good consultant can provide a quick, cost-effective solution to get your new design up and running, efficiently, and present a new or freshened product to readers and advertisers quickly. A growing trend among papers in larger markets: hiring a qualified consultant on a limited basis, often working rapidly in a workshop setting, closely directing the work of the in-house staff. This keeps costs down, often at a fraction of what a traditional redesign once cost. (Some of this work can also be done from afar, but things can slow down without face to face interactions.) Previously "project quotes" were the norm; now, daily and hourly rates are increasingly logical approaches to design consulting proposals. 3. What should we look for in a consultant? Forget the artiste. Today you must have someone who understands design aesthetics, but also, deals with the business side in an aggressive way. I often speak with advertising, marketing and circulation managers before even being selected for a job, and then insist on including them in the process from the start of a project - and collaborating with them throughout. No prototypes begin without input from these teams. They play a heavy role in focus groups. New ideas must be taken to advertisers (current, lost, or potential) to gauge impact and interest. The days of redesigns driven only by the newsroom are in the past.Make sure to look for a good "fit" when talking to design consultants. This person should be a collaborator, working to develop a look that is just right for your paper, so it is important that this person will really click with your staff (not just the graphics staff but the copy desk, pressroom, marketing department and boardroom). Now more than ever, you may need a diplomat and negotiator as well, to bring down walls and talk across turf. One important consideration: Ask whether your newsroom needs a consultant who is trained and experienced as a journalist, as a designer/art director, or both. (I have a journalism degree, and am on the advisory board to the dean of Indiana University's School of Journalism, but have taught at one of the nation's top graphic design colleges as well.) Not everyone has all these skills, as well as the "people skills" that may be needed to maneuver quickly within your organization. Last but not least, when hiring help from outside, ask for references. Feel free to use the preceding paragraphs to shape the questions you ask them. 4. What will the right consultant do for us? The right person will be versatile and flexible, and will propose a variety of services, which may include but not be limited to the following. These are among services I have performed in recent redesign projects; some projects have incorporated nearly all these services, and others, just one or two:
Not every newspaper needs all these services. But review the above list and ask how many of these might be appropriate for your situation. And in considering whether to bring in an outsider, ask yourself, "do we have the time, energy, and expertise to do all this in-house?" 5. How long should a redesign take? Depends on the size of the publication, the abilities of your staff, whether training in the crafts of design or journalism or web integration are part of the project, and other factors - technology, page size, adoption of new content, etc. Regardless, a complete redesign that used to take 9 months to two years, is now being done in three months. (Thank goodness!) Taking any more time than this can create a drag on creativity, morale, and innovation. A "design tweak," in a nimble newsroom, might take even less time. Some of my clients in 2010 made significant progress in just a week. 6. How much does a redesign cost, anyway? Cost is a big question, to which answers will vary widely (and wildly). I am happy to provide cost estimates for qualified inquiries if you provide suitable background information on your project (please inquire). I often ask for newspapers and/or PDFs to be sent for my review. Some newspapers also need to license new typefaces, which entails additional costs. And as one might imagine, professional fees across the board are not as high as they used to be, becoming more affordable partly because of economic factors but also because the process has become quicker and more efficient in recent years.[If you have questions other than those on this list, feel free to email ron@ronreason.com and I'll try to answer as best as I can. Your question may even be added to the list, or help me clarify one of the answers given above.] Updated January 2011, Ron Reason, ron@ronreason.com. Not to be republished without permission or recirculated without attribution. Back to top of page | | |
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