Contact | Redesigns/Client Portfolio | Staff Training/Client Portfolio | Tips, Articles, Resources | Home Ready to Rethink? Description of Services Click links to jump down to description of each service: Redesigns & Launches: Newspapers | Magazines | Trade Pubs | Urban/International | Small Market Focus Groups | Logo Design | Marketing Campaigns | Critique/Analysis | Classified Redesign and Advertising Analysis | Training/Organizational Consulting | The Poynter Institute
This is the personal web site of Chicago-based design consultant / educator / journalist Ron Reason. Have a question about news design, newsroom management, or whether my services are a good fit for your project? Want references of satisfied clients, with email addresses of my collaborators for a speedy response? Email me here and I’ll get back to you promptly! To learn more about terms for publication critiques, click here. Articles index. Home page: www.ronreason.com		Publication Redesigns, 'Tweaks' and Start-up Designs For each of the following types of publications, I have provided services including complete redesign, substantial "tweak" of an existing design, creation of a brand-new design, conversion to narrow web or from broadsheet to tabloid, newsroom training or reorganization, logo design and/or stylebook creation: NEWSPAPERS: I bring my background as a trained journalist and nearly 25 years' experience to the task of redesigning, rethinking or reinventing your newspaper. From 10 years on staff at the St. Petersburg Times, to five years on faculty at Poynter, to several years teaching at journalism and design schools in Florida, my skills are a unique mix of the practical and academic. Roster of newspaper clients. MAGAZINES: Publications including Modern Healthcare and Professional Builder have trusted me with helping them revamp and move forward. This work supplements my consulting with magazine-format trade publications including Advertising Age, as well as the many supplements I have designed for mainstream newspapers. TRADE PUBLICATIONS: Advertising Age, Crain’s Chicago Business, Television Week, Business Insurance ... all are smartly designed and prospering trade newspapers whose publishers know that focused design solutions are needed to reach a focused audience. See examples of these designs at the client list page. TABLOID DESIGNS: When the San Francisco Examiner converted from broadsheet to tabloid, some thought they were crazy. But this dynamic design was one of the first prominent urban papers to undertake the switch; shortly thereafter, newspapers in London and beyond took on the challenge. I have done tabloid designs from Boston to Dubai, from large markets to small. Whether you call it compact, mini or tabloid, I love designing for this format! Download, read and print a detailed 8-page PDF from DESIGN magazine, taking you inside the Examiner case study, with text and visuals. Also see examples of other tab designs at the client list page. URBAN MARKET:Though raised in the Midwestern USA, I have traveled the world and am more than comfortable creating designs for bustling urban markets. I have directed several major redesigns in New York City (Staten Island Advance, Nowy Dziennik, Advertising Age), as well as London, San Francisco and Dubai. In addition I have done customized staff training and organizational consulting for the largest newspaper publishers in Brazil, Denmark, Singapore, Iceland and Spain. See redesign client list as well as training client list for a look at some of these urban titles. INTERNATIONAL/ETHNIC: Newspapers for Polish immigrants in New York City, for the Indian expatriate community in the United Arab Emirates, for bilingual (Spanish-speaking) families in suburban Chicago ... all are cross-cultural designs I’ve comfortably worked with. See redesign client list. SMALLER MARKET: Though I’ve worked at papers as large as The Washington Post and St. Pete Times, and consulted with many other sizeable corporations, I also regularly consult with smaller publications. I have recently worked with weeklies as small as 5,000 circulation as well as entrepreneurial start-ups. Don’t hesitate to inquire about terms and special services for smaller markets, including pre-designed templates which might keep your costs down. Smaller clients in particular may wish to begin with critique/analysis services which may help you save time and money before diving into a full-blown redesign. Focus Groups Want some formal and detailed feedback on how your own in-house redesign efforts (or work from another consultant) resonates with your audiences, before you might make some big mistakes? We conduct affordable focus groups at a lower cost than traditional market research firms. I design a series of customized focus groups for readers, non-readers, and advertisers including the following components: a series of customized written questionnaires completed by participants both before and after the focus group; customized questioning protocol, scripted but with room for impromptu followup; and detailed written analysis and recommendations for the client after reviewing the results, and (if provided) revisiting videotapes of the sessions. I do not provide lengthy or dry reports filled with detailed pie charts, bar charts, and statistical breakdowns relating to the responses. Why? In my experience with dozens of clients who have used other marketing research firms, NO editor or publisher has had the time or interest in reviewing this level of information. Rather, they want the top-line conclusions, which are most important: "Which new logo is favored? What about the name of the features section? Which new content changes stand out, or fall flat? What elements will advertisers go for?" Please inquire for more information, sample questions or analysis excerpts for previous clients, or references. Logo Design As part of my work for redesign clients, I have created customized logos (nameplates) for the Boston Herald, Lincoln Journal-Star, Emirates Evening Post, and other clients. Coming soon: a gallery of prototype and final logos. Marketing Campaigns Who knows better how to promote and sell your redesign, to both readers and advertisers: someone with experience in the field from inside out, or an in-house marketing department or local ad shop who may not have been there before, and who may result to cliches or off-point messages? You be the judge. For very affordable rates I can create concept and designs for campaigns to promote your redesign (whether created in-house or by another consultant), and work with your in-house promotions team or agency of record to implement, saving you time and money. Please email me for samples of customized house ad designs, rack cards, billboards and direct-mail pieces produced for a variety of other clients, large and small. Critique/Analysis Not sure if you need a redesign, or just a touch-up? Maybe just want to know how your design and editing are coming together? Get an outside opinion for a reasonable cost. Visit this page to find out more. Note: Any fees paid for initial critique or analysis of your publication are deductible against other services contracted later. Classified Redesign and Advertising Analysis Now more than ever, newspaper classified sections are in need of updating and in some cases, reinvention. Are your ads as readable as they can be? Is the organization and navigation as clear as it can be, moving readers through quickly? Are you giving readers information on how to place an ad as clearly as possible? Are icons, logos and section headers professional and inviting? From a branding standpoint, do younger readers even know what the hell the word "classifieds" means? PLUS: Interested in innovative ad structures, how to design and implement them? Ask me about creating ad modules (and rate structures) that will appeal to new clients and generate new interest in, and income for, your company. Training/Organizational Consulting With nearly two decades of teaching experience of various kinds, I'm the rare consultant who can not only create effective design solutions, but leave behind with your staff the ability to implement it and make it grow long after the launch. For much more information on my staff training and organizational consulting, including an extensive client list, visit this web page. (Note: depending on timing, location, scope of your project and other concerns, the availability of this service may be limited to full redesign clients. Please inquire.) The Poynter Institute (poynter.org) If your newsroom doesn't offer staff training, you may wish to apply for a training workshop at the internationally renowned Poynter Institute for Media Studies, where I remain a Visiting Faculty member after serving five years as Faculty Member and Director of Visual Journalism workshops, research and publication. I teach in about four programs each year. Visit the Poynter web site to learn more about its programs and philosophies. [Back to top of page]
Bio/resume | Redesigns | Newsroom Training | Articles and Resources | Home Updated: November 2006. Email me here