Tuesday, April 27, was the day a redesign launched for the oldest daily newspaper in Kansas — the Leavenworth Times. Founded in 1856, the newspaper was once owned by Daniel R. Anthony, brother of Susan B. Anthony, according to Wikipedia.
Dale Brendel, general manager and executive editor for the Leavenworth Times, answered a few questions for us about the community and the redesign of its newspaper:
Why did you decide to redesign?
When we arrived in the community it was apparent the paper needed a new approach and new presentation. There was a negative perception of the paper by many in the community and our first priority was to make a real commitment to local, community news, which was lacking before. We also wanted to give the product an all new look to signify the change. The old design was dated and sloppy in appearance. We wanted a clean and contemporary look, which would mirror the direction of the city, which is basked in history but wants to seek a new image as a modern town with lots of amenities.
What can you tell us about your community?
Leavenworth is the oldest city in Kansas and the newspaper is also the oldest in the state. The community sits on the outskirts of Kansas City, but it just far enough out that the city wants to stand on its own. It is known as a military town and a prison town, because of Fort Leavenworth and the four major prisons located here, but there is really a lot of other things going on with a revitalizing downtown and different festivals or events nearly every weekend. The people want to read about things going on in the community, and not other places.
What changes did you make as part of the redesign?
We made a lot of content changes actually before the redesign, adding local columns and other features, changing the comics and puzzles, weather package, and other items. The redesign focused on mainly cosmetic changes, which were badly needed. We drastically changed the nameplate and changed all the fonts throughout the paper, including body copy, headlines, cutlines, breakout boxes. The redesign also places better emphasis on reader-generated news, dedicating specific space each day for photos and reader-submitted stories, and we did introduce a few new features such as business spotlight, fact of the day, start of the day, smile of the day, athlete profile, etc.
Tuesday, April 27, was the day a redesign launched for the oldest daily newspaper in Kansas — the Leavenworth Times. Founded in 1856, the newspaper was once owned by Daniel R. Anthony, brother of Susan B. Anthony, according to Wikipedia.
Dale Brendel, general manager and executive editor for the Leavenworth Times, answered a few questions for us about the community and the redesign of its newspaper:
Why did you decide to redesign?
When we arrived in the community it was apparent the paper needed a new approach and new presentation. There was a negative perception of the paper by many in the community and our first priority was to make a real commitment to local, community news, which was lacking before. We also wanted to give the product an all new look to signify the change. The old design was dated and sloppy in appearance. We wanted a clean and contemporary look, which would mirror the direction of the city, which is basked in history but wants to seek a new image as a modern town with lots of amenities.
What can you tell us about your community?
Leavenworth is the oldest city in Kansas and the newspaper is also the oldest in the state. The community sits on the outskirts of Kansas City, but it just far enough out that the city wants to stand on its own. It is known as a military town and a prison town, because of Fort Leavenworth and the four major prisons located here, but there is really a lot of other things going on with a revitalizing downtown and different festivals or events nearly every weekend. The people want to read about things going on in the community, and not other places.
What changes did you make as part of the redesign?
We made a lot of content changes actually before the redesign, adding local columns and other features, changing the comics and puzzles, weather package, and other items. The redesign focused on mainly cosmetic changes, which were badly needed. We drastically changed the nameplate and changed all the fonts throughout the paper, including body copy, headlines, cutlines, breakout boxes. The redesign also places better emphasis on reader-generated news, dedicating specific space each day for photos and reader-submitted stories, and we did introduce a few new features such as business spotlight, fact of the day, start of the day, smile of the day, athlete profile, etc.
How have readers reacted to the redesign?
It is still a little early to gauge the reaction but the first day I have had about a dozen emails from people congratulating or complimenting us on the new look. I have not, nor have my phone people as of yet, fielded a single complaint, which seems improbable since some people object to change of any kind.
What advice do you have for papers considering a redesign?
For a small staff such as ours, having the GateHouse design team at our disposal was greatly appreciated. I have done a handful of redesigns during my career and it was nice this time having somebody already having done the research on the best body copy fonts, headline fonts, and other style elements, as well as making about six different mocks with nameplate recommendations for you to choose from and tweak locally. There is still a lot of preparation that needs to be done and in some cases a change of culture and approach with your staff. And even if you are well prepared for all the new elements and approach, expect there to be plenty of glitches the day of relaunch. But overall, the change can be invigorating not only for your staff and other departments at the newspaper, but for readers as well.
Joe Greco is corporate design director for GateHouse Media.
Contact him at jgreco@gatehousemedia.com.
Check out his blog at http://joegreco.ghnewsroom.com.
