Bonita Burton, AME of the Orlando Sentinel explains that this first draft of the Orlando Sentinel redesign style book was designed as a “quick-and-dirty guide to what’s new - just something to tide folks over while we update the full style book.”
Sentinel designers Nick Masuda and Wes Meltzer get credit for producing it.
I am a fan of brief visual stylebooks because experience shows that they get a chance of being used on a daily basis. Much of the coding goes into the templates and CCI, so this is nice as it provides a quick reference on the big picture with enough detail to make consistent decisions.
Looking forward to seeing more of the ongoing redesign efforts in Orlando and other Tribune papers.
Perhaps the rapid redesign and iterative thinking about being nimble to change are the most hopeful drivers of the project. I am waiting for the field test review from my parents who live in the heart of Sentinel’s circulation area. They are not journalists and may provide a fresh perspective on the impact of the changes made. Stay tuned . . .
I love this redesign, from what I have seen, with one major exception: The fangs. (and one minor)
I really dislike the fangs below the header banners. They’re obviously meant to reflect the negative space left with the kind of rounded corners used on the boxes on the top, but they will really get in the way of the page layout. Either you’ll have to live with trapped white space, right-justify headlines, et cetera, or shift the content in somehow to avoid hitting them.
My minor exception is the placement of the UPC code. It wastes a lot of space. If it were me, I’d do something interesting like turn the UPC on its side and use it like motion lines on the right side of the flag header on the front page. (Where the coupon thing is now). Either that, or I’d make it part of one of the large rule-boxes that go across the page. (For example, in the 12-point-high-looking box between the weather and editorial cartoon, put the UPC code, 12 points high.)
Also, I think the editorial comic on the front page will come back to bite them. It’s not always going to work with the design.
The Orlando Sentinel’s redesign might seem colorful, it might even seem eye catching… but it doesn’t seem anything like a newspaper. The new paper has so many charts and tables, yet so few full stories. Local newspapers -last time I checked- were supposed to break important stories and investigate local issues that would otherwise be left uncovered.
Yet, on today’s front page we have: a Will Smith pop up picture, a story about an 8 year old adoption law, a giant side graphic about taxes, and a syndicated story from the Chicago Tribune. What news is being uncovered, there?
Newspapers are supposed to be about news, not graphics. By supporting the Orlando Sentinel’s redesign you are supporting Sam Zell’s belief that all people want from city’s paper is CNN on paper. And by supporting that belief, you make it that much easier to for the Tribune to continue remove all employees who care about reporting the news. And by supporting those layoffs and buyouts, you are a foe of journalism.
Revolt against the redesign, show your support for real journalism:
http://amazingshrinkingsentinel.blogspot.com/
Papercuts Hurt: “Real” journalism communicates information to readers. Articles accomplish one aspect of communication, albeit, in an often long and disastrous way. But, let’s not be naive and believe articles are the only and best form of journalism. Design tells stories. Pictures tell stories. And. Yes. Graphics tell stories too.