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 EDITORIAL, CLASSIFIED & ONLINE REDESIGN  Our redesigns are catalysts for positive change. Visit the gallery to see how we've transformed publications and websites. REDESIGN WHITEPAPER A redesign is a waste of time and money if it doesn't deliver a return on investment. Download our report to learn how to make your redesign pay off, then see how four newspapers boosted readership and revenue by following our advice. INTERACTIVE TOUR See in detail how a content-driven redesign did more than make a community daily look better – it made it a better paper. RADICAL STRATEGIES FOR CIRCULATION WOES ONLINE DESIGN Read Steve Outing's interview with Alan Jacobson and learn why newspaper web sites are seriously flawed. Then see alternatives. CLASSIFIED REDESIGNS
Miami Herald
Hartford Courant Santa Fe New Mexican Yakima Herald Bakersfield Californian Brainerd Dispatch Wilson Daily Times Birmingham News Daily Press Springfield Republican The Morning Sun EDITORIAL REDESIGNS
Bakersfield Californian RepublicanAmerican The Eureka Reporter Yakima Herald Republic St. Louis Post‑Dispatch The Virginian‑Pilot Observer-Reporter The Sunday News ONLINE REDESIGNS
SunshineTimes.com
Wilsondaily.com Observer-reporter.com Reynolds at Reno Online Media Solutions Al Qarar HomePagesUSA Young Audiences of Virginia TARGETED PUBLICATIONS |
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References
Cate Brett, Editor
Crain's Detroit BusinessSunday Star-Times, New Zealand's largest newspaper Richard Beene, President & CEO The Bakersfield Californian Bill Kunerth, Publisher Idaho State Journal Morgan Dickerman, Publisher Wilson Daily Times | Wilson, N.C. Sandy Rowe, Editor The Oregonian Ian Fennell, Editor Idaho State Journal Bob Rose, Assistant Managing Editor St. Louis Post Dispatch Randy Cox, Senior Editor for Visuals The Oregonian Nelson Brown, Assistant Managing Editor The Virginian-Pilot Tim Harrower, Author and consultant Digital Ink Bob Allen, Assistant Managing Editor Crain's Detroit Business Jon Kellogg, Executive editor Republican-American | Waterbury, Conn. Janet DeGeorge, President Classified Executive Training Sally Ellis, Classified Ad Manager The Bakersfield Californian Kathy Pope, Classified Ad Manager The Daily Record | Dunn, N.C.  “We imposed on Brass Tacks Design the burden of creating a new look for a publication that its readers loved. What we got was an elegant newspaper that finally looked like a business publication. The new flag looks wonderful. Even now, nearly two years later, I could just weep with joy. Reader response to the redesign was almost unanimously positive. The entire staff, editors and reporters alike, love it. Speaking as an editor, it is easier to write headlines. Speaking as a designer, it's almost impossible to create an ugly page, thanks to the headline typography. And if you apply yourself, you can create pages that make you look a lot more talented than you probably are. The true test is that our inside pages sometimes can look as good as our display pages. This design allows the nature of the news to determine the design of Page 1 – no more of that "dominant-art-of-white-guy-in-suit" stuff. And, no, we didn't sacrifice anything on deadlines. Nor did the quality of our reporting and editing suffer as a result of the changes. Alan didn't merely give us what we wanted. He had us take a hard look at many of our assumptions about the way we did things. The process wasn't stress-free, but it was educational and, more often than not, fun. We began this project with the goal of looking informative while remaining informative. Mission accomplished.” Bob Allen, AME/Design The Virginian-Pilot “The Virginian-Pilot continually assesses how we can better serve our readers and our communities. During a recent review, I was struck by the consistently high marks we have gotten from readers about the new design you created for and with us. In every reader focus group we've held in the past two years, the vast majority of comments about the design have been positive. And in our two major quantitative studies – a readership satisfaction index and a complex consumer segmentation analysis – questions involving the organization, attractiveness and ease of use of the paper draw high marks. We also appreciate your willingness to work with us when new design or production challenges arise. You have sustained your commitment to help us achieve our objectives that guided you throughout the design process. Thanks again for your contribution to the success of The Virginian-Pilot.” Cole Campbell, editor Portland Press Herald “We wanted a traditional-looking newspaper that was reader friendly but true to the spirit of Maine. Alan listened to us, he understood and delivered just what we asked for.” Warren Watson, managing editor St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Brass Tacks gave us the design to be a better newspaper and the tools to make us better editors. Our redesign not only has changed the way the paper looks, but it is a cornerstone for changing the way everyone in the newsroom works. Brass Tacks Design helped us redesign quicker than almost anyone in the company thought possible.” Bob Rose, AME/Graphics The Intelligencer “Our new design is cleaner, neater and better-organized. But what astounds me is that our desk now does things — good things — it never did before, as if Brass Tacks Design built something into the design that makes people more creative.” Lanny Morgnanesi, executive editor North Jersey Herald & News “We at The Herald & News are very happy with the redesign and feel, more now than ever, that we were fortunate to have you redesign our paper. I've worked with a number of designers in my 20 years, and I rate you as one of the best. All designers say they understand the market, the product, the mission, but few come with unique solutions. Your design does. Again, my congratulations on something original and creative. You're making the newspaper business 'fun' for the first time.” Richard Vezza, publisher Sunday News “Overall, the reaction was good. The word from the staff was that people they ran into Sunday and Monday really liked it, and compared it favorably to the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer. My personal reaction? I think we look great. I am deliriously happy with the way we look. It's classy and when I saw our stack of papers at a convenience store on Sunday, I said Wow.” Marv Adams, news editor Daily Record “When Alan came to our site, he blew all my consultant stereotypes out of the proverbial waters. The man knows newspapers, and he knows the pitfalls of the redesign process. He wasn't afraid to challenge our notions and ask the hard questions. He didn't just help us make our paper look great, but his pragmatic, hands-on guidance helped our paper read great. Alan knows that content is king and that great design is only great if it is packaging great content. Alan was a pleasant straight-shooter who defused egos and took a lot of the pain out of the redesign process. The bottom line for me is that our readers have a better paper because of Alan's efforts.” Lucas Roebuck, editor News & Record “We told Alan we needed a look that would set us apart. He gave us a bold design that excited our readers and delighted advertisers.” Tom Corrigan, AME/Graphics The Flagship “Alan is aware of industry trends and quickly assesses the ability of users to take advantage of improvements. His recommendations are direct and candid, and they always yield a quick return on investment.” Susan Kelly-Gilbert, general manager |
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  A practical, step-by-step approach with examples from newspapers large and small.>>  Learn from KnightRidder's mistakes at the Inky and the Merc.>>  This online redesign is not enough to please users and advertisers.>>  Design does matter to readers, but only if it's reader driven.>>  If newspaper markets are so different, why do most papers look so much alike?>>  I wish you luck and offer some advice.>>  This overhyped trend is a non-starter for America.>>  We can make a difference, but not by chasing awards.>>  At stake is nothing less than newspapers as we know them.>>  A thousand awards a year? Gimme a break.>>  They never said higher RBS scores would sell more newspapers.>> |
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