newspaper design
 classified design
 web design
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 newspaper redesign
 classified redesign
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Redesigns:
Hartford
ctnow.com
Omaha
Santa Fe
Birmingham
Springfield
Newport News
Pittsburg

  Hartford’s goals
  Before redesign
  Before & after
  Prototype
  4 more banners
  Agate tests
  Automotive cover
  Real estate cover
  Focus groups
  Final prototype



Hartford Courant

Hartford, CT
250,000 daily circ.

Nancy Stimac, Classified Advertising Director


ONLINE'S ADVANTAGES
Timeliness: Ads can be posted and delivered sooner than the daily paper.

Keyword searching: No need to rifle through pages.

Broader searches: Most newspaper sites provide access to national listings of cars, jobs and homes.

Value-added content: Mortgage calculators, neighborhood profiles and auto reviews help users make informed buying decisions.

Legibility: Text can be enlarged to suit the user.

No ruboff: Online classifieds are clean and green.
Before & after



• Click here to zoom in or see highlighted list at left to select more examples.


STRATEGIES
1. Eliminate all content within the current banner except for the section flag, index, and phone numbers and url for placing classified ads, to give greater emphasis to these features by removing clutter.

2. Eliminate the numerical classification system because we believe no one uses it.

3. Anchor a feature within a well beneath the banner to promote both print and online classifieds.

4. Make advertorial products (Real Estate, Wednesday Wheels) look different from editorial print products, but the same as print and online classified products to co-brand all classified products.

5. Create a library of banners that change every day to increase the visual appeal of the section. Consider illustrating these banners with real people from the community.