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Rocky Mountain News unveils major redesign
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charles apple

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:02 am

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The Rocky Mountain News debuted major changes today.


MONDAY'S ROCKY:



TUESDAY'S ROCKY:




In effect, the Rocky has apparently left its newspaper roots behind. The changes make it look more like a daily news magazine and less like a tabloid newspaper.

The CBS affiliate in Denver, Channel 4, reported Monday:

Quote:
Readers will probably notice right away that there is a new name flag on the front page. Another change will be a single-focus picture and headline on the front page.

The changes will extend to the front pages of the Sports and Spotlight sections. Both will have more full page images, meaning the new Rocky will take its tabloid-format one step farther.

"What you're going to see is a newspaper that's much more like a daily magazine," said John Temple, publisher of the Rocky Mountain News.

"It's going to read like a magazine; it's going to be really oriented to being really easy to flip through," he said.

The redesign will also get rid of jumps in the newspaper, instead the paper will be laid so you just turn from page to page to read each story.


The story goes on to say that higher-quality paper will be used to reduce ink ruboff.

The new flag is by far the most striking part of the redesign. The Rocky is choosing to do what msot of its readers do already: Placing extra emphasis on the word “Rocky.”

The pages will be smaller, too, according to Temple’s column today. He writes:

Quote:
The new Rocky is smaller. It was 14.75 inches deep and 12 inches wide. It's now 13.4 inches deep and 10.5 inches wide.


He goes on and on with more changes, including:

Quote:
We've added a new font to make sports agate and listings more readable.


No word yet on the new font choices. Also, no word yet on who performed the redesign. Many of you are aware that the Rocky performed a major Roger Black redesign about four years go.

Read Temple’s Tuesday column here:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_5298451,00.html

In a video posted on the Rocky web site, Temple explains the concept behind the new flag and looks at rejected versions. The reader is then invited to vote for which version of the flag they like best. Find that video here:

http://cfapp2.rockymountainnews.com/printflag/

Read Monday’s CBS4 story here:

http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_022164041.html

Most amusingly, Rocky columnist Mike Littwin gives his take on the new format and how it affects his placement in the daily paper:

Quote:
Temple - that's editor, publisher, pooh-bah, my boss John Temple - has assured me this new column placement will make it even easier - or, as we like to say in the new conveniently sized Rocky, even more convenient - for readers to find.

He may be right, assuming, of course, readers are conveniently trained in Hebrew and start reading from the back.

Maybe Temple has a point, though. He argues that George Will and Rick Reilly are on the inside back cover of their respective magazines. Now, if I can just get paid like those guys.


Then, he tries a Q&A on the new design:

Quote:
What's up with the red Rocky flag?

This is an attempt to make the Rocky look , uh, hip. This is what comes of 50-year-olds deciding what younger readers like. I hear they've also booked Kenny G for the kickoff celebration.


Ya gotta love a paper that can make fun of itself. Read Littwin’s column here:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_5298611,00.html


Congrats to all our friends at the Rocky, on what appears to be a fascinating new direction.

Is anyone from the Rocky on board here at VizEds? Please speak up and give us details!
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Ernie Smith

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:55 am

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That is a sweet-lookin' front. So much more subtle than their old design, and in a good way, too. :)
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Curt Milton

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:06 am

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Love the new look! Classy and dramatic. I can't wait to see the inside pages. Good work, guys!
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Robb Montgomery

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:27 am

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A request for PDFs has been tendered. Just as soon as we get some of these no-jump tab pages we'll build and post an exhibit in the Redesign Wing.

http://www.visualeditors.com/redesign


.
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Yuri Victor

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:05 am

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Gorgeous.

Are the ligatures in the flag intentional?
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douglas e. jessmer

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:44 am

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What — no lighthouse?
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douglas e. jessmer

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:48 am

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KCNC-TV Denver wrote::
The redesign will also get rid of jumps in the newspaper, instead the paper will be laid so you just turn from page to page to read each story.


I just noticed this. Am I the only one? And why is it TV news people always seem to get away with poor spelling and bad copy editing?
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Jim McBee

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:04 pm

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Quote:
Another change will be a single-focus picture and headline on the front page.
Haven't they been doing this for years? Those editors need to take a second look at that press release.

I applaud the notion of approaching a news magazine style. And improving paper quality -- that sure goes against the industry grain. The shrinkage does not. I wonder how they're dealing with a lower ceiling when it comes to ad sales.
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Michael Swartz

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:44 pm

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I'm not a huge fan of the flag. Why not just call it "The Rocky" if that's what they want, instead of having a flag with so much going on? The red screen behind "Rocky" makes it read like "Rocky; Mountain News". Just seems like a little much for a standing element.
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alanjacobson

Visual Guru

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Posted:
Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:14 pm

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The paper with today's best front design is Link, for the brilliant clarity of its presentation.

Today's Link stands in contrast to the Rocky Mountain News, which launched a redesign today. Publisher John Temple told his readers to expect the new design to look more like a magazine – and that it does.

Note these differences between today's Link and today's Rocky:

Link's image is clear and engaging; the Rocky's image is ambiguous and passive. Link's headline is clear; the Rocky's headline doesn't tell the story. Link's promos are large, legible and separated by white space; the Rocky's promos are smaller and difficult to read because they are so close together.

Today's Rocky takes a much different approach than recent covers, such as these BFDs from Jan. 17, Jan. 2 and Jan. 11 – all of which seem to communicate more quickly. Only time will tell whether a magazine-style cover is the best way to attract single-copy purchasers and subscribers.

<http://www.brasstacksdesign.com/bfd/012307.html>
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