Newspaper Redesign: The Navhind Times, Goa

The Navhind Times - Promo Video from Gasper DSouza on Vimeo.

When I was asked to come in as a consultant for the redesign of the Navhind Times, my proposal was that the paper looks at the project as a re-think and not just a redesign. Design is an element to support content and not something that needs to get "in the face" of the reader.

With this in mind, every design element proposed and introduced in the new Navhind Times serves a purpose and is not just ornamental.

The re-design sought to address 6 basic areas:

• Packaging
• Colour Coding
• Reader Interactivity
• Usability
• Unified Typography
• Modular Layouts

1. Packaging and Colour Coding:

Taking into consideration lifestyles of the modern reader, the product was packaged for efficient reading.

At the broadest level, the sections were packaged for logical flow through the paper. First comes the hard news sections beginning with Page 1 and followed by local news, national and global news and ending in the Opinions page(s). Then comes the two page Business section. This is followed by the two entertainment and events pages - Buzz. The paper ends in the 3 page sports section.

However, due to various realities within the organisation, this logical flow unfortunately, could not be implemented in the final release. Hopefully, it will be incorporated at some later date.

Sections have been colour-coded, a unique concept, to give readers a better sense of where they are in the paper. The colours also go with the type of content -

• Blue for hard news
• Lively magenta for entertainment
• Green for business and
• Flaming orange for sports

The packaging then extends to the individual pages and stories. Similar stories are grouped together on pages for easy accessibility. For instance, crime and accidents, previously scattered through all the local pages, are now grouped in a box on P3.

P2 has scope for a daily feature/centerpiece story with more visuals and graphics. This automatically lifts the entire page, previously filled with a large number of small items.

Individual stories are also better packaged. Templates for sidebars make for convenient projection of story highlights for the reader. Visuals and graphics accompany key stories throughout the paper and make for better packaged stories.

2. Reader Interactivity:

A newspaper that does not involve its readers actively is headed for extinction. Today's readers do not want to be talked down to. We want to be involved in the conversation.

With this in mind, I have introduced scope for involving readers throughout the paper, in individual stories. The paper now has both email and SMS for interactivity. Editors can now invite readers to share their thoughts via SMS or email.

In the earlier format, readers could, at best, send in a letter to the editor (on the opinions page) or an article. There was no scope for contributing short "thoughts". Through the "Shoutbox" on P5, readers can now send in their brief comments instead of formal letters. This is in tune with the trends for social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

3. Usability:

Today's readers have fast-paced lifestyles and newspapers need to keep this in mind. The new design acknowledges this situation. Stories now have multiple entry points to guide readers to stories of interest.

• Headlines: The headline remains the key entry point for the reader. But in addition to this, there are several more points of entry.
• Decks: A deck above the headline now qualifies the headline with more detail.
• Summary Graf: Key stories on a page come with a summary paragraph (two or three short sentences) that gives "on-the-go" readers a gist of the story.
• Sidebars: These graphical elements give readers yet another entry point into the story with a small graphic and a bulleted list of key facts of the story.

On the same point of usability, the two magazines were to be converted to the tabloid format. The reasoning being the tabloid format is a more convenient format compared to the broadsheet. This is particularly useful in the case of the Sunday magazine Panorama that has in-depth articles. While the concept was accepted for the Saturday lifestyle magazine - Zest, it was rejected for Panorama. I'm not convinced with the argument that tabloid equals "lesser journalism." Worldwide, the trend towards tabloid is catching on and adopted by respected dailies.

4. Unified Typography:

A key change in the new design is unification of typography throughout the paper. As with other design elements, type is kept simple - just two related families in the entire publication. A combination of the two families is used for all elements on the page. The lead headline uses a dominant font while all other elements use variants with lesser weightage.

The special sections and magazines have also been brought into the unified typography scheme for the first time, to create a related look throughout the publication.

5. Modular Layouts:

Modular advertisement layouts was suggested as a design concept to go with the modular story design. The newspaper used a side stairwell design for ads that rise to the top of the page. The modular approach would ensure ads align horizontally and do not project to the top of the page. This format keeps both the reader and advertiser in mind.

This concept was followed on the initial launch, especially for P1 but then reverted to the traditional stairwell layout following "advertiser demand". Nonetheless, I am happy readers got to experience the Navhind Page 1 as I had envisioned, even if for just a couple of days.

These are the key points of the new design. Despite the last moment modifications, most notably in the flow of sections through the paper and modular ad layouts, I hope readers will like the product. Going by early reactions the new look seems to have gone down pretty well with traditional readers. What remains to be seen is if it will draw in new readers. But that's where compelling content comes in.

Before & After:

Page One:

Page Two:

Opinions:

Buzz (Society, Entertainment & Events):

Zest (Saturday lifestyle magazine, now in tabloid size):

Panorama (Sunday magazine):

Watch my video guide to the new look Navhind Times: