Our new design adds light, air, and boldness. And it comes at a period of strong growth for our company.
If you pick up our print edition this week, you'll see a very different City Newspaper. It has a dramatically different cover, and that difference continues throughout the publication.
Our commitment to serious news analysis and to the best in arts and entertainment coverage remains the same. The new graphic design - what the pages look like - is intended to enhance our content.
This major redesign, the first in nearly 30 years, reflects months of discussion and research, first by our staff, and then by one of the nation's top designers of alternative newsweeklies, Topaz Design of Portland, Oregon.
The Topaz design adds light and air, and it adds rhythm. It reflects changes in newspaper design and changes in how readers use newspapers.
Some of the changes are organizational. Parts of our events listings have been rearranged, for example, to make them easier for you to find what you need.
We've moved a few events listings to our website: events and exhibitions that are the same every week, for instance. We'll periodically include them in our print edition, but by taking the more static listings from the newspaper, we open more space for more content. We have also moved our movie-times listing to the web, where it can be more accurate and easier to use.
Along with the design changes, we've added a few new features. Our restaurant reviews, which run every other week, will now alternate with a food-news feature, which starts next week.
And inside the back cover, you'll find a puzzle and a horoscope. The puzzle is a return to the early days of this newspaper, when a unique feature called The Real Puzzle built a strong following. The horoscope is a response to readers' requests.
The redesign comes at a period of strong growth for our company. While the circulation of many newspapers has been declining, for many alternative newsweeklies that's not the case. Our own circulation continues to grow, both inside the city and outside. According to our audits, 62 percent of our readers live in the suburbs and in surrounding counties.
That's consistent with our mission as a metropolitan newspaper, addressing issues that affect the metropolitan community and providing a platform for the opinions of engaged, concerned readers from throughout the area.
The new design reflects the boldness of our print and web editions and the richness of this community.
"This," our music editor, Frank De Blase, said to me late last week, pointing at pages with the new design, "is the newspaper I work for."
That's the best way I can think of to explain the changes. This is who we have become, over the past 36 years.
We welcome your comments and questions.
Coming up: Late summer is often a quiet news period, but not this year. August's developments have included the search for - and the argument over -a new Rochester schools superintendent and the rumored changes to Renaissance Square. Both are critically important to the health of the city and the region.
We'll be analyzing those developments in the coming weeks, as well as issues and candidates in the fall elections. We'll also continue our comments on the war in Iraq as we wait for the September announcement from General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. And with the New York primary just over six months away, we're preparing for our coverage of this most important presidential campaign.
In a few weeks, this newspaper will celebrate its 37th anniversary. A lot has changed since we began publishing. The region's challenges have grown dramatically, and the solutions won't be easy to find, particularly given the deep geographic and philosophical divisions of the Community of Monroe.
One of the most important roles of this newspaper is to analyze those challenges and the possible solutions - and to encourage a community dialogue. We hope you'll continue to take part.
Comments for "EDITOR'S NOTE: City's new newspaper design" (18)
City Newspaper is not responsible for the content of these comments. City Newspaper reserves the right to remove comments at their discretion.
Liva said on Aug. 27, 2007 at 8:21pm
Boldness? Rich? Surely you jest?? This is the wimpiest looking newspaper I've ever seen. If this is new design, forget it!
Bruno Chalifour said on Aug. 28, 2007 at 8:54am
Dear City, Two cheers for the new format, First, sincere congratulations for a new cover that has become easier to read because of its new lay-out, a sophisticated balance of text, images,...and information. The pages look more aired, less crammed, more pleasant to look at and read. Second, a warm welcome back to a new old and respected voice, a refreshing sensibility and tone on the arts: Shirley Dawson. On the George Eastman House One may or may not agree with Ms Dawson's rather bland account of her visit at the George Eastman House with its umpteenth Ansel Adams show. At least Ansel is sparing us, for a while, the cute pets and babies (and next the baby pets before the petting babes!). In a witty introductive sentence Ms Dawson however implacably raises a key issue: under dire financial stress the venerable institution sometimes becomes the shadow of itself to the point that one may wonder where the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House actually is. With a vibrant art market in which photography plays a key role, with a few scores of students graduating in photography from Rochester universities and colleges as well as from others in Syracuse an
Lisa D said on Aug. 27, 2007 at 8:15pm
I looked for the City in the newspaper bins and could not find it. Invisible! I have always loved the bold city covers. The cover virtually disappears on the displays. The newspaper may have more white space but it has no "presence." Very disappointing. As well I find it very difficult to read (the over 50 set) and find no redeeming feature to the change. I could barely find the music event listings. Don't make change for change sake, Please!
Peter said on Aug. 27, 2007 at 4:13pm
I want to thank you folks for adding the puzzle on the back page. I'd never encountered Fill-A-Pix puzzles before, but this one hooked me. I had a blast solving it, and I hope the puzzle becomes a weekly feature!
Fletcher said on Aug. 27, 2007 at 5:47pm
I really enjoy the new type face that you have selected. I think the type face is elegant - and much easier to read. I think the old font was darker maybe - but now it seems like there is more space in between lines - making it easier for me to read. I really enjoy that along with the large quotes on many of the articles. Overall I think the paper looks great and you should really go with your first instinct - its usually the best. Thanks for the new look!!
Deb Sponable said on Aug. 22, 2007 at 5:24pm
I have been an avid City reader for many years, and picked up this week's edition as always. Your content may be improved, but I couldn't tell. You see, I'm part of the over-40 demographic that needs glasses, and the new reduction in the print size meant I couldn't read the paper. Given the aging of the population in general, I suspect many of your readers may experience this same issue. Please reconsider this particular innovation. Otherwise, I'll miss your print edition very much, but I will still read you online. Thanks for a thoughtful, informative and progressive paper.
The editor said on Aug. 23, 2007 at 7:17am
Thanks for your comments. Actually, the type size of the articles is exactly the same; it's a different type face, however, and while it looked fine even to the older staff here, yours is not the only comment we've received. We'll be discussing the type face.
someone said on Aug. 23, 2007 at 12:58pm
Gorgeous, thoughtfully built on logical systems design, I was exiting from a movie and saw it by the exit. I asked my companion, "what is this!?... [excited to see something refreshingly contemporary... and repeated] "what is this!! Is this ours???"
I was glad to find out it IS ours.... Rochester's.
Great research and execution.
-Someone
long-time reader said on Aug. 25, 2007 at 8:01am
Very nice new design. But the absence of movie times is a real loss. Before, it took at most five seconds to zero in on the theater and movie I wanted to know about. Now, it takes literally minutes to phone the theater and listen to the times of all the movies (mine always last, of course). And turning on the computer, waiting for it to boot up, etc., to get to your webpage takes even longer. Please reconsider.
Steve said on Aug. 25, 2007 at 9:00am
"We'll also continue our comments on the war in Iraq as we wait for the September announcement from General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker." That sentence almost makes it seem as if you're going to be objective. Do you mean to say that you don't already have the article written in response to Petraeus' report?
The editor said on Aug. 25, 2007 at 9:49am
To Long-time Reader: Thanks for your comments about our movie times, and we're grateful that you've found them helpful in the past. A big concern to us, however, has been timeliness and accuracy. We receive the times from the movie industry on Monday and Tuesday. Some don't arrive before we go to press Tuesday afternoon, so we haven't been able to include them in the print edition at all. And it's not unusual for theaters to change their screening times, particularly for weekend shows. There was always the chance, then, that readers would arrive at a theater after a movie had started. We appreciate your input, and we'll continue to listen to readers' comments on this.
Bill Pruitt said on Aug. 25, 2007 at 8:17pm
I can't believe you removed the movie times. Since when does revamping the format include eliminating one of the critical functions? You have removed one of the handful of reasons i have to look at City.
Sheila Byrne said on Aug. 26, 2007 at 12:49pm
I like the new design very much. The articles and corresponding page numbers on the cover are great; I'll get used to Tom Tomorrow being further back; still have the best advertisements in any paper in this area. But...et tu, City? The movies times were one of the absolute outstanding features of this paper. Where else could you say "we can do the Cinema at 7:15 or Movies 10 at 7:30" with a quick glance at your outstanding lineup format. But now....alas, you must have been overtaken by "Invasion" ( see George Grella's review) as your movie listings are soulless as the D&C's. *sniff*
Tom Janowski said on Aug. 29, 2007 at 5:58pm
I love the new design! I have so many magazine subscriptions and I have to say not too many pull off redesigns well. But you did!
Kara said on Aug. 28, 2007 at 1:59pm
Rock on, City Newspaper. You finally have a look that is as cool as your content.
Kelli said on Aug. 29, 2007 at 11:06am
I am also disappointed not to have the movie times included. Before, all I needed to have on my coffee table was the City but now do I have to get Freetime or ugh... The Insider, too? Calling or getting online is too time consuming and I still have dial-up (and no, I'm not in the 50+ demographic. Now when a friend calls up at the last minute for a movie I can't say, "Come pick me up. I'll bring my City." New design is nice. I'm not good with change, so ask me in a couple months!
simon goldfeder said on Oct. 31, 2007 at 7:24am
The new design sucks. Plain and simple. I cant read it, it's too damn small of a font. So, logic follows, if i can't read it, i WONT! Duh. my eyes are'nt that bad either.....WTF? Bill, Mary Anne, are you not even LOOKING at your own paper? How can you possibly reads this crap, it's like tiny insects crawling across the page. wow, from shitty, to shitty and unreadable, i guess it is an improvement for the paper in a bizzaro rochester world way.
Eric Metzler said on Oct. 08, 2008 at 9:40pm
Good job with the site design. Very simple and slick.
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