Newspaper design: Observer-Reporter

On the old page, the funding story's headline failed to mention the local impact of the freeze in Peters Township — an omission corrected by the new headline. In addition, the new version includes a box that lists local and state organizations that will feel the effects of the funding freeze. Local organizations appear in boldface.

The new page improves this package on the lawsuit filed by victims of a mining accident in several ways: tighter cropping and better sizing of the photo; addition of a file photo from the mining rescue; and a summary beneath the headline that explains the story in a way that the headline could not.

The photo of President Bush on the old page was overplayed. On the new page, careful cropping produced a photo with good image size without using much space. Placing the news of Bush's re-election announcement in the digest instead of in the lead position on the front page gives this marginally important “news” story the play it deserved.

The news digest provides space for two remarkable items that did not appear on the old front page: an almost poetic image from the SARS crisis and a disturbing story about a high school hazing.

This promo was difficult to see on the old page. Tight cropping and better play prevent it from getting lost on the new page.

The Observer-Reporter is a 40,000-circulation daily newspaper serving Washington and Greene counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The paper has two kinds of readers — longtime residents of the small mining towns that dot the region and newcomers from Pittsburgh who prefer the lower taxes and suburban setting that Washington County offers.

To meet the needs of both kinds of readers, the Observer-Reporter must provide complete coverage of local news and a comprehensive report of national and international events. The redesign includes tools to help achieve this goal — digests of national news and national sports free up most of the front page and sports front for local news.

To grow its circulation, the Observer-Reporter must compete head-to-head with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which is published just 25 miles to the north. It must convince newcomers who are more oriented toward Pittsburgh and the Post-Gazette to switch to the Observer-Reporter for its more thorough coverage of Washington County news.

To succeed, the Observer-Reporter must offer a superior local report and a concise, yet complete, wire report. And it must provide both without the resources of its competitors.