Newspaper design: Observer-Reporter

This package improves on the old version in several ways: It includes clearly labeled photos of all the principals — the accused, survivor and victim. Its headline is clearer and more direct, and the text above the headline provides context.

The story about a change in chaperone laws originally appeared on an inside page. It was moved to the front page in the new version because it is highly relevant to the readers of the Observer-Reporter. The fact box provides quick and easy access to the particulars
of the change in the law.

The emotional tenor of this story is more clearly communicated with the inclusion of this photo, which appeared on an inside page in black and white in the old version. The new headline makes it clear that doctors were the protesters.

The old promo was almost invisible. The new promos use much larger photos and larger type to show local faces and promote local stories. Placement above the fold is intended to enhance single-copy sales.

The wire digest on the new page provides an excellent means of displaying wire news. The budget director story is more appropriately played in the digest, instead of crowding the main package as it did on the old front 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.