The old main photo was intended to pack
a punch, but it didn't have the impact of this photo, which also
served to direct the reader's eye to the main headline.
The old page contained photos from other movies,
but did not group them, label them or crop them for maximum impact, as
was done on the new page.
The old section flag took up a great deal of space
but didn't allow space for any promos. The new page takes up less space
with a promo integrated into its design.
The old page and the new page promoted the same
stories. But the promo panel at the bottom of the new page is better because it allows for
larger and more dynamic presentation of the promo images; a single panel at the bottom is cleaner than four panels running top to bottom; and placing
the promos at the bottom of the page helps to separate them from the unrelated
stories above.
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.