The redesign of the St. Petersburg Times, which debuted today, is the first major change in the look of the newspaper in a generation. Our main design goal was to better showcase our award-winning journalism while making the paper easier and more fun to read.  We also wanted to make the newspaper bolder and more colorful than ever before. In the process, we have introduced more ways of layering information to help readers more easily find what they’re looking for in print and on the Web. We also have converted to a narrower page format, which readers tell us they like.

One important influence was tbt*, which I designed for its debut in 2004 and tweaked with a team when it went daily in 2006.  You can see its impact in how we segment stories in the redesigned St. Petersburg Times and display them in more visually inviting ways. Many times you can tell a news story in more easily digested bits so that the story appears less overwhelming to readers while conveying the same information.  We also borrowed features from tbt* such as World in a Snap, a photo feature that readers tell us they like.

We’ve been planning for the new look for the better part of a year. During the first few months, we researched the needs and interests of loyal readers, prospective readers, and our advertisers. We talked to about 200 staffers, asking them what they liked about the Times and what they thought needed tweaking. Then our design team started working on three models of what the Times might become. The approaches ranged from conservative to radical. The design that resulted is a combination of the best elements from those three initial prototypes and a few new touches. The team built hundreds of pages during the process.

Throughout our planning, our design team kept in mind the personal connection our readers have with the paper. Mindful of the Times’ strong brand in the Tampa Bay market, we didn’t want to change elements for sake of change. Each step of the way we asked ourselves, "How will this improve the experience for readers?" We were heartened when most readers who saw our prototypes told us that it still looks like their St. Petersburg Times, just a little sexier.

I have worked as a consultant on redesigns of newspapers of all sizes, including the Miami Herald, Newsday, Gulf News (Dubai, UAE), Het Parool (Amsterdam), The Venice (Florida) Gondolier Sun and the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press. But this redesign is different for me, since the Times is my paper. As a consultant, you change the look of a publication and move on to the next one. This project provided a chance to nurture a design and help it evolve over time, as it will — and should.

Patty Cox, assistant managing editor for presentation at the St. Petersburg Times, manages the newspaper’s team of designers, graphic artists, illustrators and copy editors. She is responsible for the look of the paper, final story edits and the big type readers go to first — the headlines.