Redesigns - The future or the past?

(Brain cramp: I previosuly referred to the Orlando Sentinel as the Sun-Sentinel. Corrected 7/10. I apologize for the error)
Redesigns are certainly in the news as Tribune Co. revealed its Orlando Sentinel redesign. Some highlights:

• Design pushes the paper’s “stars” (columnists), presumably to add more personality and human connection.
  
• Local news, consumer information and watchdog stories are a priority.
  
• Alternative story forms are encouraged.

The design looks sharp to me. But what will the outcome be? With each passing day, newspaper redesigns feel like “too little, too late.” The Sentinel probably should have looked like this 10 years ago. Anyone that this design might have attracted has already moved on beyond newspapers.

Alan Mutter’s Newsosaur blog notes the tepid reaction to the design. Mutter makes some sobering points. One thing he fails to mention is that, typically, the complaint you receive represents one-sixth of the complaints that are really out there.

So flashy design might attract eyes and shorter stories might get some copy read, but it is unlikely that this will do much to save newspapers. I believe the newspaper’s focus on local news, consumer information and watchdog journalism can work with a more effective design to help newspapers…but even then, print will likely serve mainly as a supplement to the Web (or a driver to it).

The key here is reallocating resources. The cutbacks are real. The jobs are not coming back. But instead of driving the reporters that remain into the ground (and probably out of journalism) newspapers should hire freelancers for the small stuff and let the talented reporters do important, groundbreaking work; let them offer insight and analysis and entertainment. The sentiment is echoed at the bottom of this story analyzing the Sentinel redesign.

A logical argument from Robert Picard—Form follows function. Newspapers took the form they take now to serve a function from decades ago. Clearly, the form is not relevant now. Functions have changed.

Finally, some redesign discussion points from the Spokesman-Review in Washington.