My thoughts exactly

Part three in our series on small newspaper redesigns.

(So far, we’ve covered deciding the scope of the redesign and whether a consultant is needed in No. 1, and researching content changes, based on reader research and your own professional knowledge in No. 2.)

No matter how good your ideas are and no matter how much useful information you gather from readers, if you don’t have the staff or computer software or press capabilities to carry out your plans, you are no better off than you were before. To state the obvious: you can only do what you can do.

So it is important to assess the state of your personnel, processes, and equipment. Can you afford to make improvements anywhere? This could involve training for current staff, new software packages, new deadlines or production schedule, and so on.

For example, you may decide you would like more information graphics and maps (good idea!). You may need some new software, training for current staff, or new or different staff to pull it off. Or you may decide that you want to upgrade your web site from static HTML to a CMS, such as Drupal or Joomla. Again, you would have to decide which is the best way to go with staff (the software will be free).

Look over your deadline schedule, beginning with when the last ad is accepted. Can it be moved forward – without ticking off too many advertisers – to give the newsroom and production staff a little more time to prepare the final product? Remember: it’s that final product that makes all the difference in ad sales and circulation numbers, so do what you can to optimize its content and presentation.

Finally: equipment. Do you have everything you need to make the improvements you desire? How about cheap digital cameras with video capability for your reporters? Maybe a high-end work station for processing the visual material? What about some improvements in the pre-press or even press operations?

On this last note, by the way, I have found that when I do design consulting, it is critical to talk to the pressroom people. I make sure they understand the total picture and how important it is that they help produce the best possible newspaper. Ultimately, if they don’t get on board and take pride in the final product, much of your other work will be wasted.

This process may bring you back to Step 1, in which you decided the scope of the redesign project and whether to use an outside consultant. That’s fine: it’s an iterative process. You have to find the size project that’s best for you and your paper. Sometimes it’s a big project, and sometimes it’s a touch-up.

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Just for fun: Using a free file conversion (its works with lots of formats)  website, I created an MP3 file with a pretty good robot reading this post. He makes a few errors, but it’s not bad! So download and be read to while you stir your coffee…. File here. (Right-click to download.)

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This is the second in a series of brief posts that outline the newspaper redesign process.

The first step, after deciding the scope of the redesign and whether to use an outside consultant – and what level – is to research and evaluate the present product and the people and system that produce it.

Find out what your readers like and don’t like about your current product and its various delivery methods: print, web, mobile, blogs, social media (such as Facebook or Twitter) and so on. It should be easy to ask for feedback on your web site, make a few phone calls and run a few focus groups.

You can get information on how to do all this yourself on the web, or ask your consultant for advice. There are a number of free online survey sites, such as http://surveymonkey.com and http://surveygizmo.com

Naturally, you should also discuss this as a staff and decide what additions and deletions to the content you think you should make. You shouldn’t simply turn over your content to your readers, who may not even be aware of some of the choices you can offer. Be sure to think outside the box here. Don’t get stuck in old ruts. You have a lot of new choices out there.

This is also a good time to study your competition, especially their web sites, since that is where you will meet television stations, bloggers and freelance sites head-to-head. In a competitive marketplace, you need to be sure you are offering the consumer the best package.

Once the content in the print edition is settled, decide whether you are going to buy into the move to smaller formats (tab, Berliner) and then decide where various elements will go. It is better to anchor sections and content so that readers can easily find what they are looking for each issue. The key is to make it easy for the readers, who don’t want to have to think or search.

We’ll talk about the Design Stylebook in a later post, but this would be a good time to start writing down information that will go into that stylebook.

NEXT: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your production process. Do you need any new technology to make the changes you envision?

My guess is that it’s time for a redesign of your newspaper. Or at least a freshening.

It used to be that newspapers would go five to eight years between redesigns, but with increased competition and fading circulation numbers, it pays to touch up or change totally more frequently. Today redesigns are often tied to a reduction (again) in web size or a complete change to a tab format.

So you are probably eager to get started and yet boggled at the same time at the daunting process facing you.

It’s not as bad as you might think if you get organized from the get-go, and I’m here to help. During the next month, I’ll put up some posts with my suggestions on how to go about it. It should make the process easier.

The first two big decisions you will need to make are (1) the scope of the project and (2) whether you want a consultant to help.

You may feel a bit reluctant to embark on a total redesign, but unless you have redesigned within the past two years, I recommend you go ahead and re-think your total product line, meaning your web site(s), too. The marketplace will reward improved content in a bright new package, whereas just a freshening might not create the change you want and need. This is a time to be bold.

As for a consultant, I am sure your initial reaction is: TOO MUCH MONEY. Well, the big names in the field are indeed expensive, but you can find some very good consultants at quite reasonable fees. I think they play an important role, especially when you consider the importance of the project and the staff time it will save your paper.

Plus, you can use many consultants as much or as little as you choose — they don’t have to do an entire 6-month project for you. Instead, you can hire the consultant to go over your ideas and work with you along the way as an adviser to keep you from tripping over something. You are doing the redesign, but you bounce ideas off the consultant.

This way you get the benefit of the consultant without having to commit to “full price.” I do recommend that you make at least minimal use of a consultant. All redesign projects benefit from a pair of “fresh eyes.”

Let me know if I can help you in any way.

bob@newsdesignschool.com

P.S. Why not take advantage of my $50 off, special issue video critique offer? That is a great way to kick off a redesign project. E-mail me for more.