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hanges to the look of the print edition of the Brainerd Dispatch started small — so small that most readers
probably didn’t know what had changed. But what began a few months ago with getting rid of rules — those lines that separated stories
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and other elements on the pages — evolved into a
complete new look for the paper, from how stories and photos are packaged to the uses of color.
“I think the Dispatch was a lot like 99.99 percent
of the newspapers in the country. They’re tired, their
format is old and stodgy,” said Keith Hansen, Dispatch vice president of audience development. “I wanted a
three-dimensional look, a digital-age look to our newspa-
per. It was just a matter of finding the right people in the right places.”
The changes began in earnest with the hiring of page designer Jan Finger, who took Hansen’s ideas for the redesign and ran with them.
“When Tim (Bogenschutz, Dispatch publisher) and Keith hired
me a little over a month ago my assignment on the redesign included
these directions: ‘Make it pop, make it three-dimensional, think outside the box (and) we want to break the newspaper mold,’” Finger said. “I
asked how long is my leash and Keith said, ‘There is no leash.’ This assignment is a designer’s dream. I’m having so much fun.”
The Dispatch will soon change the body copy to make it more reader
friendly and add more dimensional design treatments to section fronts, inside
pages, and special publications. Typically when people think of newspapers they
think flat black and white with an occasional color photo. The Dispatch’s goal is for people to think “Wow! Is this our local newspaper?”
Hansen said the goal is to look unlike any other newspa-
per in the country. That future could also change the way ads are placed in the newspaper.
“Newspapers are not dead. Imaginations have been dying because everybody else is saying they don’t want to go up against the digital age,” Hansen said. “I want our paper to be as aggressive and progressive looking as our digital stuff. Look at the (Dispatch’s) iPad edition. It’s phenomenal. It pops.”
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By MATT ERICKSON matt.erickson@ brainerddispatch.com
The paper’s redesign hasn’t gone unnoticed. Along with numerous compliments from readers, Washington, D.C.-based Newseum.org selected the May 4 edition as one of its “Today’s Top Ten Front Pages,” a first-time honor for the Dispatch. MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
MORE than a newspaper - we are a multi-media company!
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