Redesign At The Independent – Review

For the second time in less than a year, The Independent has undergone a substantial redesign in order to reverse the paper’s steady decline in readership. Where the previous revamp, instigated by then-editor Andrew Marr, was aimed at a greater degree of ‘usefullness’ (see Changes At The Independent), today’s new-look, produced under the auspices of Independent Newspapers, is hoping to offer “better value for money.”

Gone is the paper’s Eye supplement, to be replaced with a daily broadsheet Review section; today’s Tuesday Review now holds an augmented media section – a supplement which has been getting flimsier by the week. Network is to be taken into the Monday Review and on Thursdays the education material will appear as a separate tabloid section.

Architecture and science coverage moves to Fridays, along with a new law section. Friday will still hold the music coverage.

Headlines and stories have been given a ‘new’ typeface which, far from the radical modernist approach of Marr’s redesign, harks back once again to a clone of The Times – the layout and headline typefaces are remarkably similar. However, unfortunately, Andrew Marr’s design approach clearly did not succeed in garnering new readers. It is to be hoped this one will because at its current rate of decline The Independent will be hitting rock bottom in a matter of months.

According to ABC figures, the paper’s circulation hit a recent peak of 265,000 for the six month period May-October ’97, and has since fallen to 225,000 for the period November-April ’98.

Reviewer: Scott Billings

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