New look coming to paper
You’ll see some gradual changes over the next few weeks
If you are reading this column in print and on paper, you should notice a few differences from my previous ones, and indeed from almost everything else in today’s printed newspaper.
The typeface is different — bigger and easier to read. It’s part of a redesign of our printed product that will begin rolling out in some sections on Tuesday in Go and on the editorial pages, and across the entire paper over the next few weeks.
The typeface is called Nimrod. It was developed specifically for newspapers and for ease of reading, particularly reading newspapers — narrow columns and newspaper-style layouts.
Nimrod is known for its big open characters, and we have set the spacing between the words and the lines to increase its readability.
Look to your right across to Page 3, and you should see the difference. That one is called Farnham, the font we are leaving behind.
We hope you will agree Nimrod is an improvement.
For those of you who are interested in such things, the Nimrod type is set at 9 points on a 12-point leading.
As a result, this column has the same number of words as my previous columns in this space, but will take up slightly more space on this page.
That may not be good for reporters — it will mean slightly fewer words, and perhaps less information — but we believe it is good for readers.
Nimrod is also the typeface that will be used for headlines. It will replace the Agenda typeface currently used in headlines in the rest of today’s paper.
There are not too many other changes coming. The overall design and organization stays mostly the same, with all your favourite features, diversions, articles and writers.
You can expect the same journalistic excellence, storytelling and reliable news you’ve come to expect.
The logos will change, and some other “furniture” — as designers like to call items such as section titles, tag lines or captions.
We believe the new design is both pleasing to look at and easier to read and follow for readers, but it also offers us, the journalists who put it together each night, the ability — agility — to react quickly to breaking news and bring you the latest updates.
What that really means is that it is a simple design without too many finicky bits. Print deadlines are an increasing burden for journalists in a digital age. And they seem to be getting earlier as we deliver papers to doorsteps that are sometimes further and further away.
The Spectator today, like all newspapers, produces more than just a printed newspaper.
Our business is the dissemination of transparent and trustworthy information. We have always provided news and advertising, good storytelling and a fun diversions, useful data and fun facts, but today we must deliver all that on multiple platforms on a 24/7 schedule.
Each product is unique. Much of the information is the same, but much is different. We hope you will continue to explore us in all of these places.