The Forth Worth Star-Telegram (Texas) launched a redesign Sunday, reducing width, adding color, and making stories shorter and adding quick-read formats.

Each section now contains a “destination” page with blurbs on top stories, while the front page focuses on showcasing the best of the entire newspaper, not just the day’s biggest stories. A new “Your Life” section focuses on health, family, money, and style, and the new Friday entertainment section, “GO!” will be a guide to weekly outings and activities.

Many readers who commented on the paper’s website seemed uncomfortable with the change. Several thought the new paper was too busy and that the front page looked too much like an advertisement. Others complained about new, smaller type. One reader’s comment summed up the general consensus:

“I know times call for change, but I did like the ‘old town’ newspaper look, with lines separating stories and columns, without the all the colors, and found it easier to read,” he wrote. “That is one of the things I always liked about the Star Telegram, was that they stayed with the look of a real newspaper, not a read all-see all, like USA Today. I will, of course, be reading and see if I can adjust. My vote is to stay the way we were.”

Source: News Designer through Ifra Executive News Service