Forbes unveiled its redesign on Wednesday, according to Talking Biz News: "debuting with the annual Forbes 400 issue hitting newsstands Thursday, as well as the next iteration of a Forbes.com redesign now live online."

This web package is the second step in a "rolling redesign of Forbes.com" that began with changing the blogs in August and will continue within the next few months.

Lewis Dvorkin, chief product officer at Forbes, was quoted in Talking Biz News as saying that the redesign lets Forbes "put journalism at the center of social media by creating new opportunities for content creators, the audience and marketers to participate in the conversation in real time, as it unfolds on our digital and print platforms."
The updates in the magazine include short synopses of feature articles and reader comments plus fun facts dispersed through the article. The site and the magazine are both going to have more "white space, contemporary photography and clean design aesthetics," according to the article, with "an even greater focus on reporting, 'opportunities' for advertisers, thought leaders and other content creators to participate in the pages of the magazine and online." There will also be more coverage on Forbes list and list members."

Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief at Forbes, said the design would get the audience more engaged with the magazine. An article on Forbes.com states the new design wants to deliver a cleaner, simpler and more interactive site for users to browse. There will also be "greater compatibility and interactivity between the print and online platforms," said the article.

Andrea Spiegal, vice president of new product development at Forbes, said the magazine wants to embrace "social conversation not just on Forbes, but also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn through a partnership with SocialAmp, a startup focused on social, community-based applications," according to the Forbes.com article.

Plus, according to minonline.com, Forbes Web site is going to have a "more substantial blog system that D'Vorkin engineered," which was developed earlier this summer. This makes content on the site "more actively syndicated to partners and through accessible social networking and sharing tools," the article adds. Plus, the site will include a "Social Stream" to allow journalists to better interact with readers on the site as well as through social networks. D'Vorkin has reportedly has been "making some waves" with ideas about journalists interacting with readers through social networking."

Will this design get more people to read and discuss Forbes through networks like Facebook and Twitter? Will more readers be gained through this process?

Sources: Talking Biz News, Forbes.com, minonline.com
Image: Talking Biz News