Wittekind said the lessons print could take from web design had been known for some time, but there was now a “need to do it”.

He said it did not matter whether readers received information through print or internet, as long as they received it. It was, he said, a matter of “using what was best” and sometimes this required thinking “beyond the newspaper”. This presented a challenge to newspapers to adapt their format to web-based design.

Although they use different formats, the print and web design for a publication are one product and should be treated as a single brand. He said readers expected the same look and feel from the two versions of the publication.

Wittekind said: “What it comes down to is a commitment to give readers what they want in the format they want.”

Four of the key lessons Wittekind said print design could take from web design are:

•    interactivity with readers through means such as publishing reader letters and photographs;
•    use of alternative story forms that are quick and easy to read, like quizzes and charts;
•    featuring content readers want, including entertainment;
•    a greater focus on local content through design, especially through color.

By Kim Hawkey, Wits University Journalism