Germany's Handelsblatt goes compact

Posted by Helena Humphrey on November 6, 2009 at 12:56 PM

After more than six months of planning, preparation and speculation, November 2 saw the first edition of Germany's redesigned political and financial daily, Handelsblatt, hit newsagents' shelves across the country - as well as the launch of the revamped website and introduction of a mobile phone app.

The Garcia Media redesign signifies a milestone in German press, as the publication is the first quality German newspaper to make the decision to switch from the broadsheet to the compact size. As Garcia himself points out, other publishers will now be watching and gauging reactions, and asking themselves whether they should now take a similar step.

Media designer Katja Hoesli, aided by Nils Werner Handelsblatt's art director, were charged with the overall details of the redesign. Their initial briefing was to create a classic and elegant newspaper that would stand the test of time, as opposed to something trendy.

According to latest reports, readers so far have responded positively to the redesign, posting online commentaries on the website and social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, as well as the odd few more traditional letters to the editor.

Editor-in-Chief Bernd Ziemser previously shrugged of speculation that the redesign was an effort to cut costs, which, considering the new list of high profile columnists he has recently hired, including former Wall Street Journal editor and current think-tank Atlantic Council President, Fred Kempe, looks likely to be true. It is expected that the new team of columnists will focus more exclusively on giving sharper insights into the business world, with columns covering subjects from management concepts through to global and more specifically the American economy.

Souce: Garcia Media