A landmark in the evolution of 'The Irish Times'
We have brought two weights of Expresso into the equation, with the extra bold face in use for headlines in our news sections and the black, with a tint applied, used in headlines in the Arts and Life pages.
Both new fonts allow us to use smaller headlines that can still pack punch.
The body text is the same Expresso typeface as before but it has been increased slightly (from 8.5pt to 8.7pt). The text settings for spacing between letters and words have also been adjusted to give a better reading experience.
Colour
This design signifies a departure from the dominant red/black palette of recent years and introduces colour-coded sections. The red and black survives in our News and World sections but as you move through the paper and supplements you will see the new, enlarged palette.
Design features
The design provided by Palmer-Watson is aimed at opening up our pages and making them more engaging for readers.
They include more structured, hierarchical pages with better definition between stories (strong grey rules) and strong vertical pillars that allow us to cover smaller stories easily while giving more space to those we choose to develop and expand on.
There are many points of entry with more subheads, quotes and information panels. The design allows for greater use of images too.
The process
Palmer-Watson were briefed and engaged in early summer. After an intensive period of consultation with The Irish Times editors and design team, they worked with us to come up with a design template.
Their tools were handed over to the core Irish Times design team of chief subeditor Brian Kilmartin, our publishing system IT specialist Mick Crowley and myself.
Since mid-July we have been working with Irish Times editors and staff to see how we can make the new design work for our journalism throughout the paper. We believe the design will serve our journalism well – we hope you do too.
If you have any comment or queries about the redesign please email us at change@irishtimes.com
Today
* Pricewatch returns to the main paper. Page 12
* Food Farming begins in Business + Innovation
* Reconfigured Bulletin page now including Sudoku and with a new weather service
* Body + Sole moves to tomorrow's Health + Family
* Units page appears tomorrow.
Tomorrow
* Health + Family widens its brief from parenting
* Your new Business + Your Money section covers the issues around your personal finances.
Liam Ryan, Production & Design editor
