WSJ missed chance to make a big splash

The New York Post’s Keith Kelly wrote that some insiders at the Wall Street Journal believe the paper missed a chance to make a big splash with its redesign, which was unveiled Tuesday, because many of its top journalists were on or returning from vacation and the introduction was made during a slow news period.

In addition, Kelly quoted a few journalism experts about the design. He wrote, “Paul Voakes, dean of the University of Colorado journalism school, said the changes – which also include stories that stay on a single page, brighter colors and more graphics – come more than a decade after rivals, such as Gannett’s USA Today, introduced such changes.

“‘It’s a very honest concession by the Journal that its traditional presentation appeals to generations that aren’t going to be around for many more decades,’ he said.”

Later, Kelly wrote, “One newspaper design expert said that while he saw the changes retaining the Journal’s look and feel, he wasn’t sure the new look will be enough to keep new generations of readers interested in reading the paper.

“‘When I looked at it this morning, it was still the Journal,’ said noted design guru Roger Black.”

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