Washington Business Journal redesign
Design / Apr. 9, 2010
Almost a year and a half in the making, this was the largest redesign WBJ has done in a long while, but it was almost even bigger. Plans to go to a five-column format, a smaller web width and heavier, whiter paper died about a year into the process. And despite careful planning, Page 1 and the nameplate were changed less than a week before launch thanks to The Washington Post’s earlier-than-expected launch of Capital Business. While I’m largely pleased with the results, Page 1 still feels a little like a frankenstein project.
Inside pages were opened up slightly, making way for Guardian and Publico-style layouts with large art.
Section fronts became section spreads to allow a single block of editorial going across the spread and dedicated non-full page ad space.
The use of color changed significantly too. The paper is now 100 percent color and the color palette is strong and bright.
The Opinion pages are the only pages that deviate from the four column grid — it’s actually five with a two-on-three staff column in the center.
Typefaces used are Publico Headline, Publico Text, Guardian Sans and Guardian Text Sans — all available from my pal Christian Schwartz over at Commercial Type.
