Afro-American Papers Redesigned

The new banner was introduced in the fall and features a bolder, more modern design of the 110-year-old logo, according to Wiley Hall, III, executive editor. Hall said he thinks the new banner leaps out at readers better from news boxes, but by using more restrained colors readers are able to focus on the photographs.

The change from two sections to four was an effort to make the newspaper more accessible for the reader, said Hall.

The four sections being published since mid-January are: A, which includes news, editorial, and op-ed, B, which covers arts and entertainment, C, which is business and sports, and D, which is people.

"We have a very good entertainment section, but until now it was very deep in the paper and hard to find," said Hall.

Other items getting buried included articles on small business development, a priority in the African-American community served by the papers, said Hall.

"One of our strengths has been society and church reporting," he added. "So we created a section for that."

An added bonus is that the newspaper now has four section fronts with color and a back page for each section with color, doubling the number of color spots for advertising, according to Hall.

The changes have not necessarily increased the number of pages being published at this time. "Obviously we hope if readership and ad sales go up that we can increase pages," he said.

The redesign is not complete yet. The next step is to hopefully add some features, and "there are other things in the works," said Hall.