Design Ledes

I’m a news junkie. Always have been. I used to read the standards (WaPo, NYT, and WSJ) cover to cover. Now that I don’t read them in print anymore, the idea of “cover to cover” is outmoded. And the range of sites I visit has increased tenfold; I still scan the homepage of the Times but then I hop around sites sporadically throughout the day, seeking out the best coverage of topics that interest me.

Often, I’m dropped in the middle of a site, having followed some intriguing link on Twitter. Because the name of the source isn’t always indicated, it’s a bit like following someone blindfolded — you have no idea where you might end up after you click.

It raises interesting questions about experience design and branding. I thought it’d be an interesting exercise to evaluate a few of my new regular reads based on three criteria:

1. Usability. Is the website user-friendly? How easy is it to scan and find what you’re looking for?

2. Visual identity and interface design. Is there a strong visual identity? If you removed the logo, would the site still retain the organization’s personality?

3. Editorial voice. Is there an editorial style? Do headlines and section names sound like they are coming from the same source?

For the purposes of this exercise, I focused on the homepage, because that’s where I usually go if I want to read more after I finish an article:

The Atlantic
In addition to a healthy respect for white space, The Atlantic stays true to its magazine roots with neatly organized sections and sidebars. There’s a hierarchy of information that is reinforced with a smart combination of typography, colors and images. Overall, the page is dynamic and lively, without being overwhelming.

The identity is clean, elegant and distinctive. The capital “A” is unique enough to effectively serve as the favicon and social media avatar. And even though the color palette is similar to a lot of other sites, the darker navy adds depth.

The editorial tone is serious at times, playful others. That mix fits too. The Atlantic has always been a high brow legacy publication, but the editors have also put Britney Spears on the cover.

Politico
The best thing I can say about this site is that it visually reflects the wall-to-wall coverage of all things political, from big picture to the tiny minutiae. There’s a lot of sections in the navigation bar, and a zillion story headlines that run down the page. It’s all packed in there like a giant, all-you-can-eat buffet. To save space, the logo is smooshed in at the top of the page.

I like the illustrated sketches that accompany the blogs. They remind me that there are humans behind this machine. But if I covered up the logo, I might think this was a cached version of the Washington Post site circa 2007. The typography and color scheme are just that similar. The gradients are seriously dated too.

Curiously, there is no attempt at an editorial voice. They just don’t even go there. Weird.

ProPublica
Is there anything sadder than a talented start-up with a logo that looks like clip art? Yes, there is. When the clip art is a cliché and makes the name of the new company hard to read, it’s tragic.

The interface design is totally generic in an oddly corporate way. Other than an over-use of the magnifying glass, there are no distinctive graphic elements to set it apart or to help the reader discern where to start – no sections that group related stories and features, not even any headers to help establish the range of topics.

And some things just don’t make sense. Gigantic share buttons appear next to story headlines. Why would I share a story before I’ve read it? Meanwhile, cool interactive features get lost in the shuffle. For example, a searchable database of medical providers who accept payment for endorsing pharmaceutical products appears without context and kind of looks like advertising. And the list of hottest stories is placed at the bottom of the page.

I love the investigative reporting that comes out of this organization. They really fulfill on their promise to deliver “Stories with moral force.” (Speaking of which, why is that not the tagline? It is exponentially stronger and more compelling than “Journalism in the Public Interest.”)

I could go on and on about ways to make this better. But I’ll spare you.

Talking Points Memo
The big, graphic logo is eye-catching and memorable. And the red, white and tan color palette is different, even though the editors apparently still feel compelled to use blue in their headlines. (Seriously, why is there so much red, white and blue on all these news sites??)

There’s also a clear attempt to brand the content TPM by slapping the acronym in front of….everything. I get what they’re trying to do, but it feels a little forced. I wish it were more strategically deployed.

The layout reinforces the whole idea of a tip sheet again and again, which is an effective use of the grid. There’s an actual tip sheet on the left, but the main column is similarly scan-able, thanks to bite-size helpings of visuals and editorial. “Read more” links look like they were highlighted – which makes sense conceptually, even if it looks a little dated.

There’s a snappy tone to both headlines and section headers; I wish they were a little more consistent but that’s picking nits.

Why does it matter?
There are still a lot of people who think design doesn’t matter. They think their product will speak for itself. They think people don’t care what their logo looks like. They think it will make them seem less serious to have a nice website.

These people are wrong.

Design makes your product more valuable. People pay more money for clothing, furniture, and cars when they are well designed. And they spend more time on websites that are designed to be interesting to look at and easy to use at the same time. In the media business — as in all business — that time equals money.

What are your favorite news sites? Has your local paper effectively branded its site and created a user-friendly interface? Share your thoughts in the comments below or tweet me @thinksomandy.