Here's the mockup page for the ballyhooed redesign courtesy of VisualEditors.com:
I think the headline on the only story on the front page says it all: "Hard To Stomach." The Superman-like "S." The lost dash (hyphens are soooo old media). The Help Team. The nauseating red. The typos and grammatical problems ("where's our rebate checks," "West Palm beach," etc).
I generally like tabloid-style covers, but this thing isn't what I want landing on my driveway everyday. This is all about the newsstand and it will be very interesting to see if it works to gin up sales.
Oh, and if it looks like it's designed for idiots, that's because it is. The quote from SunSentinel (yeah, I guess that's the way I'm gonna write it) design director Paul Wallen says it all:
"We’re after occasional readers, people who don’t feel they have the time or enough interest to read our paper on a regular basis."
But how is that look interesting enough to attract young people?
Alright, I'm going to withhold any more of my cynical thoughts. Love to hear what y'all think though.