The Redesign Game: EGM

A familiar, easily accesible design is important for any news outlet. By putting content in the same format and the same position day after day, month after month, you give readers a sense of where to find the information they're looking for quickly and easily. A sleek design that's aesthetically pleasing will also keep readers coming back time and again.



It's odd then, that some major media outlets that had familiar, accesible, and pretty designs are so eager to change the way they look.



Take Electronics Gaming Monthly, probably the highest profile redesign in recent months. The old design has been constant for years and was probably one of the most well known in the industry. It featured intuitive color-coding by system (Xbox=green, GameCube=purple, PS2=blue), a relatively standard layout for previews (featuring an easy to find vital facts box) and a tight column format for reviews (with big, clear scores set behind each reviewer's text)



Starting with issue 167, EGM changed all that. The new format now has a color scheme that relies heavily on red and black (color coding now differentiates different sections of the magazine instead of systems). Previews are much more freeform as far as space and layout are concerned (some contain only a small screenshot and a few dozen words) and the familiar column-sized review format has been replaced with large rectangles of text (and small white-on-red scores in the corner). The "Press Start" letters and news section got a similar overhaul.



If you had been away for a few months, you might not believe it was the same magazine.



Given the obvious disadvantages to a resdesign (lack of familiarity to readers, cost, time), why do it at all? Well, EGMs layout redesign also accompanied a slight redesign in content. New subsections like "Instant Expert," among others, were added with issue 167, and the new format accompanied an increased design focus on the cover story of the month (speaking of covers, the familiar cover text was also redesigned, removing the heavy black outline). The new, free-form reviews and previews also allow for more games to be covered in one issue, even if some of those games don't get much space. The new format also allows for pictures that aren't in the standard screen-shot rectangle format, which makes the visual appeal that much more exciting.



But overall, I'm not sure these pros outweigh the negative aspects of a redesign. People inherently fear any change, whether good or bad, and you automatically take a small hit in confidence from many readers whenever you change anything about your magazine. True, you don't want to stagnate with a design that looks dated, but I don't think EGM's classic look was in danger of becoming old-fashioned anytime soon.



The best advice I can give, based on my limited experience, is to use redesigns sparingly. Put them at the top of your media outlet's food pyramid, as it were. Unless there is some flaw in the current design that needs immediate attention, I'd leave well enough alone. If it ain't broke... well, you get the idea.



This article has just skimmed the surface of some of the journalistic issues involved in a redesign, but I'll be looking at more examples throughout the week, including Play magazine and GamerFeed.com. So be on the lookout for more semi-informed analysis based almost solely on my personal feelings on the subject.