Testing, testing...

Okay, we admit it. Our Arts & Leisure section needed a breath of new life. You can still expect your old friend 'the movie review' to show its face once in awhile, but we hope to put in more previews of movies, music, and local shows, as well as the occasional how-to section. With any luck, we'll also have a permanent weekly columnist, student submitted photos, and more feature articles. (Topics may include: agriculture, cooking, fashion, trends, and anything else we find generally interesting.) Plan on seeing a few other interesting tidbits here and there like blog recommendations, quotes of the day and some snark from the staff.

With new content will come vast changes in the design and overall feel of Arts. For starters, we will no longer be called Arts & Leisure. A few ideas have been tossed around, but the most popular names came down to Etc., Current, and The Verb. As for design...check out these beauts! (Click the photo a larger view.)

Some pieces to note in particular: On Etc. the column running up the left side is a section called 'The Groundling' which will be devoted to listing local shows, concerts, plays, and art exhibits. On the Verb: the flag in the middle of the page. To our happy surprise, it lends itself to layout flexibility. Large feature photos could be put above the flag/fold with the lead story to follow directly below. A combination photo and lead story could be put above the fold and some of the extras would fit below. While the same combinations could be used in Etc., the overall layout is hampered by 'The Groundling.'

Of course, we intend to use elements from both examples to express a cohesive and lucid design, but we want your feedback! What do you like about the way these new pages look? What doesn't work? Is there anything you wish to see more of in terms of content?

Look in the April 10th edition of The New Hampshire for the first of a few previews. We hope that you'll like what you see.

meredith