We're doin' a 180! Well, kinda...

The section formerly known as Arts & Leisure has switched it up again. In previous weeks, we ran a design called The Verb, but last Friday, we took Etc. for a test drive. The changes are a pretty dramatic shift because the Etc. design adheres to a more traditional newspaper layout. For starters, the flag runs along the top of the page which is standard for most section fronts. Also, the events column (still called The Groundling) runs along the left side of the page where a regular commentary piece or information box might normally sit.

As nice as it turned out, we like the design of The Verb more for a couple of reasons:
1) The Verb looks a little bit more 'artsy,' if you will. The top-of-the-page flag of Etc. gives the section a nice, clean look but its aesthetic appeal and white-space quotient is ultimately diminished by the cramped feeling of the rest of the page.
2) Speaking of cramped, the presence of "The Groundling" as a side bar is distracting and takes up too much space on the front page for the other articles to have a bit of breathing room. Further still, there just isn't enough space to fit as many events as we would like to see accommodated.

BUT we do really like the "What we're listening to" box and have grand plans to do more with it in the future.

Verdict: We'll probably stick with The Verb.

Meredith