Puberty at 30?
The Inquirer may have marked its third decade in the industry, but it just got even younger.
Netizens and avid online readers have nothing but kind (and funny) words on the Inquirer’s brand new look, an unprecedented move in its 30-year history and in the Philippine media landscape.
Twitter and Facebook users praised the Inquirer’s modern and decluttered layout, saying it made the brand look fresher and even more enticing to digital natives and the millennial generation.
READ: Why a rethink?
“Off to bayan. Gonna buy 2 copies of PDI. Sabi nila, kalabaw daw lang ang tumatanda. Ibahin niyo si Guyito!” wrote Twitter user Kelvin Casamayor, perhaps to the delight of the ever youthful Inquirer carabao mascot.
“Inquirer just went through puberty. Love it,” said Twitter user @jesspards.
“Ang sexy po ng new Inquirer design,” @prochois tweeted.
Facebook user Abangan Grei said the newspaper had a “website effect” that “must look stunning on print,” while Ivy Antonio called the new design “fancy” and likened it to foreign newspapers.
On Twitter, former presidential communications undersecretary Manuel “Manolo” Quezon III called the redesign a “gorgeous modern look” for the Inquirer.
READ: ‘Be open, surprise readers’
Former party-list representative Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño also tweeted that he liked the Inquirer’s new look: “Light on the eyes, easier to read, but still with that good old punch.”
Others went nostalgic and said they will miss the old Inquirer layout, but still welcomed the redesign as a positive development.
“I grew up reading PDI. It was my paper of choice when I was in Journ school. I love its look now. The colors added vibrance! #MyINQUIRER,” tweeted Vincent Robb (@vinceabilities).
“Congrats on the new layout! This is the kind of #change I can get behind!” said Twitter user Sam Yunono.
The redesign is the 709th project and first one in the Philippines of journalism design guru Dr. Mario Garcia Sr., founder and CEO of global media consulting firm Garcia Media.
“The new Inquirer responds to the needs of how a printed newspaper with a great journalistic tradition and a brand that is equal to none for excellence and for its role in investigative reporting adapts to the digital revolution,” Garcia said.
READ: Rethinking the PDI quintet
Inquirer Group CEO Sandy Prieto-Romualdez said the collaboration aimed to engage readers across all platforms and to ensure that “the Inquirer content is not just consumed, but experienced.”
“A redesign project of this magnitude is unprecedented in Philippine media. It is not just mere changing fonts or layout. It required adjusting processes, IT infrastructure, rebridging story philosophy, skills upgrade of personnel and training every Inquirer and partner to look at news differently as a multiplatform experience,” she said. CDG