LA TIMES VS. NY TIMES- a Graphic Design Perspective

Los Angeles Times verse the New York Times. Two separate magazines both catered for a specific city but sent out nationally. That doesn't remain the only difference. Lets just look at the websites. While I have become pretty accustomed to looking at the NY Times seeing as I read it daily and have the privilege of studying for those quizzes, I have become used to the format. Is it the mos successful and the easiest to navigate? I would say no. Just look at the website for the LA Times for instance. http://www.latimes.com/ The navigation bar is on the top of the screen in nice bold letters. The background is black with white text enabling the important information that one would want to look at completely legible. It is divided into all the sections that would appear in a newspaper which enables the viewer to find exactly what he or she is looking for. While the NY Times offers these same things, there information isn't as clear. It is posted on the left-hand side of the screen and is not fully visible until you further scroll down the page. The text isn't as bold and doesn't catch my attention as much as LA Time's website. Something that seems so minuscule and simple might not seem like it would create such a large impact but trust me, it does. I'm in a class right now that is specifically for web design and it makes a difference. If people can easily navigate through your website, the more likely they will return. The more they view your website, the more publicity you will and the more revenue you can receive towards the actual newspaper through subscriptions or even advertising.

Less people are reading the newspaper. While people in the older generations still look forward to receiving their morning paper, the younger generation is turning to the Internet. With these facts, it's proven that less and less print journalists are getting hired. It's not about just reporting a specific event but times are changing where conveying news through different medias is acceptable. With the rising downfall, newspapers are struggling to stay alive. Revenues and readers are declining. While some papers are falling completely out of business these two remain strong. One thing that the LA Times has going for them on their website that again the NY Times is lacking in is the clear visibility of the subscribe button. Isn't that one of the main objectives in getting people to view your website? To find the news so engaging that want to subscirbe so they have their own personal copies? I couldn't even find that button on the NY Times website while the LA Times has placed it at the very top. The subscribe is literally the first button on the top of the site that one can click on. How strategic and perfect is that? If that's their main objective than they are doing a good job at succeeding that in a design perspective.

I'm not saying in any way that I prefer reading the LA Times over the NY Times, after all they both have informative informative and stories to tell. But as a graphic designer, and after really looking at the individual websites of the two newspaper companies I can strongly say the LA Times has the better design. Their website is easy to navigate and that's what the population is looking for, interesting content that is easy to get to, inviting the readers to come back and visit again.