Diary of a Redesign
Abstract
Diary of a Redesign SAGE Publications, Inc.1983DOI: 10.1177/108056998304600407 Ruth E. Thaler American National Metric Council There is an overwhelming temptation to revamp a publication in one's first shot at editing it. It has something to do with a primal urge to make one's mark on a project, to brand it as unmistakably one's own. Redesigning a publication can be a risky business, though, especially if you're making change for the sake of change rather than to resolve a real problem. Too many changes in too little time in too rapid succession will alienate and confuse long- time readers. Failing to revise a stodgy or old-fashioned publication will lose readers from sheer boredom. Somewhere in between the two extremes lies a solution for a creative editor who is frustrated by a publication's appearance. The monthly newsletter of the association for which I work was readable and attractive but not especially individualistic when I started editing it. I was immediately tempted to make major overhauls in design and format, but restrained myself for several months to concentrate on learning the subject before changing the appearance. Once I felt comfortable with the content I turned to the composition. My desire to