The launch comes a week after editor-in-chief Mark Clifford announced he was stepping down from the role amid a series of recent staff departures.
The SCMP, which last redesigned three years ago, will display new typefaces which allow for longer, more detailed headlines, improved infographics to sit alongside news stories and a new colour scheme for each editorial section to identify the respective section.
Clifford, who is expected to take up a regional role with an NGO after joining the SCMP from The Standard in 2006, was one of the driving forces of the change, according to SCMP director of marketing Amanda Turnbull, who added that Clifford had managed the paper through a “tricky” period of change which saw the departure of several editors. “It was his decision to step down, and although the staff situation in recent months has been unfortunate, operationally he has been very good at helping us look at what we need to do,” she said.
Editor CK Lau will take on additional responsibilities, and there are no plans to fill Clifford’s role.
The revamp, which was led by James de Vries of Deluxe Associates and SCMP production editor Ben O’Neill, also includes a number of secondary devices which are aimed at pointing readers to other sections of the newspaper, along with prompts to the SCMP’s online property, which itself is expected to relaunch with a new look in May.
“It’s part of an ongoing move to give readers more access points, in conjunction with work that we’re doing in digital,” said Turnbull.
