The Spectator unveils new look

The Spectator will unveil a new look tomorrow as the political and cultural weekly completes its first redesign since the 1980s.

Changes will include a new cover, with the full-page cartoon that adorned the front of the magazine shrinking slightly and cover lines moving to the bottom of the page.

Other changes include a double-page contents spread with photographs, cartoons and illustrations of leading columnists Taki and Jeremy Clarke, who have both been moved to a more prominent page.

The books and arts section has also been given its own right-hand cover page, as has the "Life" section, where Taki and Clarke's columns appear. Smaller pieces, including the "Mind your language" column, have been given more prominence.

Fraser Nelson, the Spectator editor, has introduced a facts and figures column, as readers often consume articles in bite-size chunks as well as picking up the title for longer reads.

Nelson described the changes as "a tidy-up... rather like restoring an old painting". "We have had several tweaks with the design over the years which led to be a bit of a stylistic pile-up," he said.

The redesign has been carried out by editorial designer Kuchar Swara, 29, who used to work at Winkreative, the consultancy set up by Wallpaper founder and Monocle editor-in-chief Tyler Brule.

Nelson said he had planned the redesign since he became editor last year and he and Swara have been working on it through the summer.

Several fonts and title logos, including top-of-the-page gold furniture which act as signposts for regular features including the diary and letters page, have been ditched.

Nelson said some of the older fonts reminded him of a student magazine and said the new design was sharper and cleaner.

He has also decided to use some striking photographs, including a colour Terry O'Neill shot of a young Faye Dunaway, a brave decision for a weekly that has traditionally shunned visual images, aside from the occasional cartoon.

Nelson said he is braced for complaints from readers recalling that when the last major redesign was carried out by former editor Charles Moore in the 1980s, it was greeted with dismay by the title's change-averse readers.

The Spectator has been published since 1828 and is the country's leading right-wing current affairs magazine, although Nelson said the majority of its content is cultural and the redesign is intended to highlight that fact.

"We only publish three or four political articles each week. I genuinely believe that our arts coverage is the best in the world," he added.

Nelson also argued that, although the magazine's editorials are informed by a conservative take on the world, the Spectator provides a home for a diverse group of writers, including former Today Programme editor Rod Liddle.

He said the new look will help readers navigate the magazine more easily and find star columnists without having to search for them.

The redesign will be supported by a national print, billboard and online advertising campaign created by Olgivy & Mather from Friday.

Nelson was promoted from political editor to take charge of the title last in August last year by its publisher Andrew Neil, taking over from Matthew d'Ancona.

The Spectator is owned by Press Holdings, the publishing group owned by Daily Telegraph proprietors David and Frederick Barclay. It sells just over 70,000 copies each week, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

This article was amended on 28 September 2010. The original article referred to columnist Jeremy Clarke as Jeremy Clarkson. This has been corrected.

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