thelondonpaper is dead. Go on, stick a fork in it.
Splash headline on thelondonpaper, News International’s new free evening paper for London: “Croc man killed by stingray”.
Splash headline on London Lite, Associated Newspapers’ new free evening paper for London: “The Croc Hunter is killed by a fish”.
There couldn’t have been a better story for the first-round battle between these two free evening dailies each trying to make their mark on the capital: a larger-than-life TV star dies in a remarkable, ironic manner (terrible to put it like that; sorry. He was enormously unlucky, though if you tempt fate enough times…).
thelondonpaper does it stodgy and misses the irony. London Lite hits it with a bullseye.
But other things matter too. thelondonpaper doesn’t have the distribution - I go through Farringdon tube and Liverpool St mainline. I saw someone with thelondonpaper across the road. I’m not going to cross the road for a free evening paper.
By contrast, London Lite obviously has the Evening Standard’s locations. I passed people handing it out. (But I’m not interested in a free evening London daily. What’s it going to tell me? I don’t live in London.)
Shall I go on? Oh, might as well. thelondonpaper has a rubbish typeface - too thin and weak - awful, light layout (too much white space) and no light touch on its headlines or story choice. “Pete Docherty Doherty spared from prison sentence” read a headline on p3. No, you’re spared prison. Then on p5: “Naz is freed from prison”, with a pic of ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed walking out of prison. (At least they got the ‘from’ right there.) Two prison stories in two pages, and neither done right. There should be lots of things being thrown around the office. That’s terrible news editing.
By contrast, the Evening Stan…er, London Lite has “Judge tells Docherty she’s a fan… of sorts” and (a long way back) “Prince Naseem leaves jail… in a Rolls Royce”. With a pic of him in Roller, and waving to ex-jailmates. Assured editing, well-judged placement.
thelondonpaper, on this evidence, is already toast. It will take a supreme effort - including unbelievable work on the distribution, which is the real key to success - to get it anywhere. And it will also take superlative design and brilliant editing, which it’s not showing at present, to work.
Tough to relate, but facts is facts. I guess that’s my chance of being their technology editor blown then.
- These posts might be related (the database thinks..):
- Uh? The freebie flash memory stick that's read-only (20 March 2005; score: 45.63%)
- One good thing I'll say about thelondonpaper: its sudoku ranks (20 November 2006; score: 34.76%)
- Sudoku trivia.. what's the least numbers for a solvable grid without guesses? (17 May 2007; score: 33.5%)
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September 5th, 2006 at 8:56 am
If any of those pushy fools in purple shirts try and shove one of those time-wasting rags into my hands,I’m getting medieval on their asses.
September 5th, 2006 at 9:09 am
Walking up Oxford Street last night you almost couldn’t move for free newspaper distributors. IMHO, they’re both rubbish. London Lite looks like the Metro with a different colour mast head and thelondonpaper is a shambles. The graphic illustrating yesterday’s story on improvements to the Tube was all-but unreadable due the use of black text on a purple background. I won’t be taking one again, unless it comes with a fiver stapled to the front page.
September 5th, 2006 at 10:06 am
This was how it went down in Soho Square… http://www.richandmark.com
September 5th, 2006 at 11:53 am
Maybe the headline should read “Prison spared Pete Doherty.”
Was it the papers or you who spelt his name wrong?
September 5th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
thelondonpaper vs London Lite
A couple of days ago I wrote up my thoughts on the new London Lite free afternoon newspaper, including its mis-use (and overuse) of the word ‘blog’. Today, London Lite competed side-by-side with thelondonpaper, the rival Murdoch-backed London afterno…
September 5th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Ah, I spelt waste-of-oxygen’s name wrong. Now corrected.
September 6th, 2006 at 10:25 pm
Paul Dwaite,
What kind of moron r u?
These pushy people you call are just trying to make a living as you, I hope you end up with a big one and he or maybe she kick your ass!!!
You are a moron SOB…
PS. Please go medieval on your own behind as I think you might get your ass kicked every weekend at pubs for making such stupid comments…
PS2. Please dont answer this comment with some macho crap as it’s already DOA, a fair apology to people working rather than stealing would be just fine
October 9th, 2006 at 4:56 am
Do you really prefer London Lite design to thelondonpaper one? You must be mad…
October 9th, 2006 at 11:38 am
I think that London Lite knows exactly who it’s trying to impress, and it’s not people who put their heads on one side and wonder about design. It’s trying to grab people who read Heat. Have you looked at Heat’s design? It’s not calm, or cool, or restrained. It’s in-yer-face, and if you’re a tabloid struggling to get peoples’ attention any way you can, then loud design is what works.
And I think thelondonpaper does have rubbish design: it’s not fit for purpose. Take the straps (the little headlines that go with the main one). The x-height is ridiculously small: about the height of the bar of a capital T. It means the strap gets lost; the sub might as well have not bothered to write it.
Do *I* *prefer* TLP’s design to LL? I don’t like either very much. LL is too busy and content-free for me. TLP is far too difficult to read: badly signposted, too much white space (it is possible) and awful choice of typefaces.
October 16th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
Could be… But did you notice that London Lite is using 4 different sans serif fonts? a-ma-zing! Did you check the grid? It doesn’t exist. There is no order, no rhythm, no hierarchy. Conclussion: not bad or good design, just no design.