Friday Five: Some Recently Redesigned News Sites

It seems like at least a few major news sites have launched redesigns over the last several weeks.  Here are five that I've noticed:

1. Newsweek magazine

I like how the sister sites for Newsweek and MSNBC are now much different from each. 

Check out the nifty multimedia page header that can collapse or expand on each page on Newsweek's site.

2. MSNBC

While I'm glad that this site has deemphasized its horrid navigation bar on the left, it is still there as "Categories." 

3. New York Observer

The Observer Daily is a blog that is now at center attention on the homepage; this weekly newspaper probably wants to focus more on day-to-day reporting to keep site visitors coming back to the site. 

On a sad note — at least for me — the gray background that used to surround the main content area of each page is now gone. 

4. Reader's Digest

I like the concept of the four main homepage boxes — The Daily 5, Daily Laughs, Your Photos, and Featured Story — but does this emphasis on fresh content distract people from the other great content in the site? 

5. Fortune magazine

The new design seems clean and uncluttered — a major plus.  Further, the table of content pages for magazine issues is pretty straightforward.