Le Monde paper carries new look

Financially troubled French newspaper Le Monde hits the streets this week with a new design by typographer Jean Franáois Porchez and Canadian designer Natalie Ballaucq.

Economics and arts supplements have been dropped and the financial section, formerly separate, is now part of the main paper. The masthead has been modified and a new typeface, called Le Monde, is introduced. Turn-lines on the front page are no longer permitted, as they “annoy readers”, says deputy editor Anne Chaussebourg.

Chaussebourg confirms that British and US newspapers were studied before the redesign, which has already attracted criticism for its new “Anglo-Saxon” flavour.

Le Monde, renowned for its investigative journalism, lost more than ú6m last year. The new-look Le Monde aims to improve current sales of 350 000.