Intuitive redesign for Guardian Unlimited

The Guardian’s in-house design team has re-designed and re-named the newspaper’s flagship website, News Unlimited. The name Guardian Unlimited now covers the paper’s core news website and includes the Internet edition of the newspaper, breaking news, Web-exclusive comment and archive material.

Meanwhile, Guardian Newspapers has launched a dedicated Observer website, giving the Sunday paper its own entry point at www.observer.co.uk. This retains the site’s red and yellow branding and distinctive masthead.

The News Unlimited home page has been re-designed to allow easier navigation through the website’s growing content. It now features a five-column grid, with the rest of the site retaining the original four-column structure.

The Guardian’s on-line art director Ben Wuersching says the changes were editorial rather than design-led, but increasing standard screens sizes also influenced decisions. “Guardian Unlimited is a strong name, so we decided to blend the network and news entry points into one. News is our greatest asset, and we no longer wanted to hide it away under the News Unlimited banner.”

The original design blueprint and logo for Guardian Unlimited was created by Neville Brody with Roger Black’s Interactive Bureau, and launched in January 1999.

Guardian Unlimited won Best Design of an On-line News Service in the US EPPY Awards in February. It was shortlisted in the Interactive BAFTA Awards last year.