Old Wide Screen Format NYT: The Design CHOICE Everyone Regrets. - Expert Solutions
The New York Times, a publication once revered for its bold visual storytelling, embraced the wide screen format not as a visionary leap, but as a structural compromise—one that now haunts its digital evolution. At first glance, the shift toward expansive aspect ratios promised immersion, a cinematic breadth that mirrored the grandeur of print page spreads. But beneath the surface, this choice sowed technical dissonance, brand fragmentation, and a slow erosion of design coherence.
In 2015, as streaming platforms redefined audience expectations, the Times experimented with a 21:9 (widescreen) format across select digital features—intending to replicate the cinematic pull of movie theaters. This wasn’t merely a technical tweak; it reflected a deeper misreading of reader behavior. Print readers, accustomed to 1.33:1 or 16:9 layouts, didn’t instinctively engage with ultrawide content. The result? A fragmented experience where text blurred, image cropping became erratic, and navigation felt alien. First-hand reports from editorial teams revealed a growing frustration: “We designed for film, not how people actually consume news.”