“USA Today” Gives Itself a Makeover

As a 30th birthday present to itself,
USA Today gave itself a makeover. The self-proclaimed “America’s newspaper,” introduced the
signature color-coded sections—Nation, Money, Life, and Sports—as well as a propensity
for “easy reading,” when it was first published on September 15, 1982. On that day
it defined itself—and also got mocked—for leading with a plane crash story that had
the optimistic headline “Miracle: 327 survive, 55 die.”

“USA Today’s logo was redesigned to be as dynamic as the news itself,” the company said in a
press release. The company claims a readership of 6.6 million readers daily, which
includes Web traffic and 1.8 million in print circulation. “The new
USA Today remains true to the original, but with a more current, modern approach; smart and
succinct, inclusive and honest, relevant and useful, trusted, unbiased and as always,
straight to the point.” The new look will be uniform throughout the organization’s
different platforms. The print edition price of $1 stays the same.

Carol Ross Joynt