More open, less dense, with broader appeal

Trust The Onion to take the mickey out of magazines, with this short, slick parody of the rationale many of us have used for one redesign or another.

NEW YORK—Melissa Williams, editor-in-chief of Urbis magazine, launched a long-anticipated redesign of herself Friday. "I made a conscious decision to look more open and less dense without losing that smart edge that people have come to expect," said Williams, who claimed the new design's smaller size, bolder colors, and smoother lines will give her a broader appeal across upper demographics. "The old look worked well for a long time, but even I had to admit that it was starting to get a little tired." Early feedback has been generally positive, but critics of Williams' new style and format have called her "distracting for all the wrong reasons," "far too busy," and "as hard to read as ever."