Today, the New York Times got smaller. Like, a lot smaller. It’s only an inch and a half, but as you can see above, when compared to the previous size, it’s quite noticeable. They say it will save them $10 million dollars a year and conforms to the way other papers are made. They didn’t change the layout; it’s still six columns, but they’re narrower by a quarter inch each. The masthead is smaller, as are the story headlines, but the typeface for the text appears to be the same size as before. Personally, I hate it. From a design perspective, I think the type is too big for the narrower columns and the big beautiful masthead seems just a bit too small. All in all, it’s a more awkward experience.

The bigger problem, though, if from a branding perspective. See, the Times is the greatest paper in the world. As the paper of record, it’s our first draft of history. It holds that position above all other American papers, and it’s well deserved. The fact that the paper was physically bigger than most other broadsheets helped reinforce it’s position at the top of the journalistic food chain, even if it was subtle. “We’re bigger because we’re more important. Deal with it.” Honestly, in some way, it helped justify its higher cost to readers like me. Now, with its diminution, it feels and looks like just another paper. In fact, they used that standardization argument in their justification of the move.

I know some will say that in this era of the embattled newspaper, this was bound to happen, even to the Times. They’ll say it makes good business sense. Ten million dollars is a lot to save. Sure, but what will it cost to save that money? The Times, like any other company marketing a product, needs to remember that a lot of consumers don’t base all their purchase decisions on the quality of the product inside the packaging alone. Premium brands differentiate themselves through experience. My experience enjoying the Times just decreased. It feels cheaper. It feels smaller. It feels standardized.

Honestly, I’d have paid a little more to keep the bigger sheets.