Redesigns don't always bring a prettier bottom line. (Media & Technology).

When the Los Angeles Times introduced its revamped features sections in October, the paper announced that it would "capture the worlds of entertainment, culture and lifestyle in a voice that's expressly for Southern California."

After devoting substantial resources and months of planning on the redesign, Times owner Tribune Co. is clearly after more subscribers and advertising revenue. But newspaper designers say making a publication look different doesn't necessarily translate to a better bottom line.

"The cemetery of newspapers is filled with beautiful looking papers that people didn't read," said Mario Garcia, president and chief executive of Tampa, Fla.-based design and consulting firm Garcia Media.

But Garcia, who has redesigned hundreds of newspapers worldwide and who oversaw the introduction of color into the pages of The Wall Street Journal this spring, added that newspaper redesign increasingly is being pushed by publishers wanting to draw more revenue. "Right now, advertising and marketing are the major forces behind redesign" Garcia said.

Many papers, for example, have sharply increased their use of color photographs -- preferably of younger people who newspapers remain desperate to attract.

With its changes, the Los Angeles Times joins The New York Times and Wall Street Journal in introducing redesigns over the past year. But in terms of pure circulation numbers, it remains unclear whether those changes are generating more readers.

For the six months ended Sept. 30, circulation was up 1.1 percent at the Wall Street Journal and 0.3 percent at the New York Times, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The changes at the Los Angeles Times were made after the most recent reporting period.

Those changes included new typefaces and the first remake of the Sunday Calendar section since 1960, a process that transformed the section from a tabloid into a two-section broadsheet. The paper's Southern California Living section was dropped and the once-a-week food and health sections were overhauled. Starting in 2003, the Times plans to introduce new home, style and outdoors sections.

Times officials did not return phone calls seeking comment on the design changes.

One local publication claiming some success from its redesign is the Hollywood Reporter. Since introducing a new format this April, including changes to the front page, the trade paper has increased its circulation by 11 percent. Reporter officials, however, also attributed the increase to other factors, such as a greater use of direct mail, Internet advertising, targeted e-mail and partnerships with a variety of entertainment-related companies.

"We made it easier to read and more attractive. We have more of a consumer look, with more graphics and color," said Rick Wilkes, director of marketing and promotions. "The satisfaction is reflected in the market."

Newspaper redesign came into the modern era with the emergence of USA Today in the early 1980s. It took 20 years, but now even the staid Wall Street Journal has added elements such as color and detailed graphics that were first introduced by USA Today.

"In the beginning it was laughed at as the paper of short takes' Garcia said. "But the coverage has improved and they've shown all of us how to do things right to tell a story for the reader."

Garcia cautions there is no replacing solid journalism and compelling stories when it comes to selling newspapers.