Looking for input on my new "magazine" A1

[Mike Bjorklund]

So here's the situation... When I arrived at my current job at a weekly after eight years of working at a daily, I noticed that I had a little more flexibility when it came to approaching design. So I came up with an alternative series of "magazine" A1s that incorporated a new vertical flag and dominant treatment. It is not intended to replace the standard flags, but rather give a fresh approach to the normal paper that comes to the readers' doorsteps.
So I guess my question is whether you think my design treatment is out of line for a newspaper or if, like I feel, it creates a "must-read approach?"
More of these style fronts can be found on my Website at mikebjorklund.com. Any input is greatly appreciated.

[John Josey]

I'd be interested to see a "normal" front just to compare. Otherwise, I think it's pretty nice. I'm all for anything that's out of the box.

[Patricia Gibson]

I love the "FS" nameplate. And I love that it isn't a traditional strip across the top, that it's just a branding effect.

I'm amazed, though, that you're getting away with rotating such completely different nameplates in and out. (I'm jealous in a way. We have a completely hands-off rule when it comes to ours.) Have you gotten any feedback on whether this rotation screws with your recognizability on the rack?

Kudos, though. I think you're on track, taking a non-newspaper-y direction without throwing the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak.

[Mike Bjorklund]

Thanks for the compliment Patricia, I appreciate it. When I designed the "FS" flag and presented it to the editor I didn't know what to expect. But I sold the editors on the fact that the main flag and icon (the train) would still be in the new flag and they were nervous, but went forward with it. The end result came me creating flags for all but two of our six weeklies. We haven't heard any complants about the new flag and the people who my editor have spoke with have liked the bold design. It's still a work in progress, but our goal isn't to replace what we already have, but use it for occassions that warrant a fresher design treatment.