County Manager
Citizen NEWSletter -- Background on redesign
Why Change?
The 2004 Citizen Survey told us residents prefer The Citizen as their "No. 1" source for information about Arlington – 73% view it as the #1 source; The Washington Post is #2 at 65%. In addition, most people (57%) view The Citizen as the top way to provide residents with Arlington-specific information.
The results clearly showed The Citizen is a publication that residents want and depend on. So we set to work to discover how we could improve this valuable tool.
Better Information, More Frequently
Starting in November 2005, The Citizen will have major improvements – changes that respond to what you've told us you want: more County news about what matters to you.
The newsletter's frequency increases from four times a year to six, but that's not all:
- The new Citizen newsletter uses a tabloid-size format (11" x 16") that improves readability. A larger font size is used for the text, also to enhance readability.
- For the first time, The Citizen will be included as on offering on the Metropolitan Washington Ear's free phone-in reading service for the blind and persons with visual disabilities.
- We're adding a half-page of Spanish content to the newsletter, as Hispanics represent 20% of our population.
- We're also adding regular columns for topics people are interested in, e.g., "Code Corner," "Safety First," "On the Move," and "Crane's View," among others.
Research-driven redesign
We began by analyzing the data from the 2004 Citizen Survey. This gave us information on the types of information residents are interested in, e.g., street and construction updates, safety, transportation, etc. Then we analyzed information from an informal survey conducted in The Citizen newsletter itself, which also gave content help (e.g., events, festivals, development, etc.). We also examined our e-newsletter (Arlington Insider) statistics to determine which articles had the highest readership and interest.
Additionally, we researched and read newsletters of local governments around the country that are highly regarded by their residents and ranked high in their citizen surveys. We learned from their successes and picked up some ideas to strengthen our editorial content.
Our research also included looking into different printing and mailing formats and methods, to see what other options might be. And we worked hand-in-hand with our partners at Arlington Public Schools, which owns several pages of The Citizen newsletter.
Cost-Efficient Design
By using different paper and a different printing process (web press vs. sheet-fed), we cut our printing cost nearly in half, and print a four-color publication. The reduced printing costs helps pay for the increased postage costs that come with more issues (6 times/year vs. 4 times/year). All the design work was performed in-house. Together with some funding contributions from other departments, the existing budget will largely cover costs for the new Citizen newsletter.
Resident involvement throughout
In addition to an in-depth review of the survey results — and a readership survey in the January 2004 Citizen — we relied heavily on input from residents during the process.
- Two focus groups were conducted in late August to test several possible new looks.
- In September, hundreds of residents helped choose the winning design by voting online through the County website.
We hope you'll like the new format and look forward to your feedback.
