What’s not to like about the new pages A2 and A3 of The New York Times.  The reader gets past the robust Page One offerings of the Times and waltz into what is the closest thing I have seen to one of those email newsletters/briefings that we are so dependent on when we first wake up each day. In addition,  the new pages are a sharp departure from what these pages were used for before. Previously, A2 had been home to corrections and summaries of articles found throughout the newspaper, and news articles could be found on A3.  The Times has decided to give these pages the “prime space” status they deserve. Long overdue.

Attention designers: notice the ample and systematic use of white space that allows the eye to roam through this banquet of goodies!

Now here  is this sumptuous sort of “mini newspaper” that someone delivers to you with highlights of what I should know–the foundation of those Times’ email briefings– plus selected and highly curated pieces that the editors think perhaps will be of interest.  It is noticeable , too, that the Times has moved its masthead to the top of Page A2.

The first thing that catches one eye is Inside the Times: The Story Behind the Story, which represents the longest piece in the two-page combo of offerings. In the edition I am explaining to you, that story is about the success of The Times’ new and innovative initiative: a set of digital channels intended to receive confidential news tips.

The Newspaper and Beyond is where the Times assumes its multiplatform medium role, informing us about stories that are available via nyt.com, including those with audio, videos, and/or VR components.

Then there is the two more legacy-minded of all features here: a sort of index of best content in today’s paper and the headline from history, a long time staple of newspapers everywhere.

The Conversation guides us to the five of the most read shared and discussed posts from across nytimes.com

Then there is Here to Help: which could be Looking for Something to Watch?  The Times recommends a specific program and tells us about it in a short description.

For fans of crossword puzzles , there is the Mini Puzzle.

There is no doubt that this redesign of pages A2 and A3 has been greatly inspired by the NYTimes Briefings (below), and it shows that there is a way for digital success to influence what we do in print.  This is a new addition to my presentation on Doing Print Happily.

I would add that the Times is also doing Print Wisely, keeping it alive and reminding us that readers in a hurry, who are bombarded by information constantly, TRULY appreciate when the editors curate material and present it in a well organized and appealing manner. The redesigned pages are meant to be a read on their own — and I imagine that if I happened to be fishing by the East River and these two pages sort of drifted my way, I would be quite well informed about what was happening that day.

And the usual ads, including Tiffany’s, are still there, of course.

The redesign was led by Jake Silverstein, editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine, and associate masthead editor Tom Jolly.