Simply Red: New bold masthead for Independent but Kelner's Viewspaper is dumped in revamp

The Independent has unveiled a dramatic, new bold red masthead (top). Yesterday's was red but not so bold (middle); and the original (bottom) was a classic looking black. The eagle has survived.

Other changes at the Independent, which has just celebrated its 25th birthday, are a new body typeface and headline fonts and the dumping of former editor-in-chief Simon Kelner's concept of The Viewspaper, the separate comment and features section that was in the middle of the paper.

New editor Chris Blackhurst says: "We have decided to use the occasion of the paper's 25th birthday for a makeover. The masthead is bolder – still 'The Independent', complete with eagle, but now more striking and harder to miss on the news stands.

"The body typeface and headline fonts we use have been made more readable. The other, main alteration is that The Viewspaper has gone. We thought long and hard about this. Viewspaper was created to draw attention to the unrivalled quality of The Independent's commentators.

"We continue to take pride in this quality. But since taking over three months ago, I've become aware that The Viewspaper could be something of a ghetto, to be taken out and read later – but in truth, put on one side and, during a busy day, all too often forgotten."

"What I want is a faster, more accessible and urgent paper, one that is easily navigated and that puts you in no doubt what The Independent stands for and what its brilliant, provocative columnists and writers are thinking. So today, The Viewspaper disappears, with the paper's editorial all comprised in a bigger, single-section paper."

Blackhurst says of the revamp: "The result, I hope, is a modern, confident, dynamic, sharper paper – one that remains exactly true to its original values but is now a friendlier, less daunting read."