Can Design Save the Newspaper?

I overheard a conversation today between the managing editor and the graphics editor. It went something like this:

ME: What can we do to have a different layout

GE: Well lets use a cutout of a photo to help shape the page and be the main element

ME: Okay, so how are we going to do this

(both are now looking at a few rough sketches)

GE: I've got all these great ideas, but the composer's don't always know what I'm trying to do

ME: Not to put more work on you, but then why don't you just design the front page?

I remembered after hearing this conversation that the photo editor had mentioned a TED talk regarding this exact same topic - newspaper design.

I went to TED.com and searched for the video and low-and-behold there it was, all six minutes and eight seconds of it. [EDIT: It appears the embed code isn't working, so here is a link]

Now isn't that totally badass?!

I know personally, the thing that prevents me from picking up a regular paper in the morning (Exponent excluded) is that its just boring to read. These, on the other hand, are vibrant, living pieces of art that help to display the news.

Can page design save the industry? It did for one publisher in Eastern Europe. Could it work here in the good ol' land of opportunity? Maybe for someone brave enough to try it. Will it work for The Exponent? Probably not.

For one, layouts like these require immense amounts of planning and very skilled designers. While I'm sure our designers could develop something like this, doing it every day between classes probably isn't feasible. Secondly, lets face it, most of our news is niche and, if you aren't a student/faculty of Purdue, you aren't going to care much.

Where I do see something like this fitting in, however, is special issues. Entertainment guides, Tailgate Guides, Welcome Back, Semester in Review, etc.

Could it help The Exponent? Lets just say I don't think it would hurt to try something new every now and then.