The Manchester Evening News is to relaunch in June to take advantage of new colour possibilities after a new press was brought online this week.

The redesign will use the current popular content and show it off to its best advantage while keeping the key elements of the successful branding which is well-known in Manchester and the wider circulation area.

Deputy editor Maria McGeoghan is heading up the project, working with Edinburgh-based design team Palmer Watson, which last year redesigned French title Le Monde.

She said: “We are using the new colour to give the MEN a fresher and new look.

“We are trying to go for evolution rather than revolution because as it is the newspaper has a very strong brand.

“The paper looks different already thanks to the new colour process and we want to make it fresher and more modern.”

The masthead is also under discussion, because although part of the branding which adorns most areas of the city, the aim was to further reflect the vibrancy of Manchester, she said.

Dummy pages are already being produced and these are currently being reviewed ready for the decision-making process before the summer relaunch.

Readers have already seen changes – apart from the colour – since the press started rolling at the weekend.

The TV listings pages, which used to appear on the back, have now moved to a colour centre spread to be replaced by sports news in a more traditional location. New supplements for business, property, jobs and entertainment are also expected later this year.

The changes follow the introduction of a new edition structure for the evening paper, the first edition of which has an 11pm deadline and overnight print. There is also a free MEN Lite edition for late afternoon.

The 48 media products available from the Manchester Evening News include the paid-for evening paper, a free evening, a free morning, a paid-for Sunday, eight paid-for weeklies, 12 free weeklies, seven niche publications, 21 websites and a television channel.