Mylene Sylvestre, director of print for The Guardian News & Media, says she “kind of breathes print.”

Speaking at INMA Media Innovation Week in Hamburg, Germany, Sylvestre discussed with INMA why The Guardian Weekly team chose print for its relaunch at a time when most media companies are focusing on digital.

“The company still really believes in print because it’s still a big part of all our global revenues,” she said. “So we’re kind of nurturing it and looking after our print products. We’ve got a very loyal subscription base, so it didn’t feel risky. It did feel bold, because the new design is very radically different from the previous design.”

But Sylvestre emphasised that the redesign and launch in print felt like a natural progression. She also reported the effort has been very successful.

“One of our key objectives was to recruit some younger readers because we had a really loyal but aging base. I think the new design really worked and clicked with Millennials and younger readers.”

The Guardian Weekly has further plans for the redesign launch, with a strategy that includes expansion throughout the U.K. and Europe, Sylvestre said.

“The early signs are really encouraging,” she told INMA. “We’re now recruiting three times more younger readers than we used to. We’ve increased circulation, revenue, profit. It’s really successful — it’s a good story.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .