Rumor on the Internets (found via Journerdism jambalaya) has it that Gannett Web sites will soon transition to a common design. My hope is they're thinking more Gatehouse than Tribune, if it's true. Gatehouse took a strategic approach to creating a regional brand in Wicked Local. Tribune just pulled a Knight-Ridder and launched a bunch of bland sites.

The first site to launch the new design is Desert Sun, and it seems to have taken a lesson from USAToday.com, its sister publication. Each headline gets the "Recommend" button and a prominent call to comment.

For a lot of reasons, I like the new Desert Sun design. I'm just hoping to see some local variation where appropriate. As I've said before, each news organization has different coverage strengths and the design should be custom made to enhance those strengths.