For some reason, those responsible for the redesign were convinced that a percent symbol's little circles could make for passable "O" characters. It looks slightly better in the chosen font, but come on.

The Times announced the planned expansion of the DealBook franchise in a press release sent out last Thursday, but indicated the new look would go into effect tomorrow. The percent sign stuck prominently between the "B" and the "K," however, says otherwise. 

Other changes include an bulked-up masthead, the extent of which can be witnessed on the sidebar placed on the lower right side of the redesigned site. 

And iPad owners are in luck. The entire look seems to be based on the same tablet-centric feel that pervades the layout for The Times' op-ed pages. 

nfreeman at observer.com |@nfreeman1234