We're in the final stages of helping the crew at The Spokesman-Review get ready for their redesign launch, which is slated for Jan. 30.

Geoff Pinnock at the Spokesman deserves huge credit for having so much work done as we head into the final week – and for staying amazingly calm under pressure. Geoff has been the point person, handling everything from the major CCI work to the tiniest details on the crossword puzzle. We could not have asked for a better partner as we assisted his team on this redesign, so in case we forget later during the madness of the final push: Thanks, Geoff!

This week, we'll be blogging on various parts of the redesign and giving you more tidbits on what to expect as we get closer to launch day, so keep an eye on our site. MG team members Matt Mansfield, Scott Goldman and Kevin Wendt begin arriving in Washington on Wednesday to assist with the rollout. We'll each be posting dispatches on the changes in Spokane, where the newspaper last completed an overall redesign in 1994.