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The Independent is hoping to continue its circulation increases by unveiling a redesigned paper.

From 12 April, The Independent will become a one-section title, with the Review supplement content brought into the main paper.

The paper will also increase colour capacity by 50 per cent and move from six columns to seven columns on its pages. The back page will no longer be devoted to sport; it will be a general round-up page.

Despite moving to one section, The Independent will continue to distribute specialist supplements each weekday. These are: Media on Monday, Motoring on Tuesday, Property on Wednesday, Education on Thursday, and Arts and Books on Friday.

The relaunch, with the new look created by the design consultancy Cases and Associates, will be backed by a £1 million ad campaign through Walsh Trott Chick Smith, using the line: "Take a new look." Media, which includes TV and outdoor, is through Walker Media.

The Independent's circulation has increased since it launched in compact format 18 months ago, and it is investing in the redesign to keep this momentum going. Its March circulation was up 2.8 per cent year on year to 263,595.

Simon Kelner, the editor-in-chief of The Independent, said: "This is a massive evolution. It's more reader-friendly but an evolution of what has been a successful product.

"The most successful compact in history, the Daily Mail, is a one-section newspaper. We feel we've done excellently over the past 18 months but we are ready for the next stage to increase our reader base."

Some media agencies have expressed concern that the move to seven columns will lead to a hike in prices. Simon Barnes, the commercial director at the paper, said: "It is an editorial development which leaves me with a grid of seven columns. I honestly don't think this is a massive issue."