The Emap title is challenging the IPC Media men's weekly, and market leader, Nuts after growing its circulation 20% in the second half of 2004. Nuts recently moved its publication date to Tuesday to go head to head with its rival.
Girls will remain the "entry point" for readers, with Jennifer Ellison the latest blonde to grace the cover, with the emphasis on "the sexiest -- but not smuttiest -- girls".
The number of pages and the £1.20 cover price will remain the same.
According to editor Paul Merrill, the slicker, more modern feel of the redesign reflects Zoo's evolution into what he described as a "more intelligent, more witty" weekly.
"It's about acknowledging Zoo has become about more than just girls," Merrill said.
The redesign sees its pagination increased, but full TV listings have been dropped after proving to be the least popular part of the magazine. Instead, readers get a new entertainment guide for the week.
Daniel Cotton, publisher of Zoo, said: "We can be more far creative in the way we take advertising and enhance their impact with better positioning, better spaced through more news pages."
Merrill said that readers had come to trust Zoo's opinion after 15 months, which gave it the confidence to drop its TV listings section and run opinion-led pieces highlighting good TV, films, music, and websites.
"We're not afraid to break new bands and highlight up-and-coming comics," he said.
More in-depth articles on humour, sport and entertainment will be introduced as a result of the space freed up by dropping the TV listings.
The minor makeover could also be extended into Zoo's advertising, with TV activity set to commence in two weeks time. Emap was coy as to whether it would be a new campaign, but Merrill confirmed that the "Zoo. All the weekly goodness a man needs" strapline has been dropped for "Zoo makes your week".
Zoo has trailed Nuts since both launched in early 2004, and the latest ABC figures show Nuts selling 275,459 to Zoo's 240,215.
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