A GOOGLE-STYLE revamp of the Mid-Devon Advertiser masthead to celebrate the title's 150th anniversary has sparked a wave of creativity among the district's students.

With 2013 marking a century-and-a-half of newsgathering across the district, managers at the weekly paper wanted to engage the next generation of readers with a project that chimed with the times.

Users of the online search engine will be familiar with the firm's home page and its logo which evolves to reflect news and significant events.

With many people now choosing to read the Advertiser via our website, our own marriage of old and new seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

As a result youngsters across Teignbridge were invited to re-work the MDA 'brand' in any way they wished.

The results so far have impressed and surprised editorial manager Ruth Davey.

'The amount of effort and creativity which has gone into the entries has been astonishing,' she said.

'It's obvious that students have thought very carefully about life in the district, what it means to them, and how that could be interpreted in our masthead.

'Some themes, such as the coast and rural landscapes we enjoy, have naturally cropped up several times, other ideas have come as a complete and welcome surprise.

'It just goes to show that we all have our own thoughts about the place we call home and how we feel it has changed over time.

'With our anniversary celebrations due to run throughout the year I'm really looking forward to seeing what else our school and college students come up with.'

Throughout 2013 the Advertiser will be publishing many of the masthead variations together with photographs of their creators.

Youngsters who have yet to submit their own are invited to do so either online or in hard copy.

The Advertiser will also be running anniversary features and launching one or two surprise initiatives to celebrate 150 years of bringing you the news.

'We're really proud of having been the local paper for so long and look forward to seeing what the future will bring,' said assistant managing director Sandra Perraton.

'We hope our readers will tell us what the MDA has meant to them over the years and enjoy some of the things we have lined up.

'Make no mistake, we know that without a loyal readership we would be nothing, similarly without an independent and reliable source of news the district would be much the poorer.

'Together we make a good team, here's to the next 150 years.'