Dive summary: 

• The rise of mobile and responsive design is pushing publishers to adopt a more streamlined look, with many turning to agencies to make the transition. 
• Standout agencies include Hard Candy Shell, the agency behind the recent redesign of the New York Post, which was known for its cluttered and outdated design. 
• Brands like Mashable, Vogue and AOL all turned to Manhattan-based Code and Theory when they were in the market for a fresh look; for Mashable, the agency made a huge overhaul to make both content and ads responsive to any device. 

From the article: 

"The shift makes business sense. A glut of sites now battle for users’ attention and marketers’ ad dollars, and that’s making things like site design and user experience more important than ever. If a publisher’s site isn’t easy and enjoyable to use, consumers are increasingly less likely to stick around and use it. In a business where metrics like time-on-site and pageviews are king, it pays to get site design and functionality right."