January 2018 – March 2018
The Brief
For this 8-week brief, we were asked to create an online magazine using the WordPress platform. We were required to aim it towards a specific target audience of our choice, and consider a number of factors to encourage user loyalty. We needed to write at least one feature article, whilst the rest of the content was aggregated from different sources, and credited respectively. We had to brand our magazine effectively in order to ensure that it was appealing towards our target audience. Lastly, we were asked to develop a social media campaign to promote it. Note: Site was taken offline in July 2018 in accordance with University guidelines.
Documentation
Download my supporting document, which displays the full process of my design in detail.
The Solution
I created ESTEEM, a safe space for individuals to access LGBT+ content. The site focuses on four areas of content; 'News', 'Music', 'TV & Film' and 'Drag'. The site aims to celebrate queer culture, and enables individuals to keep up to date on what's happening within the community. Each section on the site is represented by a different hand-painted colour from the pride flag, giving each area its own uniqueness, whilst tying it together in a meaningful way.
I looked into other LGBT news sites, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Through analysing Google trends, I recognised drag to be a popular topic which would appeal to a large portion of my audience. By creating a set of users personas & journeys, I was able to identify a specific market, and consider their wants for the site. I chose ESTEEM as I feel it represents the overall ethos of the magazine; being proud of you are.
I created two feature articles for the site; a review of a drag show I went to, and an interview with another student from Northumbria. I utilised Instagram stories to create an effective social media campaign in which the user had to locate posters in LGBT hotspots within Newcastle, in order to win tickets to different events. Using CSS, I was able to fine-tune elements on the site, ensuring it was responsive over a number of screen sizes.