Gwara.Media: independent online publication
Gwara Media is an independent online publication covering social change in Kharkiv and Ukraine. Before 2022, the team was building a creative ecosystem — but today, developing a website design for an independent media outlet has taken on deeper meaning: it is now a platform that gives a free people the right to verified information. The editorial team specializes in convergent journalism, and the multimedia project’s website design reflects that — bringing together a wide variety of formats, from AR filters and documentaries to interactive quizzes. Among their key products are an English-language version and the fact-checking bot “Perevirka.” To make all of these directions feel cohesive, a unique brand identity was created for the online media website — one that helps the brand fight disinformation and elevate the regional outlet’s design to an international standard.
Problem
Before partnering with Solar Digital, the Gwara Media team had already worked with contractors — but the previous online publication website design and its functionality failed to address the core challenges. The editorial team faced issues that turned content publishing into a cumbersome manual process, which is critical for any modern media operation. The old version of the site had an appealing UI, but the media website’s UX design made it genuinely difficult to use the platform’s full range of features. Technical barriers compounded the problem: content managers were forced to lay out pages by hand. It became clear that the project needed a quality responsive design for a news portal — one that would prioritize the automation of publishing workflows, transforming the resource into a user‑friendly and functional news website.
Task
Improving the platform’s broad functionality became our top priority. We set out to design the online publication’s website so that all processes could run within a single system — convenient for content managers, readers, and the entire Gwara Media team. It was essential to us that the underlying architecture fully supported the ambitious vision for the media project’s website design. We also adapted the expanded functionality to fit the existing visual concept. This allowed us to preserve a cohesive, modern media website design while simultaneously eliminating technical errors and barriers. The result of this deep technical work was a high-quality online magazine design where ease of content management sits on equal footing with aesthetics.
Process
After a thorough discussion of the client’s needs, we allocated 200 hours to delivering all business objectives. The first step was developing a new design concept built on the foundation of the existing UI — work that established the basis for an updated news portal brand identity, which immediately resonated with the client. Throughout the project, we carried out the full-cycle creation of the media brand’s website design and prepared a detailed design guide for the local Gwara team. In parallel, our developer implemented a series of improvements in WordPress. The news website design is now backed by robust functionality that allows the editorial team to publish content instantly, without touching a single line of code. For Gwara Media, this project marked a meaningful transition — from needing a media startup website design to operating at the level of a serious player with a refined visual identity and a solid technical foundation. The integration of final refinements into the online media brand identity successfully completed the update process.
Result
A team of three experienced specialists conducted an audit of the existing solutions and formed a development plan. Just one round of Art Direction was enough to produce an online media project design that immediately won the client over. In 200 hours, the Solar Digital team not only accelerated Gwara Media’s internal workflows but also delivered a modern online news publishing platform design. The website’s visual identity now powerfully reflects the values and character of an independent media outlet. The client and their team were delighted with the outcome, and what began as a working relationship grew into a genuine friendship. We later sat down for an interview with the owner of Gwara Media and continue to stay in close contact, providing ongoing technical and creative support for the project.
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