Lyuk Media — website design and functionality update
Lyuk Media is an independent online publication based in Kharkiv for progressive and creative young people interested in the city’s culture. You won’t find any ads or sensationalist headlines here: this is a local online media outlet that publishes only honest stories from editors and readers. Over time, the project grew, and the clients turned to us because they needed a high-quality redesign of the website for the independent media outlet, as well as an expansion of its technical capabilities.
Client
Lyuk Media introduces Kharkiv residents to the city’s culture and drives social change by bringing together creative young people. Essentially functioning as a regional news portal, the publication provides in‑depth coverage of architecture, art, and the fight against corruption.
The editors found us through their partners, who recommended Solar Digital as a creative team. That’s how we began our collaboration, with the goal of a comprehensive redesign of the website for a cultural online project that required unconventional approaches to visualizing complex topics.
Task
The editors approached us with the following tasks:
to redesign the website for an independent online magazine to highlight its authenticity;
to implement additional functionality for the WordPress-based news site—the ability to customize the homepage, configure banners, and manage content.
Thus, the Solar Digital team had to update the visual style and add useful features while keeping the admin panel simple and convenient for the editorial team’s daily work.
Process
After a brief meeting with the editorial team, we got to work. As part of the media site’s visual redesign, we updated the fonts, created new icons, and added a youthful vibe. If you visit the site, you’ll immediately notice that all the banners feature a meme-inspired graphic style—this sets the project apart from its competitors.
The editorial team wanted to add new sections and make the homepage flexible. Our developer successfully enhanced the media site’s functionality, allowing clients to now swap blocks around without being tied to a template and easily customize ad banners. Our work was approved on the first iteration, confirming that we fully met the team’s expectations.
Result
Over the course of 1.5 months of collaboration, the Solar Digital team carried out a comprehensive redesign of a local media outlet’s website, completing the following tasks:
updated the visual style by adding creative graphics and new fonts;
implemented a responsive redesign of the news portal, significantly improving the UI/UX for mobile devices;
introduced flexible banner customization and added new sections (“News” and “Announcements”);
transformed the homepage into a user‑friendly block builder.
A project manager, UI designer, and WordPress developer worked on the project. The client was completely satisfied with the result and the fact that we met the promised deadlines.
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