Designing a Student Newsroom for the Digital Age
he Loyola Phoenix has been Loyola University Chicago's independent student newspaper for over a century — but its digital presence needed to keep up. As the Phoenix's sole Web & App Developer, I took ownership of the entire website, continuously building and refining features that make the site more functional, more inclusive, and more worth visiting. My approach wasn't to redesign from scratch but to make meaningful additions that elevated the existing site — studying how established publications like The New York Times structure their digital experience and applying those principles wherever I could within a WordPress and Elementor build.
The Features That Made the Difference
Every addition started with a real need. The navigation got dropdown menus, giving readers direct access to subsections without extra clicks and bringing the site closer to the structured, editorial feel of a professional publication. I added utility buttons to the side of the header — small changes that made the site feel more complete and purposeful. The biggest design work happened at the section level: rather than every section page looking the same, I built unique grid-style layouts for each one, so Opinion, Sports, Arts, and others each have their own visual identity while staying consistent with the Phoenix's brand. I also embedded external content throughout the site — Spotify players for the Phoenix's podcast and playlist coverage, an interactive crossword powered by PuzzleMe — giving readers reasons to engage beyond just reading articles. One of the most meaningful additions was the "Leer en Español" button, which I implemented to surface Spanish-language content directly on English articles. At a Jesuit university with a diverse student body, making bilingual journalism visible and accessible wasn't just a design decision — it was an editorial one. These features represent the highlights, but the day-to-day work of running a live publication — managing analytics, troubleshooting, implementing editor requests, and keeping everything running — is just as much a part of the story.
