Building news media from scratch

I started in 2000 as a frontend intern at Index.hu, one of Hungary's first independent news sites, and spent the next 14 years designing the country's leading online news products. There was no playbook for online news then, so a lot of this was working it out as we went.

Hungary · 2000–2014 · 444.hu (Founding Designer and Design Consultant), Index.hu (Lead Product Designer)

444.hu (2013–2014)

A new independent news site, web and app, with no legacy design to work around. As founding designer, I led UX and UI from concept to launch and set its visual identity: recognizable branding, a strong color scheme, and a deliberately aggressive visual language. 444.hu went on to become one of Hungary's most-read and most-trusted independent news sites.

Web and mobile, designed together from day one.
Web and mobile, designed together from day one.

Web and mobile, designed together from day one.

Article page with election results bar
Article page with election results bar

Article page with election results bar

Index.hu (2000–2011)

Index.hu was Hungary's second independent news site, founded in 1999. Over eleven years I went from frontend intern to lead designer, delivered two full site redesigns, and built a three-person design team. Branding, ads, and platform design were all handled by one small team.

The homepage, 2007.
The homepage, 2007.

The homepage, 2007.

Custom blog branding and layout on the same platform.
Custom blog branding and layout on the same platform.

Custom blog branding and layout on the same platform.

Brand and merch design.
Brand and merch design.

Brand and merch design.

Editorial illustration for Index.hu
Editorial illustration for Index.hu

Editorial illustration for Index.hu

Editorial illustration for Index.hu
Editorial illustration for Index.hu

Editorial illustration for Index.hu

Advertisement for and Index.hu vertical
Advertisement for and Index.hu vertical

Advertisement for and Index.hu vertical

Challenge
Make an independent news site the best in the country, before web analytics existed.
Approach
Build two CMSs from scratch with a small team of developers and designers, and work out how to promote content to readers without data to lean on.
Key decision
We built a robust front page editor with user levels and near real-time click and traffic data, plus a fully responsive layout to support a fast-growing editorial team and reader base.
Outcome
In 2009 we launched the first responsive news site in Hungary, establishing Index.hu as the largest Hungarian online media outlet. The team became a training ground for many of the country's best news designers.
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