This news story was written by Alexander Greene ('20), managing editor of design for the Darlingtonian.
Upper School Newsroom editors and staff have been working diligently on redesigning the Darlingtonian. With the upcoming relaunch of the Darlington School website, the editors all got together and decided it was an appropriate time to relaunch the site with a new and responsive modern layout.
“With new changes in the school and Newsroom program, we thought this would be the perfect time for an official revamp of the Darlingtonian. This upgraded version of the site should be much easier to use,” said Grace Lester (‘19), editor-in-chief.
The Darlingtonian has not received a makeover in a while, so the editors and staff decided it was time to do so.
“As with any publication, we are constantly evolving to fit the needs of our readers. Student publications should be completely student-led, and the adviser's purpose is to be there to help guide them when they have questions or need advice,” said Katie Merritt, media arts teacher. “Our editors decided we needed a change, so they made the plans, created designs and implemented the relaunch as their beginning of the year focus.”
Some of the notable changes for the new site include brand new logos, an all-new layout, updated social media content, and new visuals.
The Sennett Bell Tower is the highlight of the redesigned brand. The new header, favicon and social media icons all feature the campus landmark.
“The logo process was the most challenging part of the redesign because we had to figure out what part of Darlington was easily recognizable and would have a significant meaning to the Darlingtonian,” said Alexander Greene (‘20), managing editor of design. “We chose the bell tower because it was a staple of Darlington and it can be easily recognizable by the entire community from students, faculty and staff, alumni, and parents."
The layout has been changed to feature a new slideshow view for the showcased stories. Previously, there was a grid which was not user-friendly. Now, all the widgets feature a flat design and updated color palates.
Social media has become a favorite way to receive news among the Darlington community, so the Darlingtonian Twitter and Facebook accounts have been linked right to the homepage, making it easier for parents and students to access their social media accounts.
"This year we plan to post daily and cover even more events!" said Veeka Malanchuk (‘20), social media editor. "I think this change was very much needed because many of our posts were outdated and the school's social media platforms are much more developed than ours, which leads to less followers and views for the Darlingtonian social media."
Visually, the new site is responsive and modern marking a new chapter for the Darlingtonian. Every aspect of the site has been changed in one way or another.
"The Darlingtonian has always been an important part of Darlington's community and student life and just as Darlington is always changing, we wanted to grow and develop also!” said Marissa Joseph (‘19), editor-in-chief. “The new website will feature content that is even more engaging and student-oriented than in the past because we want the Darlington Community to really take ownership of their new source.”
Along with the desktop site, the mobile site has been redone to make it mobile friendly for a range of devices. "We decided to update our mobile site because so many people view news on their phones and not on their desktops or newspapers, so having a responsive mobile site that adjusted to the size of your screen was necessary," Greene said.
The final overall goal for the website revamp was increased engagement. In order for the student body and faculty to be aware of all new content, a bi-weekly newsletter will be available to the entire community featuring the top four stories from that week.
Click here to view the new website.
