Magazine Website
Redesigning the state's largest magazine for the web
My Role
Lead UX & Product Designer
Company
Portland Web Design
Oklahoma Living Magazine
350,000+ readers
Product Strategy
UX/UI
Visual Design
The Situation
Oklahoma Living is the largest publication in Oklahoma, with over 350,000 readers. It was launching a new print brand to pair with a website redesign. The old site didn't adapt well to different screens, which mattered a lot to the team. Behind the scenes, the photo contest meant re-entering the same entries at every step, events were a plain list by region, and ads lived almost entirely in the print edition.
This was also our company's first custom CMS build for a magazine, so the web apps were new territory for us as well.
The Task
Redesign the site to carry the new print brand, and build custom tools so the editorial team could run contests, events, and ads efficiently. I led the web apps build and website design, partnering with our content strategist and developer.
What I Did
The print redesign and brand guide set the look that I adapted for responsive screens and accessibility. I also previewed the admin side with the editors at the site reveal, and their feedback sharpened the tools.
01
One entry, one record (the photo contest).
The OKL team used to download entries, re-upload finalists for voting, then re-upload winners, while entrants retyped their details for every photo. Now one form takes multiple photos and creates separate drafts in the contest web app. The team reviews and publishes approved entries for voting, the app counts the votes, and winners are labeled in place.
Contest winners
Contest voting
02
A favorite nobody knew about (events).
Before, events were a simple list by region. The client's focus groups revealed readers loved them, which the team hadn't realized. I featured events to the homepage as impactful tiles, and designed a full events page with filters for region, cooperative, category, and date range. The biggest change was the public's experience exploring events more than the team's behind the scene's workflow.
Events featured on the homepage
Events Filter
03
Ads that populate dynamically.
Web ads were new to both sides. Each ad carries an upload for each IAB standard size (billboard, skyscraper, small rectangle, mobile), which shaped how ads fit the design. Ads dynamically populate in strategically selected areas of all pages. Categories decide which pages show an ad, ads in the same category rotate on refresh, and the team can designate a specific ad to a page or post.
Ad placement example
Ad placement example
The Result
It became the model for future magazine site clients, including Arkansas Living and Today in Mississippi.
Over the years, we kept refining it with the OKL team based on needs and to elevate the content management experience.
5x Award Winning
2022 & 2023
Best Digital Communication at the Willie Wiredhand Awards
2023
Silver for Best Magazine Website at the W3 Awards
2024 & 2025
Second Place, Programs & Projects - Website at the Cooperative Communicators Association Awards
"One month in and still extremely pleased with the ease of updating our web content, it’s leaps and bounds of an improvement from where we were! This was the first full run of an Okie Snaps contest from beginning to end and it was nice to just be able to populate everything with a couple of clicks! Thanks again to your team for their work in helping us bring our vision to life."
-Multimedia Specialist | Oklahoma Living
"You have given us a site we can be proud of and we feel will be a trendsetter among statewide magazines. The team honored incorporating our print redesign into the web redesign, and that marriage was done perfectly. Most importantly, you have given us a site that is accessible and enjoyable by all."
-Managing Editor | Oklahoma Living