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Custom Newspack theme designed and built specifically to support Illinois Answers’ editorial needs, workflows, and storytelling goals.
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Collaborating partners—Unrelated, MG Strategy + Design, and M. Harris & Co.— bringing strategy, brand, and technology together.
Project Overview
The Better Government Association approached our collaborative team—M. Harris & Co., MG Strategy + Design, and Unrelated Studio—with an ambitious vision: to create an entirely new nonprofit media organization dedicated to investigative journalism in Illinois. At the outset, it didn’t even have a name.
Together, we helped shape and launch the Illinois Answers Project, a digital-first publication focused on accountability reporting with a solutions-oriented lens. Beyond uncovering systemic problems, the organization seeks to highlight policy approaches and reforms that have proven effective elsewhere—equipping both citizens and leaders with the information needed to participate more fully in our democracy.
As a brand-new publication backed by a Pulitzer Prize–winning newsroom, Illinois Answers needed to establish credibility quickly while defining its own distinct identity. Unrelated led the design of the full digital experience, ensuring the platform could support journalism, community engagement, and long-term growth from day one.
Please note, the live site reflects ongoing updates by the client and may differ from the original launch.
Brand & Identity Development
Because Illinois Answers Project was launching as a new entity, brand clarity was critical—especially for readers encountering the site for the first time through a single article. We designed the experience to immediately communicate who Illinois Answers is, what it stands for, and how it connects to the Better Government Association’s trusted legacy.
The visual system balances authority and approachability, using a refined color palette and typographic hierarchy that subtly references BGA while establishing Illinois Answers as its own voice. Clear messaging, strong editorial framing, and consistent brand signals help orient readers quickly, even when they land deep within the site.
Throughout the experience, we intentionally surfaced pathways to deeper engagement—encouraging readers to subscribe, follow ongoing investigations, and support the organization’s work—without interrupting the editorial flow.
WordPress & Newspack Theme Design
Built on WordPress and Newspack, the Illinois Answers platform was designed with editorial flexibility and newsroom workflows at its core. Recognizing that many readers would arrive via article pages rather than the homepage, we prioritized clarity, context, and recirculation throughout the reading experience.
Custom article layouts, thoughtful content hierarchy, and strategic calls to action help convert casual readers into subscribers and members. Multiple homepage configurations allow editors to adapt coverage for major investigations, breaking news, or policy moments, while curated collections make it easy to package reporting by theme and issue area.
The result is a scalable, editor-friendly publishing platform that supports rigorous journalism today while leaving room to grow as the newsroom, audience, and mission evolve.
