Surrey Now-Leader is one of the most trusted sources for local news in Surrey, BC. But like many long-established media outlets, their visual style had gotten stale. It felt stuck safe layouts, standard headlines, and a brand look that hadn’t evolved in years.They wanted something new. Bolder. Sharper. More modern.
Not just for the sake of looking pretty, but to actually pull people back in to make them stop scrolling, do a double take at a page, or click an online story they might’ve otherwise skipped.
We decided to ditch the traditional layouts and lean hard into surprise and curiosity.
Shock value headlines: Crafted social post graphics and ad headlines designed to make people think “Wait, what?”
Dynamic visuals: Used strong imagery, modern typography, and sometimes intentionally unexpected colour pops to break up the typical news feed sameness.
Trust cues: Balanced the boldness by keeping the Now-Leader logo and bylines clear, so even provocative posts still felt reputable.
Full-Page & Spread Ads: Developed high-impact print ads for the newspaper that pushed way past old template styles. Designed for people flipping through to actually stop and read.
Social Media Posts: Created short, punchy visuals meant to hook fast on Instagram and Facebook with enough tension or curiosity to make users click through to the article.
Website Ads: Designed responsive banners and tiles that didn’t just blend into sidebars, but grabbed attention while still fitting cleanly into the site’s layout.
Stronger Audience Engagement: Posts and ads saw more shares, comments, and clicks compared to traditional “safe” layouts.
Positive Brand Shift: Helped Surrey Now-Leader come across as fresher and more in-touch, without ever losing credibility.
Internal Buy-In: Editors and staff were excited by the new direction it gave them more room to be creative and modern in how they told stories.
“Ryan gave us exactly what we needed a total creative shakeup. The designs get people to stop, pay attention, and actually trust us to deliver something worth reading.”
— Surrey Now-Leader Team
Whether you’re just starting out or levelling up, the right design can change everything. Let’s talk about how to get there.
