Time for Kids
Redesigning news to engage and inspire curiosity in young readers.
Overview
As a child, my father encouraged me to stay informed, but newspapers always felt dull — text-heavy, colorless, and hard to connect with.
Years later, I came across Time for Kids, a children’s news platform by Times News. It had potential, but still didn’t feel made for kids. This redesign project reimagines the platform as something more playful, inviting, and visually rich — turning news into a world kids actually want to explore.
Goal
To rebrand Time for Kids into a vibrant, curiosity-driven platform that doesn’t just simplify news, but invites kids to explore it with joy — through bold visuals, playful layouts, and a tone that feels truly age-appropriate.
Project Scope
This was a self-initiated visual design exploration. Unlike traditional UX projects, the focus here was not on deep research or testing, but on visual storytelling, consistency in design language, and prototyping. It was a chance to stretch and refine my skills in branding, UI design, and creating a cohesive visual identity tailored for young readers.
Role
Visual Designer
Tools
Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator
Team
Jason Aston (Professor)
Classmates (Critique)
Timeline
8 weeks
PROBLEM
News made for kids… but not made with kids in mind.
As a kid, every newspaper felt like a grown-up’s world: grey, serious, and packed with tiny text. Even the kids’ versions weren’t much better. Sure, the language was easier… but the layout? Still confusing. Still dull. Still not fun. It felt like news for kids, but never really designed for them.
Problem
DISCOVERY
More like a classroom worksheet than a curious kid’s playground.
To explore this problem further, I began reviewing how real-world platforms present news to children today. That’s when I came across Time for Kids, a well-known kids’ news publication by Times News. While the content aimed to be simple and informative, the visual experience still felt rigid and uninspiring.
Existing Screens
How might we redesign kids’ news platforms to feel playful, interactive, and easy to explore?
VISUAL BRANDING 1.1
Breaking the Grid to Break the Monotony
Coming from a background of modular and column-based layouts, my initial designs felt too rigid — more suited for adults than curious young minds. To shift the tone, I experimented with breaking the grid: using diagonal sections, offset blocks, and layered compositions. These iterations helped me loosen the structure and lean into a more playful, dynamic layout that felt alive like the readers I was designing for.
Breaking the grid
Layout Exploration
VISUAL BRANDING 1.2
Setting the Tone: Pictorial, Engaging, Colorful
To reimagine news for children, I explored styles from comic books, illustrated magazines, and educational cartoons. These sources helped define a tone that feels playful but not chaotic — where bright colors, expressive characters, and clear visual hierarchy invite kids to explore without overwhelming them.
Moodboard
VISUAL BRANDING 1.3
Color: Pop, Lively, Cohesive
I wanted to use bright, pop colors to make the design lively and appealing. Kids are naturally drawn to bold, familiar colors that signal fun and energy. I started with primary colors for their simplicity and clarity but softened them into more harmonious shades to avoid visual overload. This balance keeps the design playful, inviting, and easy on the eyes — perfect for young readers navigating the news.
Color Exploration
VISUAL BRANDING 1.4
Typography That Talks to Kids
While exploring references, I noticed a clear pattern: rounded, playful fonts felt more inviting, while sharper, angular typefaces added energy and motion — especially in headlines. I combined both qualities to strike a balance between approachability and excitement.
Font Exploration
The final type system includes Mighty Makes Right for its hand-drawn, friendly character, Mouse Memoirs for bold, bouncy headlines, and Source Code Pro to give subtle structure and a gamified edge. Together, these fonts make the interface feel fun, expressive, and easy to read — ideal for keeping young readers engaged.
Typography Presets
VISUAL BRANDING 1.5
From Cartoons to Cutouts
To connect with children’s imagination, I leaned into a comical, hand-drawn illustration style—something that felt more like a storybook than a news site. Each section was paired with playful graphics that matched its content: rockets and globes for world news, paint splashes for arts, and animals for science.
I also used dotted lines across the layout—some resembling torn newspaper cuttings, others subtly guiding the reader’s eye across sections.
The result was a lively, visual rhythm that turned the site into something kids could wander through, not just scroll.
Graphics, Illustrations and Components
Final Design Walkthrough
HomeScreen
News Dashboard
News Article
Debate Topics
Debate Opinions
Voice your opinion
Games Section
Games Section
Click here to view the full prototype in play.
Learnings
Through this project, I learned how storytelling can make complex information more relatable and memorable for children, highlighting its power as a design tool.
Most importantly, I understood how to balance creativity with functionality by using color, layout, and visuals intentionally to create an experience that’s both fun and intuitive.
Next Steps
I would focus on conducting usability testing with children to refine the design further and explore additional interactive features to enhance engagement and storytelling.
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