File image of designer Lucia Lacava
File image of designer Lucia Lacava
File image of designer Lucia Lacava

Lucia Lacava is the design guru responsible for a brand new look unveiled by the Nation Media Group (NMG)-owned Daily Nation on Thursday, July 30.

62 year old Lacava is based in Montreal, Canada where she runs an agency responsible for the looks of some of the world's biggest publications.

Among newspapers she has been involved in re-designing are The Washington Examiner and The Straits Times, Singapore's English language daily paper.

Lacava also works with publications to create captivating new designs for their online platform, helping publishers' content perform better.

This makes sense as Nation Editor Mutuma Mathiu explained that the rebrand was part of the company's efforts to transition into a digital first company.

It has long faced criticism of depending on newspaper sales and TV advertisements while other media houses, in Kenya and around the world, adapt to a shifting media landscape.

Mathiu noted that the new look would be translated across all its platforms.

The new font and colours adopted by the Daily Nation
The new font and colours adopted by the Daily Nation

From the beta versions of Nation sites seen by Loud.co.ke, the publication has adopted a colourful, almost bubbly design in what seems a bid to drive user engagement.

"Newspapers have to change because their place in the hierarchy of news sources has changed.

"They no longer break the news; news happens live on social media and sometimes TV. So good journalism must kick in when the trending stops to provide background, analysis and more information," Mathiu wrote of the new design.