Positively Ernie Local News App
16670
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Positively Ernie Local News App

Category
Branding, Digital, Product, Social Media, Strategy, UX, Video, Web
About This Project

Setup

Ernie Anastos was one of New York’s most trusted news anchors and a friend. His “Positively Ernie” segment was built on a simple idea: there’s more good happening in this city than the evening news has time for. Ernie’s NYC set out to give that idea a permanent home. It’s a hyper-local app in the spirit of Time Out New York and Eater NY, covering where to eat, what to see and who’s making the city better, all in Ernie’s voice. I took it on as a freelance project. The app needed to feel as current as the city it covers, and as warm as the man behind it.

What I Led

I designed the app on my own, end to end: strategy, information architecture, flows, the visual system and every screen. The core challenge was balance. It had to feel premium, minimal and unmistakably New York without losing the personal connection people had with Ernie. That led me to a design system that borrows from the subway. Every content category rides its own colored line: Dining, Culture, Sports, Good News, Living, Travel. So the app reads as native to the city before you’ve read a word. I paired a marquee-style display face with an editorial serif for Ernie’s voice, and set everything on a taxi-yellow brand mark that doubles as the app icon and the play button for his daily audio. I also wanted to bring back one of his best-loved TV segments, New York Star of the Day, as something the whole city could take part in.

What I Delivered

I designed a complete iOS and Android experience:

  • Onboarding opens with a personal video welcome from Ernie, then builds the feed around the neighborhoods and interests each person picks.
  • Today leads with a two-minute Positively Ernie lift.
  • Listen brings together the daily audio, a chaptered weekly interview show and short vertical video, all downloadable for the subway.
  • Explore turns every story into a place on the map, with reservations and tickets built into the place page.
  • Star of the Day lets anyone nominate a neighbor and the city vote.
  • Saved and alerts: saved lists, alerts that respect quiet hours, and lock-screen moments keep the app useful without being noisy.
  • iPad: a Sunday edition built for lean-back reading.

Ernie’s signature runs through the brand as his personal sign-off.

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