online publication
Minnesota Parent
Minnesota Parent is the resource Twin Cities families reach for when they're deciding what to do this weekend, where to take the kids, and how to make the most of every Minnesota season. It's been a trusted name in local parenting since 1986, and today it's a living online publication packed with an events calendar, seasonal guides, and family directories, with fresh stories going up every week. Katie already loved what she'd built. She came to us to make it bigger, a brand families know the second they see it, and a website that feels as easy and welcoming as the resource itself.
services:
UX Strategy & SEO Website Design
Brand Design
Brand Collateral
the style
This one was a love letter to Minnesota. The direction Katie chose says it all: playful, classic, and fun. The goal was a look that feels playful without ever going cutesy or stale, that sweet spot where a parent takes it seriously and a kid still wants to look at it. Clean, approachable type does the heavy lifting, with just enough personality to feel like home the second it loads. Proof that a brand can be timeless and a whole lot of fun at the same time.
the illustrations
The illustrations are where Minnesota Parent really gets to play. We drew a custom set of icons that nod straight to home. A star, an evergreen, a sun, the Minnesota state shape, and puzzle pieces and hearts for all the joy and the figuring-it-out that parenting really is. Then there's the hand-painted plaid; cozy and Minnesotan in the best way. Every piece flexes across the seasons and the events filling the calendar all year. Playful and warm, but tidy enough to keep the whole brand feeling classic.
the color story
This is where the brand Katie envisioned comes together, starting with the blue. Minnesota Parent families have always recognized that blue, so the goal wasn't to replace it, it was to bring it to life in a fresh way. North Star, Mill City, and Boundary Waters anchor the palette with a steadiness parents trust. Warm tones like Grain Belt ground it, while the brights bring the joy. It's the balance she wanted from the start, steady enough for grown-ups, bright enough for the whole family. The names are a fun bonus, every one a nod to home.
on-a-stick
Grain Belt
north
star
mill city
goldy
Boundary Waters
cozy
flannel
Paisley Park
cherry &
spoon
mission
Minnesota Parent is the Twin Cities' go-to guide for families. Since 1986, we've helped parents find the best things to do, the events worth showing up for, and the resources that make raising kids a little easier. From our family-fun calendar to our free seasonal guides, everything we make exists to answer the one thing every parent is already wondering: what to do with the kids today. Because parenting is a big job, and we're all in it together.
the challenge
Minnesota Parent has been a trusted name for Twin Cities families since 1986. Katie already loved her brand. She wanted it bigger.
The goal was twofold. First, a brand families recognize on sight. Second, a website as easy and welcoming as the resource itself.
That second part was the hard part. Minnesota Parent isn't a simple site. It's a living resource, with an events calendar, seasonal guides, a family directory, and a blog publishing every week. The new brand and site had to honor what families already knew, and be strong enough to carry all of it.
the solution
We refreshed the brand and kept the blue families had always recognized, bringing it to life in a fresher, fuller way.
Then we rebuilt the entire website experience (aka the UX strategy) around how real families actually use it, so a parent finds what they came for in seconds. We wrote the search-optimized copy, built the SEO foundation, and owned the front-end design so the new brand carried through every page.
A site this content-rich needs a strong engine underneath. So we partnered with Made to Thrive, an all-female custom WordPress dev team, to build it. Their specialty is development. Ours is brand and deep SEO. Together it added up to a website that's unmistakably Minnesota Parent, and built to grow right alongside her.
the objective
Give a brand families have trusted for decades the look, and the website, to match where it's headed.
Minnesota Parent already had the reputation and the loyal following. The job was to make the brand instantly recognizable and the site as easy to use as the resource deserves, then build it all to keep growing, so more families find it, more parents stay, and Minnesota Parent keeps showing up for the Twin Cities for years to come.
take a scroll
"Thank you ALL, SO SO much! It turned out incredible. I am so thankful I found your amazing team to work on this project. I am in awe of the work you do. Be VERY proud of yourselves, I know I am!"
love from katie
Want a brand as beautiful & intentional as this?
If you're ready for a brand that feels like you, a website that's just as easy to love, and the SEO to make sure people actually find it, we'd love to bring it to life. From strategy to design to search, we build brands that don't just look good, they grow with YOU.
Here's where you can learn from us!
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