City of Somerville
Somerville Early Education Brand, Website, and Collateral
Scope of Project
- Brand Identity Design
- Website Discovery
- Website & UX Design
- Print Collateral
- Website Care
The Challenge
Somerville’s Department of Early Education faced a communications gap: their existing website functioned mainly as an educator-focused curriculum library, leaving families and partners without a clear or welcoming way to engage. The lack of family-facing content made it difficult for parents and caregivers to understand the full early childhood ecosystem or to quickly find resources relevant to them. At the same time, the brand’s messaging and aesthetic didn’t align with Somerville’s Reggio-Emilia–inspired philosophy, which emphasizes simplicity and natural colors and soft tones.
The Solution
We reimagined Somerville Early Education’s presence as a welcoming, family-centered hub that highlights the city’s nationally-recognized early childhood landscape and gives parents and caregivers simple, intuitive ways to find the information they need. We helped create concise and accessible content throughout the site and also refreshed brand visuals to align with the overall mission and direction. To support long-term consistency, we developed a comprehensive online brand toolkit, equipping the district to stay on brand across materials and channels for years to come.
Defining Goals, Building Site Structure, and Refining Brand
Our work began with a discovery process to realign the goals of Somerville Early Education’s digital presence. The district had recently decided to create a new intranet for curricular materials—an internal platform just for educators—and reimagine their existing public URL as a family-facing website. This new site needed to reflect the nationally-recognized quality of Somerville’s early childhood programs, while also serving as a welcoming entry point for parents, caregivers, partners, and funders giving them a full scope of the early childhood ecosystem in Somerville. We developed a site map and page goals that prioritize clarity and accessibility.
We also developed creative direction to lead the brand and design stages of the project. We wanted to make sure, as the project progressed, that the visual brand aligned with the refined mission and vision. We established the tone and voice of the refined brand and solidified high level messaging that would later be used to develop content and design.
Creating Clear, Accessible Content and UX Design
With the strategy in place, we moved into copywriting and wireframing. We collaborated closely with Somerville Public Schools to refine content and organize feedback from multiple offices across the district. Our focus was on clear, accessible writing that removed jargon while still conveying the depth of the city’s work.
To bring the site to life visually, we incorporated high-quality photography showcasing authentic classroom moments and partner centers. We designed and wireframed every page, making sure content flowed logically and aligned with the site’s goals. By the end of this phase, the website had a clear narrative and user experience and was ready for design and development.
Working with Ace Creative over the past four years has been an invaluable partnership for our Early Education and Care work in Somerville. Their attention to detail is remarkable as they keep projects on track with meticulous notes, thoughtful reminders, and a seamless process that makes even complex projects feel manageable. They elevated our work professionally in both print and digital formats, making our communications more impactful. Ashley and her team are trustworthy, accountable, and deeply talented.
Refreshing the Brand and Providing a Toolkit
The district wanted a brand identity that felt warm, natural, and reflective of their philosophy. We refreshed Somerville Early Education’s visual language with a softer, Reggio-Emilia–inspired palette, clean typography, and touch of fun design elements and iconography. The result is a brand that feels both professional and family-friendly—a system that communicates trust and inclusivity while allowing the city’s early childhood leadership to shine.
To ensure the district could sustain this identity long-term, we also built a comprehensive brand toolkit, including design guidelines and templates. This toolkit allows the busy team at Somerville Early Ed to produce materials that stay on-brand and consistent across audiences and formats for years to come.
Typography
Color
The Somerville Early Education color palette is a reflection of the SEE learning environment. It is bright, airy, approachable and focused. The primary palette is led by a vibrant green, ideally paired with open white space to keep layouts fresh, modern, and uncluttered. Green is supported by versatile neutrals and softened with light, airy tints, creating a balanced, modern, and flexible foundation for the brand.
The primary palette is supported by an accent palette. The accent palette should be used sparingly. It is bold, energetic, and designed to provide vibrant pops of color that bring emphasis where needed.
Iconography
A Strong Brand that Translates Easily
Once we had a strong brand identity in place, we were able to translate that brand to almost any type of communication across print and digital. Somerville Early Education continues to use our services to design crucial communications throughout the year that help inform parents, send crucial resources to teachers, inform school leaders, and more.
