Have you ever been to Minnesota?! To be more specific, have you ever been to Minneapolis, Minnesota? Whether you’ve been here or not, you’ve probably heard about how cold it is. Well, sure, it is cold in the winter – which seems to last about eight months out of the year some years.. But, that’s not all to it! 

Minneapolis has a thriving arts base and community, and is surrounded by water, whether it’s the Mississippi river, some of the many lakes of the 10,000+ the state is known for, or creeks and waterfalls. It preserves nature, history, and the people that make the community what it is. During the Spring, Summer, and Fall months, everyone and anyone is out enjoying it. 

Using my knowledge of design, I formed a travel brochure for an agency called “Explore Minnesota,” focusing specifically on the biggest and most populous city of the state, Minneapolis. When thinking about the Minnsota agency, I knew I needed to make sure that the branding matches back to what Minnesota is all about – art, community, and nature. 

Choosing the direction:

Because Minneapolis was built around the Mississippi river, adjacent to Saint Paul – the state capital –  and is abundant in water and trails that revolve around it; I decided to go with a cool color palette to resemble this – blues and greens. 

The Minnesota state lines also have a very distinct shape, and a lot of local branding utilizes the states outline. So, using that shape as a focal point inside the brochure felt like the right move. By doing this, I also chose to break the standard grid that brochures provide. The element is big enough that it overlaps onto the other pages and the text is wrapped within it instead of around it. 

Maps are necessary when telling others about locations, so I wanted to use an illustrated map that is used distinctly to understand the proximity of the locations of the landmarks. Recognizing the approximate location of these destinations will also help the audience because Minneapolis is split up not only from the river, but from the freeways as well. I thought this map would add to the fun and laid-back feel of Minneapolis.

Choosing the destinations to focus on for the brochure wasn’t difficult, however, I did have to narrow them down since there are so many worth-while visits! I chose what I think are the most notable locations for a wide audience, whether they’re looking specifically for nature and community, arts, or sports. 

Executing the design:

I based the composition around the Minnesota shaped text box, as this is the focal point, and it already breaks the grid like I wanted. The illustrated map made the most sense to have at the bottom of the brochure and span across each page that specifies the destinations in the map. 

The upper portion of the inside brochure follows a more traditional layout for easy understanding, but still breaks the grid a bit by wrapping the text around uniquely placed circular images. Using circular images made the most sense for balance with the organic feel of the river and lakes in the map. 

As for the type, I chose a nice display font that feels urban, but fun like Minneapolis; and the body text is a clean sans-serif for easy readability. There’s also a third font that’s used for emphasis, but less distracting than the header font would be within paragraphs. 

Branding “Explore Minnesota,” the logo has what represents a river between the two words, sort of symbolizing the Twin Cities, separated by the Mississippi. The tagline is “10,000 lakes, and a lot more” since the water is an important aspect to constitute Minnesota, but there truly is a lot more than that. 

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Well, after viewing the brochure, would you consider visiting Minnesota?! I of course would recommend coming when it’s one of the warmer months so that spending time outside isn’t so straining. Summers are hot and humid, but the many water resources help tone it down a bit. Regardless of if you’ll stop by or not, welcome to Minneapolis from “Explore Minnesota” travel agency.