Case Study
The Rochester Children & Teens’ Book Festival
A thoughtful rebrand and website redesign rooted in community, accessibility, and a love of reading.
Project Snapshot
Client: Rochester Children and Teens’ Book Festival
Services: Branding, Website Design, Event Graphics
Platform: Squarespace
Key Outcome: A refreshed brand and accessible, easy-to-manage website built to support a growing, evolving festival
Project Overview
The Rochester Children and Teens’ Book Festival partnered with Blue Crow Studio to refresh their brand and redesign their website—creating a more modern, accessible, and engaging experience for their growing audience.
As the festival expanded its focus to include teens alongside children, the goal was to evolve both the visual identity and website to reflect this shift—while still honoring the community and legacy that had been built over the years.
About the Client
The Rochester Children and Teens’ Book Festival is a long-standing community event dedicated to promoting literacy and fostering a love of reading and writing.
Each year, families, authors, and illustrators come together to celebrate storytelling—giving young readers the opportunity to meet the creators behind their favorite books.
Rooted in Rochester, New York, the festival is both a celebration of literature and a reflection of the local community it serves.
The Transformation
The existing website had served the festival well for many years—but it was time for an update.
Before
Outdated visual design
Difficult for the team to update and manage
Not optimized for mobile devices
Limited consideration for SEO and accessibility
Branding that no longer reflected the expanded audience
After
A refreshed, inclusive brand identity
A fully redesigned, mobile-responsive website
Improved accessibility and SEO structure
A simple, user-friendly backend for easy updates
A cohesive visual system across web, social, and event materials
The Challenge
This project required more than just a visual update—it was about guiding the festival through a meaningful transition.
The organization was evolving:
expanding from a children’s festival to include teens
modernizing its online presence
increasing engagement through digital platforms, especially social media
At the same time, it was essential to:
retain the trust and recognition of their existing audience
reflect the festival’s core values of literacy, inclusivity, and community
create a brand that felt welcoming to a broader age range
The website also needed to be:
easy for the internal team to manage
accessible to a wide range of users
reflective of the festival’s strong connection to Rochester
The Approach
We worked closely together through multiple strategy sessions and design iterations to ensure every decision was aligned with the festival’s goals and values.
Brand Strategy & Direction
The rebrand was guided by the festival’s mission:
to promote the excitement and joy of reading and writing, and to create meaningful connections between young readers and authors.
We developed a visual direction that felt:
welcoming and inclusive
playful yet polished
adaptable across age groups
reflective of both children and teens
Brand Identity Design
The new brand identity included:
a refreshed logo
a curated color palette
a cohesive typography system
The goal was to create a visual identity that could evolve with the festival—working seamlessly across the website, social media, and event materials.
Website Design
With the new brand in place, we designed and built a fully updated website on Squarespace.
The site was designed to:
clearly communicate festival information
be fully responsive across devices
improve accessibility for a wide audience
support SEO best practices
be simple for the internal team to update
Because the festival team includes members with varying levels of technical experience, ease of use was a top priority.
Training & Handoff
To ensure the team felt confident managing the site after launch, I provided training resources and guidance on how to make updates within Squarespace.
This gave them the flexibility to maintain and grow the site independently—without needing ongoing technical support.
Event Graphics
In addition to the website and branding, I created custom graphics and maps for use during the festival.
These materials helped bring the new brand to life in a physical space—creating a cohesive and welcoming experience for attendees.
Behind the Design
Every design decision was grounded in the festival’s values: literacy, inclusivity, and community.
The visual identity balances playfulness with clarity—appealing to both children and teens while remaining accessible and easy to navigate.
Because this is a place-based event, the design also reflects a sense of local connection—creating a website that feels not just informative, but rooted in Rochester and its community.
The Result
The Rochester Children and Teens’ Book Festival now has a cohesive, modern brand and website that supports both its mission and its growth.
They now have:
an updated, inclusive visual identity
a fully redesigned, mobile-friendly website
improved accessibility and SEO structure
a user-friendly platform the team can manage with confidence
cohesive event materials that enhance the in-person experience
The result is a brand and website that not only reflect where the festival is today—but support where it’s going next.
What It Was Like to Work Together
This project was highly collaborative, with multiple rounds of feedback and refinement to ensure the final result felt aligned with the festival’s vision.
Throughout the process, I guided the team through both design and technical decisions—making sure everything felt clear, approachable, and manageable.
The goal was not just to deliver a finished product, but to create tools and systems the team could confidently use moving forward.
Thinking About a Project Like This?
Design that grows with your organization
If your organization is evolving—whether through growth, rebranding, or shifting audiences—your website and visual identity should evolve with it.
A thoughtful, strategy-driven design process can help you stay connected to your core values while creating something that feels fresh, relevant, and built for the future.
At Blue Crow Studio, we create brands and websites that are not only beautiful, but meaningful, functional, and designed to support long-term growth.