Muddy Little Boots Publishing

Branding an independent publishing company that inspire and encourage exploration of the natural world.


THE CLIENT

Muddy Little Boots (MLB) are an independent publishing company. Their children’s books are beautifully illustrated and explore themes of inclusivity, diversity, exploration, conservation and nature. They encourage us to look again at our natural surroundings and spend time in nature.


THE CHALLENGE

MLB needed a brand identity that reflected their ethos. It needed to feel strong and robust, yet playful and age appropriate. Communications needed to have personality and a voice.

MLB would be the parent company for all creative output (individually designed children’s books), so it needed to be versatile and pair with a variety of creative and illustrative styles.

Application

Branding
Paperback books
Marketing
Merchandise
Social media
Website

Stand out

Bespoke typography

Further Links

Website
Instagram

THE SOLUTION

L&F started by developing a unique headline font, modifying typography to include playful little boots. This set the tone for everything thereafter; a strong, identifiable brand was created.

The boots were further utilised in the core brand identity, placing them within a muddy puddle, yet modifying the core shape to depict an open book – the perfect pairing of ethos and deliverable, something that would perform well in print and when rubberstamped on packaging, yet flexible enough to be animated and applied in a digital world.

Along with a strong set of brand colours, a more legible secondary font, and an illustration style the brand was really brought to life.

A young boy smiling and sitting on a bed, holding a children's book titled 'There's No Deer Around Here'.
Green background with white and black text that says "Explore More" and an illustration of grass at the bottom right corner.
Text saying "Discover More" on a red background with a small black grass illustration at the bottom.
Two T-shirts hanging against a patterned background. The yellow shirt has text that says "I'm the AUTHOR I can sign your book!" above a logo that reads "MUDDY LITTLE BOOTS TEAM" in bold, with the word "TEAM" in white. The blue shirt displays only the "MUDDY LITTLE BOOTS TEAM" logo in the same style.
A woman reading a children's book to two young kids, one with red hair and another with blonde hair, seated on a bed with colorful bedding and pillows in a lively room.

Tangible Results

Having launched in 2021, MLB publishing has gone on to win numerous awards within their sector (PageTurner, Golden Wizard, Little Trekkers and Prestige Awards) and their books are sold online, through their website and on Amazon, and physically across numerous gift shops and independent stores, including the likes of National Trust, Orvis and Gardners.

Screenshot of a website homepage for Muddy Little Boots, an independent publishing company.
A man with short brown hair and a beard, looking to the side. An illustration of a children's book titled 'Any Trout About?' next to him. A quote praising the book. The quote is from James Murray, an actor, director, and founder of The Murray Parish Trust & Activist Anglers, and describes the book as delightful, set on riverbanks of chalk streams, with a focus on a trout that was not suffocated by pollution.
Quote by Marina Gibson about the importance of protecting natural spaces, with her photo, name, and titles as a renowned fishing instructor and conservationist, and a drawing of a fish.
Yellow background with bold black text stating 'Win a Free Signed Book', with an illustration of a book cover titled 'There's No Deer Around Here' by Andy Hussey and Rosie Venner. The cover features a deer, a boy, and a large tree, surrounded by illustrations of a deer, a rabbit, a fox, and a hedgehog.

WHAT WE DELIVERED

We continue to work with Muddy Little Boots as this company and brand evolves. The list below feature many of the initial launch items we delivered in 2021.

Representatives of the MLB team continually feature at trade events requiring displays, merchandise and literature, as well as authors attending literature festivals and schools. Over the next few year we look forward to helping delivering more paperback children’s books and broadening the portfolio.

brand identity
website
banners
animation
promo cards
social media
book design
display
press packs
merchandise
Children's book titled "There's No Deer Around Here" by Andy Hussey and Rosie Venner, featuring a deer and a boy on the cover, positioned among nature-themed decor including sprigs of greenery and flowers.
Quotation marks on a yellow background

The world needs more creations like that from Muddle Little Boots - empowering young people to be curious about the natural world. Deer; trout; other animals; it's empowering for children to see other children taking the initiative, enriching their life experience, and drawing their own conclusions about how the world works. So cleverly put together and designed.

Monty Halls
British TV Broadcaster, Personality & Marine Biologist

Image credits

Rosie Venner (Illustration)