Polishing a classic: Redesigning Lake Superior Trading Post
By: Bryan Mann-Entzel
Owner, Creative Lead and Brand Storyteller at >Greater Thought Design+Marketing
The team at >Greater Thought is proud to share that we have received another award, recognizing our work for a MN staple – Lake Superior Trading Post. The project was a collaboration to update the brand and web presence for the store and better tell their origin story and commitment to their community.
When we were first introduced to Eric from LSTP, it was following a webinar we presented at, and the team was instantly lit up about the possibility of working on a project for a store that we had ALL shopped in the past. We spoke about the nostalgia it created for us. The treasures we own from there, and the notion that this store is a home base for people’s adventures (mine in particular is the set of speckled enamel camping dishes I have, and the trip I took with my friend Cody up and down the north shore when I turned 35). Who knew some of these ideas would resonate within the project? As it turns out, these stories and sentiments are things Eric hears frequently, and this became the start of our work together.
In designing for a brand like LSTP, we take special care not to reinvent it in a way that breaks with what they are beloved for. Our work needs to enhance what is already the personality of the brand and draw out what truly makes it unique and ownable. Be epically yourself as a brand and let others chase you. Too often, I see designers lean too much into a new design trend, and not into what fits best with the brand. The design language is always expanding, and we have a responsibility to draw the right card out of the deck that personifies that brand, not what we want it to be.
It was a distinct pleasure to be able to work on such a well-known Minnesota icon, and we hold this up as another reason we do what we do.
We invite all of our followers to check them out and, as always, support their business. Thank you to GDUSA for the recognition on this project. It is exciting to see the work the team does being acknowledged in the design industry.
View the project feature:
https://www.greater-thought.com/portfolio/lake-superior-trading-post/
Visit LSTP’s website
https://lakesuperiortradingpost.com/
or better yet, visit Grand Marais and experience it in person, again or for the first time!
