From Mini French to Mini Multilingual

A Playful Brand with Global Potential

Creating a joyful, inclusive identity that speaks every child’s language.

Mini Languages (originally Mini French) is an Edinburgh-based children’s language education provider, founded in 2012. Through creative teaching methods that blend music, movement and storytelling, they introduce French and Spanish to toddlers and young children. Alongside live classes and online sessions, they offer a growing suite of digital learning tools.

Brief

With the business expanding beyond French into additional languages, the original Mini French brand no longer fit. I was brought in to create a new identity and design system that reflected a broader, multilingual offering, while retaining the charm and warmth loved by existing families.

There was a unique design challenge. We could not rely on national colours or cultural clichés to differentiate languages, as this risked limiting future growth or implying favouritism. The visual identity needed to be joyful, inclusive and language-neutral.

Creative approach

This was not a corporate rebrand. The audience was families with young children, so the tone had to be fun, friendly and emotionally engaging. I leaned into the world of childhood, drawing inspiration from picture books, soft toys, and the joyful chaos of toddler life.

Language and communication were central themes. I explored visual cues linked to speech and interaction, using soft shapes, rounded type and expressive icons.

Design execution

The final identity uses a hand-drawn bubble font and a gentle, inclusive colour palette of peach, melon and teal. It avoids stereotypes while still feeling warm and familiar. A suite of cheerful illustrated icons features children, parents and language-related imagery, creating an instantly recognisable brand language.

I created a flexible toolkit of logos, graphic assets and editable templates, allowing the Mini Languages team to produce