Minnesota Icons
The Problem
After relocating from Minnesota to Florida and in between freelance jobs, I was looking for a way to stay sharp and motivated during a slow stretch. Homesickness became the catalyst. I set a personal challenge: design one icon a day for a month, each rooted in Minnesota culture, then assemble them into a sellable poster. With no client, no brief, and no external deadline, the entire project lived or died on my own discipline and creative direction. I owned every decision from concept to finished print-ready file.
My Process
Discovery
Each morning I researched Minnesota culture, identity, and history for icon ideas. The obvious choices ran out fast, pushing me to dig into lesser-known sources of state pride, like a deep dive into Red Wing Shoes. The daily hunt kept the work fresh.
Strategy
I committed to a strict constraint: one finished icon per day for a month, in a four-color palette inspired by the Minnesota Wild and Timberwolves. Limiting colors early forced every design to serve the final poster's contrast and cohesion.
Design
Each icon started as a notebook sketch, then moved into Adobe Illustrator to vectorize and color. After a month, I arranged all the icons into the silhouette of Minnesota, fitting each piece together like a puzzle into one unified shape.
Development
I prepped the final artwork for print, focusing on color separation so the palette held up in production. Then I exported the poster, uploaded it to a print-on-demand service, and brought it to market as a 24x36 print.
Results
- Delivered a market-ready product from scratch. A finished 24x36 poster, headed "Minnesota" and footed with "Home Sweet Home," went from concept to a real, purchasable print sold online. It generated a handful of sales and was a joy to work on.
- Leveled up my illustration and print skills. The daily cadence made me faster and more confident with complex illustrations, and the four-color constraint deepened my understanding of preparing vector art for the print process.
Buyer Feedback
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“Saw this on Facebook and had to order one for my dad. The graphics are so MINNESOTA. Colors look great in person and the print quality is solid. Really happy with it.”
