Slide for Before & After!
Overview
Nurturing Play, led by Early Years Care & Education Consultant Tyler J Summers, needed a bold digital transformation to match the impact of its flagship training program, Nurturing Play and Beyond. With a growing community of educators, policymakers, and parents aligned around child-led play, the brand needed a new home to reflect its mission and grow with its community.
Recess Labs worked closely with Tyler to reimagine the brand and build a new website and platform at nurturingplay.org. We designed a visual identity that felt playful, grounded, warm, and credible while launching a site that could host hybrid digital courses, create consulting connections, and serve as a hub for a growing network of educators, caregivers, and advocates.
The Challenge
Tyler J Summers came to us with a powerful mission to make self-directed play a non-negotiable in child development. But his existing site, TylerJSummersEducation.com, didn’t reflect the clarity, scale, or warmth of that vision.
He had a flagship course, Nurturing Play and Beyond, and a clear vision. But the brand voice, website, and overall structure didn’t clearly show what he offered or reflect the depth of his experience. As he prepared to speak at a major child care conference, he needed:
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A clear brand presence aligned with his mission and values
- A site that explained what he offers and how to engage
- A place to share Nurturing Play & Beyond and future hybrid courses
- A digital home that would support both individuals and institutions
- A site that could be ready in time for the conference
Our Approach
We kicked off with our signature brand clarity process to define what made Nurturing Play unique. We mapped out a scalable messaging framework and built a new home for the brand at nurturingplay.org, a site designed to support hybrid courses, showcase consulting and speaking services, and serve as a content hub for play advocates around the world.
1) Name and Brand That Reflect the Mission
We guided the transition from Tyler J Summers Education to Nurturing Play, putting child-led play at the heart of the brand. Alongside the new name, we created a refreshed visual identity, including a new logo, color palette, and messaging framework that represents Tyler’s playful warmth, clarity, and depth of expertise.
The new branding provides alignment across the website, course platform, presentation decks, and social channels, creating a recognizable and scalable identity for the long term.
2) A Thoughtful Website
We designed nurturingplay.org to be playful, clear, and easy to grow. It is a welcoming, accessible, and adaptable hub for educators, parents, and potential partners. Importantly, visitors can quickly understand what Nurturing Play offers, explore consulting and speaking services, and enroll in courses. It’s designed for both individual learners and institutional partners, with room for future programs and events.
The site is also technically built to scale, with a subdomain at learn.nurturingplay.org powered by LearnDash, BuddyBoss, and WooCommerce for interactive, hybrid course delivery.
3) On-Time Launch for a Big Moment
The site launched just ahead of a major school-age child care conference (500+ attendees), where Tyler was delivering a keynote and multiple workshops. To support the event, we also created custom slide decks and ensured every brand touchpoint felt unified and professional. The site gave attendees a clear next step, and Tyler a powerful tool to keep the conversation going.
The Impact
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Launch Ready: Live in time for a key conference, reaching 500+ educators and leaders.
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A Clearer Invitation: The site clearly explains what Nurturing Play offers and how to get involved.
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Room to Grow: The platform supports current offerings and is ready for new courses and services.
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Trust & Credibility: The new brand reflects Tyler’s lived experience and deep commitment to child development.
Conclusion
This project wasn’t just about launching a website, it was about giving a movement a home. With a clear brand, a scalable platform, and a site that feels as thoughtful as the work it represents, Nurturing Play is ready to grow its impact and its community. We’re proud to support a mission that prioritizes what kids need most: time, space, and freedom to play.
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