National Wildlife Federation

Ranger Rick Magazine

Customized WordPress site makes publication a breeze for three kid-centric publications

A colorful, creative, and engaging new look brings Ranger Rick into the 21st century!

The iconic wildlife magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary in style with a total redesign and digital modernization.

New look, new engagement, new tech

The Bean Team was brought in to breathe new life into the brand, as well as solve a number of pressing issues. The old site was so outdated that it didn’t support mobile use, which is so essential to reach and engage today’s connected kids. They couldn’t dive into their articles, activities, or play games on-the-go. And it was challenging for staff, too, since it was all run by a dated CMS with a license that about to expire.

A playful, educational adventure across every device

Working hand-in-hand with the editorial team from the National Wildlife Federation, we re-envisioned the entire site experience.

We focused on how best to include diverse offerings from their three magazines, which cater to toddlers to 12-year-olds.

To do so, smart content strategy was essential. Not only do they produce monthly issues, but the Ranger Rick site also has a treasure trove of rich content, from animal facts, articles and games to jokes, videos, and reader-submitted art.

Streamlined interface and site navigation, plus a colorful and kid-centric aesthetic deliver a user-friendly experience to better engage kids of all ages. The creation of new HTML mobile games to replace dated Flash ones completes the engagement experience.

Proper care and feeding aren’t just for animals!

No site is a one and done experience, so we take the time to ensure post-launch success.

To revitalize their online presence and set the stage for further interactive development, we developed using WordPress CMS. It provides a solid foundation for cross-platform/device delivery, a modern framework for site growth, and super easy updating by Ranger Rick’s editorial team.

In less than a month after launch, daily traffic has doubled thanks to increased search engine visibility and the vastly improved usability of the site.

The Ranger Rick online experience was transformed with a kid-centric interface and vibrant design that delivers loads of exploration and discovery. Their editorial team can now easily update content and publish monthly issues through the power and ease of their WordPress CMS.

Each of the three Ranger Rick magazines enjoy featured content, including cool animal stories, videos, comics, jokes, activities and more.

What is a whale's favorite type of candy? Blubber gum (nyuck nyuck!).

The redesigned site features 1000+ jokes and user-submitted art, all searchable by a robust taxonomy and tagging system.

Since many Ranger Rick games were in Flash, we've recreated favorites in HTML5 and are developing new games post-launch.

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