After designing and launching the initial Local Bee platform — a mentorship network built to simplify how people find guidance and give back — I thought my work there was wrapped. But a few weeks later, I got a message from the team:

The original site was clean, fast, and intentional — a digital home that made it easy for mentors and mentees to find each other. But as the platform gained traction, the team realized they needed more than just great UX. They needed a way to share stories, publish insights, and showcase value beyond the product itself.

They needed a blog — but not just a blog. One that felt like a natural extension of Local Bee’s brand: thoughtful, supportive, and super easy to use.

Add a blog homepage that feels alive with curated content

Create an article template that’s beautiful, clean, and highly readable

Design a way to surface related articles throughout the site (especially on the homepage)

Set it all up in a CMS so their team could manage everything without touching a single line of code

From the start, I knew this couldn’t feel like an afterthought. Many startup blogs feel disconnected — like a bolted-on WordPress feed. Not this one.

I took the same warm, minimal approach from the main site and applied it to every blog element:

Cards with just the right breathing room

Typography that invites you to read

Subtle animations that make it feel dynamic but never overwhelming

Everything was designed with intent, and built to scale.

Author CMS: I added a structure so authors could be credited and even profiled down the line

Related content modules are context-aware, pulling in posts by category or tag

Framer CMS setup lets the team edit titles, content, thumbnails, SEO, and categories — no extra tools needed

Local Bee now has a living content system to match its mission. The blog helps bring in new users, gives the team a voice, and deepens their credibility as a mentorship platform.

✨ It’s one of those small additions that ends up having a big ripple effect.

And for me, it was another reminder of what good design really means - not just making things pretty, but making them work better, evolve, and support growth.