TruTravels Case Study
This is a brief look into my creative direction work to fully transform the visual identity for the youth travel brand, TruTravels.
Stage 01.
Incredible Adventures. Outdated Design.
TruTravels website circa 2022
Stage one of this project consisted of first assessing where Tru was at. Learning their language, history, values, mission, as well as looking at their existing brand. Their company, product and values were all in a great place, but that didn't line up with their visuals, which were all outdated and difficult to work with. I felt there was a great opportunity to not only bring their look up to date but to make something really creative that reflects Tru's unique personality in an industry that tends to be quite creatively bland.
Stage 02.
Design language & logo
The second step was to dive into research and start ideating and refining how Tru should come across visually. There were many hours of discussion and drafts that eventually led to the decision to establish a more minimal design foundation and add embellishments and personality to this in the form of destination-inspired stickers.
This would allow the branding to adapt and grow, giving it more longevity in a rapidly changing world. It also gave the freedom to really experiment with the stickers, but have them still fit within a uniform framework and be used in many different ways.
Below are some examples of just a selection from hundreds of stickers made. The only real restriction placed on these stickers was that the designs needed to be functional in a monochrome format like this, so we could then change the colour combinations as we like, depending on their placement.
We then started to implement this new visual language across all touchpoints, including a website overhaul, print media, social media and anywhere else the brand appeared.
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Stage 03.
Photography
Creating the right kind of imagery to fit with this new design language was the next challenge. We wanted the photography to play a large role in the overall brand, so I spent a great deal of time over the next two years shooting images in many of our locations. We determined a consistent look and feel for our photography that's both aspirational but attainable, with a focus on real moments & emotions.
Stage 04.
The final piece of the puzzle was our content. I wanted to use my professional videography skills to take their content to the next level. creating new cinematic trailers for many of our destinations, such as this Morocco example. We wanted to show the experience and excitement of a trip in a way that was easily digestible and also embrace the craftsmanship of creating a high end piece of videograpohy in a sea of UGC content.
Video & Content
Another hugely important content project was our Unscripted, Unfiltered, Unforgettable campaign, which featured a longform youtube series following a group of creators taking on a boat trip in Croatia. Documenting every moment from start to finish with a mix of camera footage and iPhone footage from the participants. We were able to show the complete journey from a group of strangers to lifelong friends over the course of just 8 days. I personally produced, shot and edited the full youtube series as well as capturing extra photography and short-form content to support the release.