Vacay was a new travel startup aiming to bring together the social and practical sides of travel. The idea was to let people create and share detailed itineraries, discover trips from other travellers and use those experiences as inspiration when planning their own. Friends could collaborate on trips, adding activities and recommendations together, then capture photos and memories once the trip was complete. I worked closely with the client from the earliest stages, shaping the product experience alongside the brand and visual direction.
Year
2021
Client
Vacay
The Challenge
Travel planning is often spread across a range of tools. Inspiration might come from social media, activities are saved in maps, bookings live in emails, and the final itinerary ends up in a notes app or spreadsheet. Vacay had an opportunity to bring those behaviours together, but needed to make a broad proposition feel simple and approachable.
The experience needed to support the entire journey: discovering inspiration, building an itinerary, collaborating with friends, finding activities, navigating a trip, and eventually sharing the experience with others. At the same time, the product needed to feel social and enjoyable, not like another overly functional travel-planning tool.
I worked with the client to build the product's interface and visual direction from the ground up, creating an experience that made complex trip planning feel more intuitive while giving the brand a distinctive, lively personality.
The Outcome
I designed the core Vacay experience, covering onboarding, trip discovery, itinerary building, activity discovery, and completed trips. The itinerary combined activities, accommodation, food, shopping, and recommendations into a clear day-by-day plan, with an interactive map showing the geographical connections of each day’s plans. Collaboration was integrated, allowing friends to contribute and share photos, fostering a link between trip planning and inspiration.
The product and brand were developed jointly; I established a bright, friendly palette and visual style that was energetic yet not overly “touristy.” The Vacay wordmark features a relaxed handwritten style and a sweeping underline, symbolising movement and a distinctive silhouette. I also designed additional features such as premium options, a subscription paywall, video playback, view-switching, and feedback prompts, extending the product while maintaining visual consistency.
The result is a cohesive travel experience from discovery to sharing, supported by a dedicated visual identity.