American Holidays

2011

Designed by Andrew Blood and Katie Kavanagh at Principle

Photography: Katie Kavanagh

Brand Strategy, Verbal Brand: Gillian Colhoun

Categories: Identity

Industry: Commercial

American Holidays are a familiar brand to a generation of Irish tourists. As designers of some of the best American holiday experiences since the 1980s American wanted to refresh their brand and asked Principle to help them evolve it for a new generation.

Brand Strategy

What is a holiday, or to be more precise, what is an American holiday? The big stretch question we tried to answer as we delved into the experience. We discovered that it's quite a different experience to each one of us - to some a beach, to others a city. It might be a road trip, mountainous or a canyon, busy or remote. Ultimately, we found is that it's something very special indeed to each - it's a dream and a big ticket experience for most.

We uncovered America in-depth with their front line travel specialists. Each one of them sees the big picture from coast to coast and everything between, beyond the main city and the beach holiday and are driven to open endless possibilities for a holiday experience across all 52 states, Canada and Mexico, designed in fine detail and bespoke to each customer.

Brand Identity

We crafted a new typographic brand marque - a contemporary treatment with just the right amount of 'star', so to speak. Understanding the extensive use of the brand - advertising each week across all media platforms - online, print and outdoor, we wanted to ensure that the identity had the scope to travel across all media with a fresh look. We created a broad colour palette, using a range of fonts and graphic elements designed to keep the brand alive and create excitement for each new interaction.