Vacay
’21
Let's Vacay Inc
Designing a social, collaborative way to plan and share travel
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.
The problem
One trip, 10 tabs open
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.
Plan, share & collaborate
Daydream to postcard
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.
Building from a blank page
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.
Tickets please ✈️
The outcome
One app for the whole trip
I designed the core experience from start to finish, covering onboarding, trip discovery, itinerary building, finding activities and looking back on completed trips.
Days that actually make sense on a map
The itinerary brings together activities, places to stay, food and shopping in a clear day-by-day plan, with an interactive map that shows how each day's stops connect.
Find things to do & navigate through your day
Planning is a group activity
With collaboration built in, friends can add ideas and share photos, so planning a trip and finding inspiration happen in the same place.
Bright, but not 'touristy'
I built the brand alongside the product, with a cheerful, friendly palette and visual style that feels energetic without slipping into cheesy holiday clichés.
An interface that's bright, clear and expressive
A dynamic, friendly wordmark
The relaxed, handwritten Vacay logo has a sweeping underline that suggests movement and gives the brand a shape people recognise.
Room to grow
I designed premium options, a subscription paywall, video playback, ways to switch views and feedback prompts, extending the product without it losing its consistent look.