After two years of lockdowns and travel restrictions, the social travel brand for 18-35 year olds has revealed why a fresh design concept was needed to bring the fun back into travel again.

Contiki’s new brand refresh launched this month and was praised by their followers and travel industry reps alike. Eye-catching design and a vibrant colour palette, championed by ‘Contiki Green’, play a big part in the brand’s revitalised look and feel.

Contiki turns 60 this year – and for most legacy brands, modernising key design elements can be risky. After all, audiences who are familiar with a brand tend to stick with it. But for Contiki, the social travel operator for 18-35 year olds, remaining relevant to the evolving needs and tastes of Gen-Z and Millennial travellers today is vital, as it paints a brighter picture for the future of travel.

As more young people continue to flock towards unique travel experiences after the pandemic, Samuel Clarke, Contiki’s Head of Design, explains why their new visual identity harnesses all the fun and energy travellers can look forward to on their trip.

“Our upbeat feel and vibrant colour palette, together with executions that have a strong lifestyle and sports feel, will help to get people involved, motivated and excited. Together, our character and design language give the flexibility the brand needs, without losing cohesion — so all applications and experiences look and feel unmistakably Contiki.”

According to Clarke, fresh imagery with diverse casting was important, to accurately reflect their follower base and the breadth of travel experiences they provide.

“We’ve created a lively, bright and fun-loving imagery tone of voice, with authentic and diverse groups of people, that makes us feel relevant in a global context. It expresses the emotional excitement of experiencing your first travel moments, as well as the practicalities of bedrooms, meals and transport.

Video also played a vital role in the brand relaunch. Clarke said their new style took inspiration from hot trends in the social media space, such as kinetic type and motion graphics.

“Our video assets feature dynamic designs with modern text animations and contemporary transitioning effects, adding real energy. It makes you feel Contiki is a brand that is always on the move.”

According to a pre-launch survey of 4,000+ people, the verdict was overwhelmingly positive towards the brand’s new look and feel. 9 in 10 respondents liked the look and feel ‘to a moderate degree or above’, with the most-popular phrases to describe Contiki including ‘fun, energetic, youthful, bold & cool’.