Away
Collaborated with the founders of luggage brand Away to translate their vision into a scalable design system supporting rapid business growth.
Credits
Role: Design Director, leading the creative team
Worked on: Brand identity, art direction, print and environmental, marketing and advertising
Team: Jen Rubio (Creative director and Co-Founder), Trace Barnhill (Lead Copywriter), Travis Weihermuller (Lead UX/UI), Nicholas Kriegler (designer), Fabian Öhrn, Henry Hargreaves, Nathan Kraxberger, Ben Wagner (photographers)
Falll 2016
A design system for a thoughtful travel brand
The Challenge
Away's vision is to modernize and make travel seamless. Founded by two Warby Parker execs, they understood there was a big opportunity for a brand to come in and take the stress out of travel and inspire people to get away and explore. The challenge lied on building trust and connection in a highly crowded space.
The Solution
Closely collaborating with the founders, we translated this vision into a design system that reflects Away's constant focus on movement and the celebration of in-between moments. From the luggage to a thank you note, everything the brand creates needs to be designed to inspire people to go out and explore the world.
Key initiatives that brought the brand to life across multiple channels:
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Led the e-commerce site redesign to align with the new brand
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Led the strategy, design, and implementation of the CRM system across the consumer journey, from transactional emails at purchase to seasonal marketing campaigns
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Launched the first subway campaign, generating thousands of impressions, driving website traffic, and increasing sales
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Partnered with TSA to pilot advertising on airport luggage trays, enhancing brand visibility in a highly relevant setting
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Led the launch of special edition drops, including snow and asphalt carry-ons.
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Collaborated with an architecture partner to open the NYC flagship store and pop-ups in London and Berlin
The Impact
The implementation of a new design system and integrated campaigns contributed to a sales increase from $12M (2016) to $55M (2017) and a $1B valuation by 2019, while also expanding into new channels and markets (NYC flagship store, plus pop-ups in London and Berlin.
