Design projects in tourism and travel
On the occasion of our recent visits and participation in several tourism and travel fairs, as well as the continuation of specialisation in this industry, I thought why not present you with some of our projects.
Design projects in tourism and travel
In recent years, we have been increasingly involved in projects that include creative engagement for:
tourist communities and tourism events
cultural heritage
tourist and travel agencies
local government units
projects funded by EU funds, and similar
The activities and services to which we have contributed the most in our business are usually:
visual identities and design of marketing materials
illustration
creation of animated videos
office and signage design
packaging design, and more.
Most of the projects are in the domestic market in Croatia; however, we started expanding beyond our borders.
01 Design projects for tourist boards and associations
a) Tourist Board City of Ivanić-Grad
We have achieved the most successful projects in collaboration with the Tourist Board of the city of Ivanić-Grad, starting in 2022 with the creation of a new visual identity for the well-known tourism event Bučijada.
Alongside Bučijada, we have created visual identities and promotional materials for the Lipanjska pozornica festival and the electronic music festival Pooltronica. From winter activities, you will recognise our work on Advent u Ivaniću and the visuals for the relatively new project, the Black Gold Night Run night race.
b) Friends of Heritage of Ivanić-Grad Association
In collaboration with the Tourist Board of the City of Ivanić-Grad, we also cooperate with the local association, where we are just completing a one-year Erasmus+ project called “Engaging Youth in Culture,” promoting local culture in a contemporary way to young people from Croatia and Romania.
c) Society of Friends of Nature Ivanić-Grad
In collaboration with the "Society of Friends of Nature Ivanić-Grad," we have created an identity, promotional visuals for social media, and educational leaflets for educational workshops titled Befriending Nature (Sprijateljimo se s prirodom) intended for children.
d) Ivanec Tourist Board
On the occasion of the opening of the new visitor center in Ivanec and the redesign of the website in collaboration with the Tourist Board of the City of Ivanec, we devised the design for new tourist guides, as well as foldable cycling maps and information boards for Ivanec and the region. In addition to design, we also engaged in narration for audio guides of well-known destinations and points of interest in the Ivanec area, which you can listen to on their website.
e) Tourist Board of Varaždin County
In 2021, we participated in the EU Interreg project "Active Tourism Meeets Advanced Technology in Cross-Border Area" or AT@AT.CB in collaboration with the Tourist Board of Varaždin County. We created the visual identity of the project along with accompanying promotional materials.
f) Varaždin County
For the Visitor Center of Varaždin County, we created illustrations, animations, and a website for the "EU Interreg" project Amazing Amazon of Europe focusing on cycling routes from Austria to Serbia along the rivers Mura, Drava, and Danube. The project aims to provide visitors with more information and interesting facts about specific northern or southern cycling routes with an attractive design.
g) Tourist Information Centre RegionGraz in Austria
Last year, in collaboration with the Austrian advertising agency Kufferath we helped conceive and create illustrations for wrapping trams for RegionGraz, the tourist information centre for Graz and its surroundings. You can see our tram in Graz until 2026.
02 Design projects for tourist agencies
Speaking of projects for travel and excursion agencies we can highlight Destina and Adriagate.
a) Destina Boat Excursions - Rebranding of a Family-Owned Business
The family-owned boat excursion agency Destina decided to align its operations with the needs and challenges of the modern market in celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Desto boat. This coincided with the onset of the Covid pandemic, necessitating rapid adaptations.
Through rebranding and redesigning the visual identity, new business goals and Destina's vision were defined, laying the foundation for successful long-term operations adapted to modern challenges. Impressive results of the transformation were visible within the first year.
Based on Destina, you can see the complete "renovation" (and its benefits) of the company, from the logo to the website, wrapping of boats, office decoration, installation of new promotional and advertising materials, as well as sales messages and the new marketing strategy in action.
b) Adriagate - Rebranding of Croatia's Largest Booking Platform
Following the successful collaboration and results with Destina, we received an invitation from the tourism agency Adriagate, acting as an intermediary between guests and local hosts.
Approaching the celebration of its 20th anniversary, this tourism agency found itself in a somewhat chaotic state concerning verbal and visual communication—dissatisfaction with the visual identity, from the logo to the cacophony in B2B and B2C materials, inconsistent exteriors of branches confusing guests, and more.
Our task was to standardize communication on all sales channels, including verbal and visual expression. In collaboration with Adriagate's internal marketing team, we successfully achieved a unified and consistent brand enthusiastically embraced by employees, local hosts, and guests.
Both projects were realized in collaboration with Tanja Roca from the Deeshpet agency for marketing and business strategies.
03 Design projects for local government units
There are a couple of succesful collaboration with cities, municipalities and counties in Croatia.
a) Varaždin County
In collaboration with Varaždin County, we are completing a project for a new coloring book featuring illustrations that whimsically depict traditional dishes and recipes of Varaždin County. Previously, we realized the EU Interreg project "Amazing Amazon of Europe" in the form of an interactive website for the visitor center, focusing on cycling routes along the rivers Mura, Drava, and Danube.
b) Lumbarda Municipality on Korčula Island
Last year, in collaboration with the Lumbarda Municipality, we assisted in devising the visual identity and name for the participatory budgeting project "Moje misto. I ja odlučijen. Mještani aktivno oblikuju proračun" (My Place. And I Decide. Residents actively shape the budget). Due to our affinity for languages and dialects, we were pleased to contribute suggestions for slogans and campaign names. The visual identity included educational materials to inform citizens and an animated video.
c) City of Makarska
For the City of Makarska, we created humorous illustrations on warning signs at city beaches, cautioning all towel owners that leaving them on the beach overnight would result in their disappearance.
04 Design projects for yacht-charter industry
Over the past years, we have gained valuable experience in the nautical charter industry through contributions to fairs and online projects.
Yachtmaster Group and ICE
From 2019 to 2023, we worked as external collaborators in organizing the International Charter Expo (ICE), an international B2B nautical fair for Yachtmaster Group from Zagreb. We began with designing stands and necessary signage materials in Vienna in 2019. During the lockdown in 2020 and 2021, we assisted in conceptualizing visuals and organizing two digital fairs. We also participated in the redesign of the Yachmaster Group website and the official fair website.
Participation in B2B Nautical Expos
For the last two years, the expo has taken place at the Zagreb Fair, where we also worked on the design and print preparation for signage, floor plans, and stands for both the organizer and exhibitors. Notable projects include the redesign of the B2B nautical magazine "Icebreaker," where we created designs and layouts for several editions spanning from 2020 to 2022.
Apart from working with organizers, we had the opportunity to collaborate with several domestic and international charter industry companies. We designed new visuals for stands and created promotional materials such as brochures.
Some of the companies we collaborated with include:
Boomerang Sardinia Sailing Charter
Mediterranean Yachting Holidays Greece
White Blue Seas
Shamandura Charter
World Yachting Croatia
Aquila Boats & Honda Marine Croatia
A-Yachts Croatia
Ultra Sailing Croatia
Master Yachting Croatia
NauSYS Charter Booking System
In addition to stands, websites, and brochures, we also worked on video animation projects, such as the one for Nausys Charter Booking System.
05 Design projects for apartments and hospitality
At the end of 2022, we launched the "Maris" project, the branding of a family-owned apartment rental business in Senj. The main challenge was attracting tourists outside the typical summer season, especially in the less-explored part of Senj. We created a compelling narrative and visually appealing website design for recently renovated apartments to attract travelers and adventurers during the off-season.
What did we achieve? Full occupancy in spring and summer, and during the autumn-winter period, reservations increased from 0 to 50% occupancy every month. This result exceeds all expectations for Senj in winter. Positive guest feedback highlighted the successful combination of a professional, visually appealing approach similar to larger hotels, while maintaining the warmth and hospitality of smaller, private accommodations.
06 Projects that promote local identity
The last thing I would love to highlight are the projects we have been working on related to promotion and popularisation of the local identity through language and heritage.
Project “Po domachi®” - promoting local identity through language and design
This is a long-term initiative that promotes local identity through language, utilizing unique and original illustrations and designs. In addition to serving as playful illustrations and products connecting members of the same identity and preserving linguistic heritage, they also function as quirky souvenirs or gifts for acquaintances, visitors, guests, or business partners.
For the design of your unique souvenirs or orders, please contact us at office@disegnat.comThe story of Kaj - an educational tale about the Kajkavian literary languag
This illustrated educational picture book was created in collaboration with Dr. Bojana Schubert and Srednja Europa to promote awareness among young people about the history and influence of the Kajkavian literary language in northern Croatia. It has been approved by the Ministry of Science and Education as a supplementary tool in elementary school Croatian language classes.Imbra Houstovnjak - an illustrated fairy tale in Kajkavian
This original fairy tale, inspired by Croatian Slavic mythology, follows the adventures of the hero Imbra Houstouvnjak through imaginary regions of northern Croatia. Written in the Marija Bistrica dialect with the aim of promoting and preserving the local dialect among young people. A bilingual edition in Kajkavian and standard Croatian language is set to be released this year.
Thank you for reading and I hope you learned something new about us.
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Do you have a project where you need the assistance of a designer and illustrator? Feel free to contact us at office@disegnat.com with details or schedule a brief online meeting at a time that suits you.
