Venturing into uncharted territory, New Places To Be was ready for a mission to redefine destination discovery. With a fresh approach and innovative offerings, I collaborated to amplify their visual identity and craft an immersive, responsive web design, making it a succesful sales and collaboration tool for the agency.
Client Background: New Places To Be, an online independent hotspot guide, emerged in 2012 as an in-house project of King George, aiming to provide curated insights into trendy destinations for food, drinks, and ambiance. Over time, it grew into a strategic tool for collaborations and expanded its offerings beyond mere blogposts for hotspot-recommendations.
Challenge: After a successful initial launch in 2012, the brand recognized the need for a comprehensive rebranding and digital overhaul to keep pace with its growth and evolving ambitions. So two years after conception, the challenge was to create a timeless visual identity and user-centric website platform that would cater to both visitors, potential collaborators and (potential) brand partners.
Solution & Implementation:
The first phase of the project focused on reinventing the visual identity to ensure flexibility across various digital touchpoints. Departing from the literal pin icon, a new logo combining a map-pointer and comment-card was crafted for a modern and recognizable appeal. The color palette was simplified, with a fresh minty green (#04FFBE) as the key supporting color to complement the brand's aesthetic. The typeface selection emphasized a blend of sophistication and approachability, effectively combining the robust yet friendly Museo Slab and Sans by Jos Buivenga, combined with a traditional curated appeal thanks to Robert Slimbach' Arno Pro. The rebranding efforts extended beyond digital assets to tactile touchpoints, including hotspot markers (window stickers), a flyer and photography treatment (watermark).
In the subsequent phase, wireframing and development of the website platform commenced. The goal was to transform New Places To Be into a multifunctional platform serving as a hotspot reference, partnership tool, and on-the-go city guide. Additional features such as wishlist functionality, user accounts, a user-friendly maps tool, and curated content blocks were integrated to enhance user experience and engagement. The well-thought-out minimal viable product for initial launch versus both brand and product-growth trajectory, accommodated the brand's multifaceted objectives while maintaining a seamless user journey answering each collaborators' intentions.
Wireframing
Desktop design
Mobile design
Based on this successful concept, multiple fruitful projects rolled out of the success of this in-house project. Determined to create unforgettable experiences, New Places To Be collaborated with Lannoo to create two captivating books (one and two). Strategically partnering with Alpro and curated hotspot-owners, offered the opportunity to set up a city festival in Ghent (see article), fostering vibrant connections and cross-pollination between the local establishments and their audience. In these project-based efforts, the team worked closely together getting in touch with the media partners and creating PR/copywriting content, with me focussing on the creative direction and visual execution of the touchpoints, ensuring both virtual and tactile communications reflected the brand's ethos and delighted audiences.
Outcome: Successfully executing the rebranding and digital transformation initiatives resulted in a cohesive and versatile brand identity. New Places To Be evolved into a trusted platform for users seeking recommendations and brand partners seeking visibility. Collaborative initiatives such as city festivals and hotspot books further solidified the brand's position in the market building on its credibility.
Conclusion: By establishing a robust brand strategy and creating user-centric tools, New Places To Be achieved its goal of providing valuable insights and fostering meaningful connections between brands and users, driving project-based sales and building value and connection for the partners. The project demonstrated the importance of adaptability and innovation in staying relevant in a dynamic digital landscape, paving the way for future growth and success.
Created for King George
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