Designing a Premium Travel Experience

Building a Luxury Editorial Identity

When I joined Smart Luxury Travel as Creative Director, the magazine was already established as a premium editorial companion to Sherman's Travel, created to inspire readers to discover luxury destinations while supporting the travel offers on the site. The concept was strong, but the experience lacked the polish needed to match its ambition. The photography was inconsistent, the visual language lacked cohesion, and there was an opportunity to elevate the publication into a more distinctive premium travel brand. I focused on creating an experience that felt inspiring, immersive, and consistent from cover to cover.

Creating a More Immersive Travel Experience

One of the biggest opportunities was the photography. The publication relied heavily on generic stock imagery, which made many destinations feel interchangeable. Working closely with our photo editor, I developed a partnership model with photographers, airlines, and hotels that gave us access to original destination photography. The result was a richer, more authentic experience that better captured the character of each place and made the stories far more compelling.

Alongside the photography, I refined the publication's visual identity, developing a more cohesive system of typography, colour, layout, and art direction. Every design decision was intended to make the experience feel more immersive while creating a recognisable brand readers could return to issue after issue. Rather than simply showcasing travel deals, Smart Luxury Travel became a place to discover destinations, inspiring readers to continue their journey through Sherman's Travel.

Taking it digital

As Smart Luxury Travel evolved, the company identified an opportunity to extend the brand into a dedicated section within the Sherman's Travel website. I created responsive concepts across desktop, tablet, and mobile that translated the magazine's visual language into a digital experience, combining editorial storytelling with curated travel offers to create a more connected journey from inspiration to booking.

Key takeaway Great travel experiences don't begin at the point of booking. They begin with inspiration. This project reinforced how brand, content, and digital experiences can work together to create a more engaging customer journey.