An innovative producer of custom RV campers, Globe Trekker needed a fresh look that more accurately represented their engineering capabilities and unique personality. In conversation with their team, we created a new website that did just that and more - our final product includes an interactive builder that enables users to customize their own campers, and human-made composite imagery that sets the scene for these campers in action. While the client came to us with a logo, I built the rest of their visual brand identity from scratch - with a style guide that embodies the sense of adventure, quality, and futuristic innovation that Globe Trekker shares with its trekkers.Â
Through our branding session with the Globe Trekker team, we learned that their buyers crave the ability to move and break free from what they call ‘rat race’. They desire peaceful solitude and venture out where no one else has been before. The starry, open-sky visuals (think limitless possibility) and use of a darker backdrop are a nod to this spirit of outlandish adventure. The typeface Orbitron was chosen for it's technical, geometric letterforms that draw a connection to the advanced engineering at the core of GT's products. As lead designer of this project, my goal was to craft a visual experience that was otherwordly and enticing.
Globe Trekker didn’t have the budget to hire a professional photographer for this site, so I was tasked with creating photo-shoot quality imagery from a library of majority iphone photos. While this proved an initially daunting undertaking, our solution was to layer thoughtfully curated Adobe Stock images with the original product shots their team provided. I used my knowledge of Photoshop and layer masks to blend images of various landscapes, roads, figures, and campers together, equipping the Firefly generative-fill tool to problem-solve small areas of the backdrops that didn’t quite fit. The result was a series of composite imagery that set the tone for how we wanted potential Globe Trekker buyers to envision the lifestyle these campers make possible.Â
We specifically targeted two user-personas - the independent solo-traveler, excited to venture into new, off-road terrain for long period of time (Overland Products), and the parent of a small family who enjoys weekends away with the kids, and wants to be able to bring everything they need (Expedition Products) along the way. An understanding of these personas informed our design choices, resulting in a site that speaks to the right audience.Â
The builder my team created required digital rendering files of every component and accessory offered, which were gladly provided by the client. The catch? Each 3D accessory had to be positioned to fit the base image of the camper’s body exactly, in the right perspective and size, and with a transparent background so it could be layered with any other selection. I learned my way around AutoCadd to position the renderings correctly, took screenshots, then carefully removed the background of each product in photoshop. The final interactive builder has over 50 variations of products for users to choose from as they customize their campers!
