First Choice - Rebranding a travel icon

First Choice

MAKING PICKY A POSITIVE

First Choice is the holiday company that lets you pick the trip you really want. We created a brand to propel this former British travel icon into the minds of a whole new generation, making First Choice the first choice for holidaymakers once again.

WE PARTNERED ON
Brand strategy, visual & verbal identity.

PROUDLY PICKY

First Choice has been a British holiday icon for 30 years. But with younger travel lovers demanding increasingly more from their time off, it was time to move beyond the brand’s all-inclusive past. Our challenge was to redefine First Choice for a new generation. And reposition the brand to stand out amongst the overwhelming options online.

Our strategy takes a giant leap forward: from choice paralysis to choice positivity.

No more Fear Of Better Options (FOBO) elsewhere. No more penalisation for picking what you really want from your holiday. No more lack of protection because you’ve booked eight things across eight sites, and none of them are responsible if anything goes wrong. Instead, start with your interests or preferred destinations, and tailor a complete experience that’s built just for you. It’s time to be proudly picky.

AN ICONIC IDENTITY

With a new product offering a more flexible, personalised experience, the new identity encourages travellers to get picky.

The design system is built around a set of icons that represent the ability to curate the perfect combination of experiences for you. At the pool, up a mountain, in a city or by the sea. The choice is yours.

They come together in an immediately distinctive logo that puts your choice first. And they live in every part of the experience. From functional signposting in the digital product, right through to expressive storytelling in comms.

YOUR HOLIDAY IN WORDS AND PICTURES

The art direction gets up close and personal with holidaymakers, showing them that the only perspective that matters is theirs. Shots are always warm, imperfect, and a little aspirational too. No more empty beaches, devoid of people, shot from a drone. Or city shots with no atmosphere. Or pool shots that are perfectly choreographed but cold.

And copy works harmoniously with the photography. Up close but also uncompromising, this new voice encourages people to be proudly picky – getting them from Point A (The First Choice website) to Point Z (the holiday they really want) with ease. All set in a customised headline typeface that embodies a newly confident brand character.

“We needed a brand that stands out and resonates with a new generation of travellers, while retaining the trust and warmth that First Choice has historically represented. Ragged Edge has done an outstanding job in encapsulating that distinctive identity. The rebrand is exciting and bold, and demonstrates our understanding of every holidaymakers' unique preferences while cutting through the noise of the internet’s infinite possibilities.”

BART QUINTON SMITH
Managing Director, First Choice

A journey to remember

This trip wouldn’t have gone as far without the bravery and collaboration from the First Choice team. Thank you Bart, Sara, Kristen, Craig, Steph, Lisa, Conrad, Ella, Kev, Abi, Sara Ali, Lee, Christian and Molly.

Thanks also to Order Type Foundry who helped us customise Pastiche Grotesque for the headline typeface.

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