Next-generation tourism

Category→ 
Travel
Work→ 
Visual identity, art direction, UX design, strategy
Awards→ 
European Design Awards
Client→ 
Innovation Norway & Visit Norway

Visit Norway and Innovation Norway is the main organisation for promoting and developing Norway as a tourist destination. Bleed is the main partner on strategic design, interaction design and service design. Working to increase sustainable tourism, increase associations connected to Norway, Modernize the brand and create a new type of design-driven experience innovation.

Background

Bleed has been working on a three-year-long project using design practice and methods (design-driven innovation, brand design, service- and experience design) to increase innovation, professional product- and experience development and value creation in the Norwegian travel industry. The project is commissioned by Innovation Norway for Visit Norway. The Bleed led project team consisted of leading academic researchers from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, experience-, service- and brand design practitioners from Bleed and Travel industry experts from Innovation Norway. The project develops a scalable and open innovation method and toolbox for an integrated brand- and product development for the travel industry.

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Concept

The approach is based on sustainable development and value creation with a strong focus on cultural and local experiences and brands, aiming to strengthen the local way of life, cultural expressions, myths and rituals and make those available, understandable and attractive for an international audience. The project includes a methodology for cultural analysis using “a mesh of meaning” as a basis for the brand- and experience design.

Two pilot projects have been done. One in Rjukan an industrial company town between large mountains that recently become a UNESCO world heritage site and another in Lofoten focusing on food experiences.

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Norway as a place brand

Norway has a strong position internationally being associated with beautiful nature, cold weather, fjords, northern lights and Vikings. The people, lifestyle and culture like food, design, architecture etc. are lesser-known. Innovation Norway and Visit Norway aims to widen the associations connected to Norway and increase relevance for new target groups. As the strategic design and brand partner Bleed has engaged and works with a team of leading experts, writers, photographers, directors, filmmakers, musicians and analysts, incrementally improving and modernizing the brand experience and communication. 

Listening, looking and designing to convert

The ecosystem of touchpoints, actors, brands and offers for a country is quite staggering even for a small country like Norway. There are more than 25 million visitors to the Visit Norway-site, they are being addressed in 15 different languages and there are more than 20 000 actors and organizations contributing to the site. Creating a flexible and functional design system that gives the visitors a high-quality service and the desired experience and at the same time communicates a sense of place, culture and people is not an easy job - just as we like it. Visit Norway was recently awarded as the world’s best country site.

Creating a flexible and functional design system that gives the visitors a high-quality service and the desired experience and at the same time communicates a sense of place, culture and people is not an easy job - just as we like it. Visit Norway was recently awarded as the world’s best country site.

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