Travelex and Barber – Onwards and Upwards!

Travelex, the popular currency exchange company with stores at over a thousand locations worldwide – including every major airport – have been working closely with Barber to develop their global branding strategy.

Initially, Travelex approached Barber to develop designs for some of their customer service counters within airports and shopping malls. During this preliminary role, it became apparent to the team at Barber that the Travelex brand had been diluted and had lost direction. This was due to the fact that the company was spread across so many locations with no one employee overseeing or taking responsibility for universal branding. We suggested that they would benefit enormously from a set of detailed brand guidelines, to make their brand consistent across the globe and also help them to increase their presence and profitability, whilst also pushing the boundaries of what they had already achieved to ensure that the brand doesn’t become stale or predictable.

Iain Horne from Barber describes this process:

“Travelex were very interested in this idea so we created an initial brand rough draft, which they read through and then we discussed what they did or didn’t want to do and how to take it forward. We looked through everything that Travelex had done in the past, collating it and making sense of it which was a job in itself because there were so many different aspects that had been done over probably seven odd years, at different times throughout that period – which had never been maintained or looked at as a whole.

“So we took on board the work that Travelex had done in-house plus anything that had recently been completed for them by other design companies and distilled it into a comprehensive set of guidelines to be used primarily in Britain and Europe but also further afield. Following that, we were asked to assist in other tasks, including pitches for high profile locations such as large international airports. Our role developed towards looking at ways to actually push the brand, rather than keeping it at a certain level…progressing and developing it – looking to the future and what Travelex could do to increase their presence in the marketplace.

“During this time we developed a great working relationship with Travelex . We have become very conscious about what their brand is and how it should be maintained and are not afraid to step in and tell them if we think they should do something a different way, to maintain consistency and promote their brand effectively. Working with them over a period of time has meant we have developed a good understanding of their position in the global marketplace and what they need to do to progress – unofficially I would say we have become their brand guardians and I think Travelex would agree with that statement. We certainly try to maintain the brand and the guidelines cover every aspect of this – from the visual retail design and display branding to the customer experience itself. Whether that be at their Currency Express ATM booths or Currency Exchange counters within airports and retail centres.

Following on from the brand development work Barber are now offering their expertise in utilising new technologies to enhance the Travelex customer experience – this includes designing counters where iPads can be recessed into the desks and the use of screens or video walls to display information rather than traditional printed media. Barber are also working on streamlining the customer experience – developing branding for existing technologies such as Travelex’s cash to cash machines which can automatically accept and convert different currencies and also a new venture called ‘Currency Pick Up Point’ where customers can order their currency in advance online. When they arrive at the Travelex counter they can just walk straight up and collect their currency – saving time and effort for both Travelex and their customers.

The Travelex counters also meet requirements for people with special needs and disabilities in accordance with government guidelines – with features such as appropriate counter heights for wheelchair users and accessible ATMs.

Barber look forward to pushing the brand further in the coming year with another as-yet-undisclosed project underway as Travelex seek to develop sub-brands and new ventures to increase their global presence, portfolio and ultimately their profitability.