Inspirato: Future State Vision

Inspirato is a luxury travel company that offers an innovative subscription service called Inspirato Pass, along with a more traditional option called Inspirato Club. Both services cater to different segments of affluent travelers.

Visual

Identity

Design

Strategy

Product

Enhancements

Inspirato: Future State Vision

Visual

Identity

Design

Strategy

Product

Enhancements

OVERVIEW

Inspirato’s visual language had a problem: it could have belonged to any luxury travel brand. They relied heavily on generic photography, and nothing felt distinctly ownable. As part of a future-state modernization initiative, I created three distinct visual directions, each answering the same question: How do we make this feel sophisticated and unmistakably ‘Inspirato’? This was not about final execution. It was about making the constraints visible, giving stakeholders something real to react to, and building a shared vision for where the brand could go.

MY ROLE

Visual Designer

OVERVIEW

MY ROLE

Visual Designer

OVERVIEW

MY ROLE

Visual Designer

Discovery

From the start, I wanted these explorations to feel like a natural evolution of the Inspirato brand, not a stark departure. I began by gathering existing artifacts and aligning with key stakeholders. The brand team required us to retain the existing colors and typography, but beyond that, there was plenty of room to explore.

The existing marketing materials were beautiful, but they relied heavily on text over photography, which created real accessibility challenges in digital experiences. By contrast, the product was minimal, leaning on property photography to convey elegance. Neither felt distinctly ownable. If you covered the logo on any piece of collateral, it could have belonged to any luxury travel brand.

That insight shaped everything that followed and clarified three core goals: modernize the visual language, build on Inspirato’s existing brand equity, and expand communication opportunities by telling richer stories beyond dense blocks of text.

From the start, I wanted any design exploration to feel like a natural evolution of the Inspirato brand rather than a stark departure. I began by pulling existing artifacts and aligning with key stakeholders. The Brand team required us to retain the existing colors and typography, but beyond that, there was plenty of room to explore.
The marketing materials were beautiful, yet heavily reliant on text overlaying photography, which creates accessibility challenges in digital experiences. The existing product was minimal by contrast, leaning on property photography to carry the elegance. Neither felt distinctly ownable. Cover the logo on any piece of collateral, digital or otherwise, and it could have belonged to any luxury travel brand.

That insight shaped everything that followed and helped define three core goals:

Modernize the visual language
Build upon Inspirato's existing brand equity
Expand communication opportunities by telling richer stories beyond dense blocks of text"

Existing assets included colors, type, product pages & marketing material.

Modernize the visual language
Build upon Inspirato's existing brand equity
Expand communication opportunities by telling richer stories beyond dense blocks of text"

Concept 1

Concept 1 of 3: Light & Artful

The existing product relied on photography, but it felt generic and sterile. This direction introduced brushstroke patterns to add color and texture to an otherwise black-and-white UI, giving the brand something distinctly ownable. Gold, green, and blue appear strategically through organic patterns, rather than being scattered everywhere. Breaking the image plane was deliberate, pushing past the “template” feeling that had been consistent feedback. When color shows up, it lands with intention.

Concept 2

Concept 2 of 3:
Dark & Sophisticated

This direction leaned into mood and exclusivity. A dark background became the canvas, with gold as a hero accent that commands attention. Vibrant photography pops against the darkness, creating visual drama. Subtle black-on-black patterns add texture without noise, giving the interface personality and depth. The typography flipped too: sans serif headlines instead of serif, signaling that we could remix the existing elements in entirely new ways. The overall effect is modern and cinematic, almost like stepping into an exclusive experience.

Concept 3

Concept 3 of 3:
Minimal & Editorial

Restraint is a strategic choice. Gold blocks and tightly cropped photo fragments hint at the vibe of a location without revealing the full scene, letting the viewer’s imagination fill in the rest. The arrow shape, borrowed from marketing work, appears both subtly and boldly to create visual continuity. When space is limited, a sliver of vibrant imagery can still tell the story. Large serif headlines breathe on clean backgrounds. This direction favors intentionality over noise, letting every element earn its place.