Americana is a High Speed Rail system designed to travel across the United States.
Americana's mission is to give Americans a quick, comfortable and eco-conscious alternative to air and road travel. The brand is intended to be clean, efficient and welcoming because the main draws of a high speed rail system are that they are much better for the environment than alternative modes of travel, they’re fast enough to be competitive with air travel in many markets and they’re more comfortable than flying.
The audience ranges from frequent travelers who want to forgo the hassle of airport security, baggage claim, etc, to those looking to travel more economically, or even those who are averse to flying for more personal reasons. Americana aims to appeal to all walks of life.
The primary typeface is Poppins, Bold and Regular. Like with the logotype, it's very bold and friendly. For body I’m using Barlow, a narrower sans-serif which contrasts nicely with the round geometric letterforms of Poppins, and then Univers Black Extended for subheads. The brandmark is a stylized A with a lot of movement to it. The logotype is bold and geometric, intended to feel approachable and friendly. The logotype can also be separated into two parts and connected by a thin stroke.
Here is the set of printed materials. In keeping with the brand attributes, the design is minimal, featuring the brandmark prominently on the top left of the letterhead and the back of the envelope, as well as stretched across the back of the business cards. The logotype is also featured in one of its iterations across the bottom of the front of the letterhead and in the center of the back, with "Americana" and "High Speed Rail" connected by a thin stroke. The brand information is displayed similarly along the bottom of the back of the envelopes.
This is the design for Americana's boarding pass sleeve, similar to what you’d get when flying. Here you see the train illustration with the divided logotype along the bottom.
Here, a clear visual theme continues onto drink tickets and luggage tags. Since airlines offer drink tickets for free drinks for their rewards members, Americana should as well in order to remain competitive. Also baggage is equally as important to keep track of on a train as on an airline, so having complementary tags are a must.
Since some of the train rides are fairly lengthy, and people are going to want to be cashing in their drink tickets, they’re going to need cups and napkins. On the cup there’s a version of the divided logotype motif, and on the napkin there’s the blown up brand mark on one side and the tagline on the other.
Then finally we have the menu, because again, some train rides get lengthy, and in case some travelers would like some simple meals, Americana is ready to offer them. The menu features things like pre-made sandwiches and salads, as well as some breakfast items, and a beverage list.
The cover of the brand book features the digital train illustration centered against a flood of the brand blue, with the divided logotype along the spine.
Here's the book in its entirety!
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