A fresh new look for digital automotive marketplace
Discover and create a thoughtful user experiences with an authentic visual design language that helps build Auto Trader into a powerful and emotive brand.
Role
As lead designer, I was charged with the task to evolve the brand to create a simple, slick and seamless digital experience language for car buyers. My work helped Auto Trader drive significant increases in brand awareness and online engagement.
— Brand identity
— User interface
— User experience
— Digital design
— Motion design
Challenges
Despite being the UK’s leading digital automotive marketplace, Auto Trader was still seen by some as a print magazine for middle-aged men. My challenge was to shift perceptions and make the business more appealing to a wider audience, without losing the brand’s valuable heritage.
Ready to go
The refreshed brand is modern and approachable, putting emphasis on Auto Trader’s customers, and their lifestyles, to create more meaningful connections with them.
A powerful personality
To engage with younger, less confident buyers, the new brand needed to feel more expressive and less static. We established three personality traits at the heart of the new brand. The traits guided the development of every identity component – from colour and typography, to tone of voice and motion principles.
key questions
Can we sell Auto Trader to the user in 10 seconds
Can we get the user into the right search as efficiently as possible
Can we provide advertisers with a desirable display format
Can we provide a personalised experience to the user
Can we provide the user with trust and confidence in using Auto Trader
A more friendly user experience
Research told us that buying a car is seen as complicated, time-consuming and often uncomfortable. To reassure buyers, I placed their needs and motivations at the centre of the brand – establishing design principles and experiences that made the process as slick and simple as possible. One aspect of this was illustrations visualising abstract or complicated subjects such as insurance.
An online toolkit
We were keen to ensure every member of our team had easy access to simple, practical guidelines. I created a bespoke Brand Hub, complete with principles, direction and examples that can be updated whenever necessary – empowering internal teams to take ownership of the brand themselves.
Brand in motion
Inspired and influenced by the physical mechanics of cars, I created a set of motion, animation and interaction principles to make the Auto Trader experience feel more intuitive, fluid and rewarding.
Dialling up emotion
Although cars are functional in purpose, they’re often an emotional purchase. I used lifestyle-based photography, benefit-led graphics and a wider colour palette to shift the brand from being viewed as purely transactional to a trusted and understanding partner – creating a stronger emotional connection with potential car buyers. A new font family and a conversational tone of voice complements the new imagery and colours, creating a more welcoming and enjoyable car-buying experience.
