Mastercard unveils airport illustrations

Mastercard is launching a series of large-scale illustrated posters in major airports worldwide, created by London design consultancy Airside.

The project represents the largest set of illustrations yet commissioned by Mastercard, according to Mays Elansari, account handler at Mastercard’s advertising agency McCann Erickson, which brought in Airside to create the designs. The consultancy was appointed after discussions with ‘several’ individual designers and design groups, says Elansari.

The posters will roll out to airports in 19 cities globally, with the designs tailored to each location. The illustrations will depict composite images of recognisable city landmarks or local sights, all presented in the Mastercard colour palette of red and yellow.

More generic images of situations where Mastercard would be used – such as in shops, hotels and bars – reinforce the notion that Mastercard can be used across the world in a wide range of venues. Posters for Frankfurt Airport will feature World Cup imagery, referencing this year’s competition in Germany.

Airside began the illustrations last summer and an initial launch took place in JFK International Airport in New York at the end of last year. The campaign will launch in Heathrow and Gatwick airports in early February.

‘The brief from Mastercard was to target frequent travellers and highlight the fact that the card is accepted across the world. The [use of] illustration is very new for Mastercard. The designs are strong, bold and sophisticated, and the colours give high brand recognition,’ says Elansari.

The ads are part of McCann Erickson’s Priceless campaign for Mastercard, which has been running since 1999.

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