Thomson heads for the sun with a new identity

Two of the UK’s leading tour operators have unveiled new identities as the battle for next summer’s holiday market begins.

Identity input for both Thomson and its sister company Portland Direct is from Sampson Tyrrell Enterprise.

Thomson, the UK’s biggest tour operator, is repositioning itself away from being the leader in Mediterranean holidays and more towards being a leader in world holidays, says Stuart Redfern, associate director at Sampson Tyrrell Enterprise.

Redfern says the old identity, designed by Lloyd Northover, was no longer appropriate to Thomson’s offer. The consultancy has dropped the sun and seagull marque and introduced what

Redfern calls a “living identity, with distinctive corporate colours of yellow and orange which are used in a variety of ways according to the brochures they’re in”.

The consultancy has been appointed for a year by Thomson, to police the identity and implement it on to brochures for each of the tour operator’s offers.

Sampson Tyrrell Enterprise has also redesigned the corporate identity for Portland Direct, which is the leading direct booking tour operator in the UK.

According to Portland managing director, Nigel David, direct booking holidays are a growing sector. “Our new identity reflects the position we are adopting in the market place,” he says. Sampson Tyrrell Enterprise director Mary Peterkin adds: “The new identity is fresh, contemporary and has impact.”

Both identities are being rolled out on to literature and the Thomson identity will be in its resorts from next summer.