Enhancing onboard communications with Brittany Ferries

We understand the power of clear and engaging brand communication to elevate the customer experience and our ongoing work with Brittany Ferries shows how carefully crafted onboard marketing strategies can enhance passenger perceptions. In addition, they also reinforce brand personality across multiple touchpoints.

With over two decades of experience across sectors such as leisure, retail, and travel, our approach to design is always user-centred, ensuring that the needs of both the customer and the brand are met effectively.

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The challenge: engaging a diverse audience

Brittany Ferries operate a number of routes between UK, France, Spain and Ireland. These services cater to a varied audience with differing needs. From older passengers on a leisure cruise, to families with young children, to customers travelling with pets, everyone on board expects both an enjoyable, relaxing crossing and clear, engaging information to guide them through the experience.

Our challenge has been to ensure that all information - whether safety protocols, onboard amenities, or promotional messaging - is communicated clearly across various media formats, while maintaining consistency in branding and tone. As the audience isn’t just English-speaking, it was vital to strike the right balance in messaging to ensure that content was clear, easy to understand, and aligned with the overall brand experience.

Space on board is often at a premium, meaning that all communications - whether providing important information or promoting a commercial message – must be concise, visually appealing, and carefully placed to avoid overwhelming passengers.

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Our approach: experiencing the passenger journey

We recognise that the key to designing effective onboard communications lies in truly understanding the customer journey. Before starting any creative work, we conducted some immersive research, spending time on board Brittany Ferries’ vessels to watch how passengers interacted with the space and the existing communication materials. This first-hand insight allowed us to identify key pain points, including uninspiring or overly complex messaging and the need for better navigation. At the same time, we were able to identify opportunities to enhance the brand experience.

We also understand that modern passenger communications require a multichannel approach. Onboard communications now extend far beyond traditional print posters and brochures; they encompass digital screens, large-scale display boards, pre- and post-departure emails, and other formats that cater to a time-poor, low attention audience.

Our work with Brittany Ferries has always been underpinned by the need for clear, engaging, on-brand communications throughout the passenger’s journey, regardless of the medium.  

By focusing on clarity and cohesion, we work to continuously craft a communication system that simplifies complex information and aligns with commercial brand priorities. This ensures that essential messages, such as safety procedures and onboard amenities, are quickly understood, while also introducing Brittany Ferries’ seasonal campaigns and promotional offers.

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Maintaining consistency across all touchpoints

One of the key challenges when designing multichannel communications is ensuring consistency. For Brittany Ferries, it was crucial that all messaging - whether digital or print - felt authentically part of the same brand.

We achieved this through a well-defined design language, incorporating consistent typography, colour schemes, iconography, and tone of voice. This unified design approach ensures that whether passengers are looking at a digital screen in the bar, reading a printed brochure at check in, or viewing a large display in the dining area, they are presented with the same high-quality, communications which is always on-brand.

Digital screens are becoming a key element of the onboard communications experience. They can display dynamic content, provide real-time updates and can be easily adapted to promote seasonal campaigns or new offers. For Brittany Ferries, we design dynamic, visually engaging digital content that bring campaigns to life. Print remains a crucial medium, particularly for passengers who prefer to read at their own pace, however the desire to consider sustainability is having a major influence.  With our experience and by focusing on clarity, as well as relevance at each touch point, we have reduced the need for excessive printed materials, which has helped Brittany Ferries streamline their communications to make them more environmentally friendly, aligning with the growing demand for sustainable business practices.  

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A forward-thinking approach to onboard design

Our experience with Brittany Ferries highlights the importance of thoughtful, user-centred design in enhancing the onboard experience. By combining practical, functional information with brand storytelling, we are able to create a system that not only improves customer satisfaction but also supports Brittany Ferries’ business objectives.

We believe that effective communication is about more than just delivering information - it’s about creating a joined up experience that guides passengers through their journey, while reinforcing the brand at every stage.

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