Limes, laughs and a lot of QA: Our rebrand story

In September 2024, TravelPerk kicked off an exciting new chapter: bringing our bold new brand to life across our desktop and mobile apps. As the product design lead, I had the pleasure of working with our brilliant design team, fondly known as the Lime Design Team, inspired by our fresh new brand colour.

Rebranding your product might sound like a big job (and it is), but through all the colour debates, Figma deep-dives and coffee-fuelled QA sessions, we came away with some valuable lessons.

Here are the five big takeaways from our journey, with a peek into how we tackled them along the way:

1. Simplicity shows you what matters

Stripping things back to the essentials can surface UX issues you didn’t even realise were there. The rebrand forced us to take a fresh look at our product and reconsider what really needed a rethink.

We split our screens into two categories:

Red Routes were high-impact, high-traffic flows like our homepage that needed a full UX overhaul.

Reskins were areas like the flight results page where we could modernise visuals without disrupting core functionality.

This approach helped us stay focused and make meaningful design decisions where they mattered most.

2. Great work comes from great teamwork

Bringing a new brand into an existing product is no solo act. Our best ideas came from collaboration across brand, content, product, and engineering.

We kicked things off with Lime Week, a full-throttle sprint of colour debates, spacing discussions, and tone-of-voice explorations. We nerded out over button radii and huddled over Figma files, refining typography and component styles.

To keep the momentum going, we ran regular Lime Design stand-ups, weekly critiques with the brand and product teams, and involved engineers early on. This made handover feel more like a natural continuation than a traditional handoff.

3. QA deserves the spotlight

Testing wasn’t glamorous, but it was essential. We combed through every edge case, every interaction, every last pixel. First on staging, then again in production.

We didn’t stop at the core product either. The reskin extended across emails, third-party tools, and all the little corners that often get overlooked. Every touchpoint mattered.

All of this led to Mission Control Day, the moment we launched everything. It was a huge cross-functional effort with an extensive checklist, a lively Slack channel, and more coffee than anyone cares to admit.

4. Keep the conversation flowing

If there was one thing that kept this project on track, it was good old-fashioned communication. From Slack channels buzzing with updates to regular alignment sessions across teams, we made sure no one was ever out of the loop. It wasn’t just about staying organised; it kept the energy high and our shared vision crystal clear.

One of our proudest tools was our Figma Reskin file. This covered both our mobile app and desktop, where we carefully selected the key screens to rebuild in our new brand. It included all our newly rebranded design system components, giving engineers a solid foundation to build from and designers a clear reference for QA.

Behind the scenes, we had a lot of planning calls, team rituals, and cross-functional check-ins. Sure, it was intense at times, but all those little moments of alignment are what brought the big picture to life.

5. Lead with empathy

Not everyone loves change right away. That’s why we made it a priority to put users first, considering their needs, expectations, and how they’d feel navigating the updated experience.

We paired the visual refresh with thoughtful UX tweaks, consistent messaging, and clear communication around what was changing and why. The goal was to help people feel confident and comfortable from day one.

Final thoughts

Redesigning your product alongside a new brand isn’t just a project. It’s a journey full of discovery, creativity, and collaboration. Stay curious, bring your team along for the ride, and don’t forget to celebrate the wins both big and small.