Marco.

All trips are

unique to the

person.

[INDUSTRY]

Travel & Tourism Technology, AI-Powered Services

[CLIENT]

Marco.

[PLATFORM]

Mobile

[ROLE]

Digital Product Design, Branding, Art Direction

[PROJECT TEAM]

Doğukan Demirel

[BRIEF AND PROBLEM]

Izmir, with its historical landmarks, natural beauty, and cultural richness, stands out as one of Turkey’s most popular destinations. Yet for visitors, crafting a truly personalized travel plan is often overwhelming. Limited time, language barriers, lack of awareness about local events, and the challenge of optimizing transportation make the process even harder.

Traditional travel guides and fixed tour packages rarely adapt to individual needs — they overlook personal interests, budget considerations, or real-time activity options. As a result, travelers risk missing out on authentic experiences and the full potential the city has to offer.

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See the Pitch Deck

[PROJECT DESCRIPTION]

Marco is an AI-powered travel assistant designed to enhance how tourists experience İzmir. The project explores how artificial intelligence can transform scattered travel information into personalized, seamless journeys. By asking simple questions and understanding user needs, Marco creates tailored itineraries that match each traveler’s interests, time, and budget.

Integrating data from Google Maps, travel blogs, and local recommendations, Marco adapts plans in real time through a chatbot interface. The aim was to showcase how human-centered AI can simplify trip planning while enriching cultural exploration, ensuring that every journey feels unique and meaningful.

[BRAND DESIGN]

When developing Marco’s brand identity, I selected yellow as the primary color because it conveys energy, youthfulness, and freedom. The visual identity was designed to connect with tourists visiting Izmir and reflect their vibrant spirit by emphasizing a single, bold color.

The name draws inspiration from the Italian explorer Marco Polo, which reinforces the theme of discovery and travel. I used the dynamic sans-serif font Darker Grotesque, with its various weights, for the typography, applying it across both the interface and branding elements. This approach ensured design continuity while maintaining the brand's bold, free-spirited, and playful personality.

[UX RESEARCH & USER FLOW]

To define Marco’s user persona, I started by conducting desk research on tourism in Izmir, analyzing visitor numbers, growth trends, and demographic breakdowns. These insights guided the development of the primary persona and informed key design decisions.

Based on the persona’s needs and behavior, I identified core pain points, such as language barriers and difficulty accessing local information. These challenges were integrated into the onboarding experience. For instance, when users first download Marco, they’re asked a series of simple, personalized questions to help the system understand their needs.

Once users share details about their trip, such as travel dates and transportation type, a personalized itinerary begins to take shape. Users can preview this itinerary on a map, review it, and make changes. A built-in chatbot functions as a virtual travel guide throughout the process, enabling users to ask questions, add or remove items, and adjust their plans in real time.

[UI DESIGN]

When designing Marco’s interface, my goal was to reflect the brand’s bold and energetic identity through visually striking screens. Using strong typography, high-contrast black-and-white imagery, and a confident visual language, I created an interface that captures the excitement of travel planning without compromising usability.

Although the initial focus was on Izmir, I also designed alternative UI screens with a scalable structure. This enables Marco to expand beyond İzmir and evolve into a universal travel planning assistant adaptable to other destinations.