Fiasco creates new identity and digital home for a company on the cusp of revolutionising aviation

There is a vision of the future of transport that humankind has been promised by countless science fiction writers, artists and cinematographers, and Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace is aiming to make it come true.

But with a mission as cool and challenging as revolutionising air travel while saving the environment, the Bristol-based aviation company needed a brand identity and website which would reflect its plan to make fantasy a reality.

That's where brand and digital studio Fiasco came in, breathing life into the visual identity, experience and platform of a business that has gone from fledgling startup to industry leader in the world of accessible and affordable electronic aviation in a relatively short time.

Their zero-emission aircraft may not look familiar now, but as the new website illustrates, electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft of varying sizes will be a feature in cities very soon, challenging other forms of transport, which have a far heavier cost to the environment and easing the burden on road and rail infrastructure as commuters take to the skies.

Fiasco digital lead Mike Frost explains: "With public flights on the horizon, Vertical needed a modern brand and website that appealed not only to commercial partners and investors, but the general public, too.

"The challenge was to shift the concept of electric air travel from fantasy to reality. And to create a brand and digital experience befitting a company on the brink of revolutionising aviation."

Fiasco, which also operates out of Bristol, worked with a CGI partner (BloomRealities) to create renders of the VX4 – one of Vertical's flagship designs – to ensure that the images used on the site reflected how the future of air travel in cities like London would feature the craft, visualising short journeys like Battersea to Heathrow.

The new digital platform was designed and built with the aim to reflect the company's vision for the future while introducing the concept of commercial eVTOL flights to the wider public.

The site is visually led. A clean, simplistic framework that provides a showcase of cutting-edge aeronautical design and engineering with a direct and punctual tone of voice that speaks to the British sensibilities at the backbone of the brand.

Fiasco also used motion design to evoke a feeling of upward and forward momentum, brought to life through scroll-based transitions and interactions, offering visitors a smooth ride and gentle landing.

The colour palette for the site draws inspiration from the sky at different times of the day, combining warm oranges with blue hues. A new typographic system and a bespoke suite of iconography were also developed to reflect the company's technical and engineering prowess.

Mike Frost outlines the core of Vertical's brief: "Working out the best ways to visualise the aircraft presented a challenge. Electric flight is a relatively new technology, so we needed to ensure the product felt obtainable and credible. The strategy for tackling this was to frame everything in the present day through the eyes of a passenger."

This can be seen in the candid photography which places the viewer in the scene with a first-person narrative aiming to shift the perception of electric flight from something of science fiction, to something obtainable and real.

The photography offers a glimpse of the work that goes on behind the scenes. The shots have a documentary-like quality to them, contrasting wide-angle compositions with tightly-cropped action shots. In post-production, the images were processed with an analogue film grain.

Sarah Keegan, head of brand marketing at Vertical, says the company finally has an identity that does the brand justice.

She adds: 'The past few years have seen Vertical transform from a fledgling eVTOL manufacturer to leading the industry. Fiasco helped us breathe life into the visual identity, experience and platform to revitalise and reach new audiences. We are thrilled with the result."

If zero-emission flights are going to transform aviation and help tackle the climate crisis, the project has given the public a clear taste of what revolutionising a global industry looks like.