Craft Travel's Bold New Look: The Story Behind Our Lilac-Breasted Roller Logo
There is conventional wisdom about how often and why a company should refresh -or completely reimagine- their branding. Yet at Craft, as is often the case, decisions are made a bit more intuitively. One might even call it impulsively. One day in late 2024, I woke up and simply felt that the time had come. And while that decision may have been sudden, when it comes to the brand's new logo, the Lilac-breasted roller, it's an idea that had been floating in my mind for the past seven years.
In 2018, I found myself in Zimbabwe for the first time on a trip that I would never forget. It was part of a month-long stay in Southern Africa after deciding that it was time to hunker down and attempt to build the same encyclopedic continent knowledge Andrea and I had developed for South America. Craft Travel was still fairly in its infancy, still very much tied to its previous 30-year identity as Brazil Nuts Tours (for those who aren't familiar with our transformation from Brazil Nuts to Craft, you can read about it here).
The challenge was feeling pigeonholed by the way that we were seen not only by our clients but also by our own personal network; would anyone ever take us seriously for travel elsewhere in the world? But the upside was that we knew how powerful true destination expertise was, particularly in parts of the world that weren't necessarily easily navigable. We knew that where we thrived - and what we loved - was "getting" both lesser-traveled destinations and our clients. That true luxury is a reflection of individual desires rather than a one size-fits-all solution We didn't want to be generic. Yes, knowing the entire world was an asset for us, but we knew that specializing in regions about which we were particularly passionate would ultimately be the cornerstone of our greatest success.
Which brings me back to Zimbabwe. Every day of that trip was an adventure, from canoeing alongside hippos and crocodiles on the Zambezi River to listening to elephants brush up alongside my canvas tent in Hwange National Park. Zimbabwe is known for boasting some of the continent's best and most highly trained wildlife rangers, and our guide Alf was no exception. There was zero wifi, leaving me unexpectedly off the grid for ten days. It was a completely different type of safari compared to what I'd ever done, in Africa or elsewhere, and I immediately sensed that this trip was establishing some sort of "new normal" in my life. I was addicted to every single element of experiencing the bush in this more immersive way.
One indication of this was a growing interest in birds. Anyone who has been on African safari is likely to have noticed the Lilac-breasted roller. It's often the only one that novice birders like myself can confidently identify. On that particular trip to Zimbabwe, they were everywhere. Almost as if they were following us around. And each time I'd see one, I'd notice something new: an additional vibrant color it boasted, its remarkable wing span, how its silhouette could change so remarkably depending on its positioning.
I then learned from Alf that in various Southern African cultures, the Lilac-breasted roller was a symbol of unity and connection, and that the bird's feathers are often used for engagements or marriage ceremonies. The bird represented a bond between two parties, a promise of commitment made with appreciation of the natural world's splendor.
Lilac-breasted roller
Perhaps because Donald and I were on the precipice of our own engagement at the time, this made the Lilac-breasted roller feel all the more personally significant. We came home and installed paintings and photos of them all throughout our house, a testament not only to our love of the specific bird but also to the growing role of Africa in our lives. In fact, it was during that same extended period in Southern Africa that we decided that one day we would live in Cape Town, with Donald feeling the pull as much as I was.
Around that time, our branding at Craft was evolving away from bright colors more aligned with the Brazil Nuts days to more neutral tones meant to suggest that our expertise was now worldwide. Our new logo showcased the delicate outline of a bird -closely resembling a condor- flying toward the sun. To be totally honest, I don't even remember how we ended up on that; it was not a particularly deep or reflective design process. The goal was simply to reflect a more polished, global tone that would not scream "South America", that would have broader appeal. And it worked: with the exception of the two worst years of COVID, our business has doubled every year.
Fast forward to 2025. As the travel industry continued to boom post-COVID and amass a seemingly endless number of "luxury" travel advisors, we were reminded of how essential it was to stand out. To lean into our core values of nuance, sophistication and true destination expertise. To demonstrate to clients that in an increasingly transactional sector, how incredibly relationship-driven we are. To express a point of view that reflected the global perspective and considerable experience of our incredible team of five advisors. In short, to be anything other than generic, or "basic", as the Millennials would say.
Craft Travel’s Rebranded Color Palette
This means that the time has come to retire our well-served neutral branding palette. When we began considering what a reimagined Craft might look like, both Donald and I - who rarely agree on anything creatively - felt fairly convinced that the Lilac-breasted roller must somehow play a part. We looked at other ideas, but nothing felt quite as compelling. The natural world is at the core of so much of what we do, and a bird so vibrant (eight distinct colors, to be exact) reflects the diversity of our expertise and our appreciation of the unique. Unlike many birds, the Lilac-breasted roller is a rather fearless one, and spunky too. Yes, it's an African bird, and Africa plays an integral role in most of the Craft team's lives. But it signifies so much more than just our adoration of the continent: the Lilac-breasted roller is a visual representation of our commitment to our clients.
We invest in deeply meaningful, long-term relationships with our clients. Our success is measured not by numbers, but by the loyalty and word-of-mouth endorsements of our travelers who bestow us with the distinction of becoming their trusted partner in their travel journeys.
In other words, our goal is to be in it, together with you, for the long haul.
As I said in the video above, who we are today as a company is testament to where we- you and our team- have gone together. We have explored the world together and grown as a result of it, and I can't think of anything more fulfilling.
Thank you for your humbling partnership with us, and we can't wait to see where this exciting new journey takes us together.
Craft Travel’s Rebranded Logo
