MiCard is a new travel pass for young people aged 5–18 living in Barnsley, offering free bus travel across South Yorkshire – all day, all week, on any route. We partnered with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Travel South Yorkshire to create a full brand identity and launch campaign, building from an existing physical card design.
The region already had multiple travel schemes, often communicated in ways that felt unclear, inconsistent, or easy to ignore – especially for a younger audience.
There was an opportunity to cut through the noise with a bold, instantly understandable message that resonated with both young people and their families. The challenge was to create a brand that felt energetic and accessible, while also reflecting a strong sense of community – positioning MiCard as more than just a practical benefit, but something that encourages freedom, independence, and exploration.
We built the identity around three core principles: confidence, community, and clarity. At the heart of the brand is a simple, high-impact message – “Under 18s Ride Free!” – designed to be instantly understood and impossible to miss.
Typography plays a key role, with bold, chunky forms delivering impact, while rounded details keep the tone friendly and contemporary. An oversized exclamation mark injects energy and excitement – a visual cue that speaks directly to a younger audience.
A vibrant colour palette brings the brand to life, ensuring strong visibility across environments. Character illustrations reflect the diversity of Barnsley’s community, adding a human, relatable dimension while appealing to a broad age range. Supporting sticker-style graphics highlight key messages and encourage action – reinforcing a spirit of “get out there” that elevates the offer beyond simple cost-saving.
The launch was designed for maximum visibility and impact, including a fully wrapped double-decker bus, alongside out-of-home advertising, window graphics, digital activation, and printed collateral – creating a cohesive and unmissable presence across the region.
MiCard is a new travel pass for young people aged 5 to 18 and living in Barnsley. MiCard gives you free bus travel anywhere within South Yorkshire, all day, all week and on all routes.
We worked closely with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Travel South Yorkshire to build MiCard a total brand identity and launch collateral, following an existing physical card design.
We crafted the identity to cut-through lots of noise around travel schemes in the region. Confidence, community, & clarity were our guiding words, and the identity is just that. We shout the offer in simple, short and easy to understand language: ‘Under 18s Ride Free!’
Typography is full of personality, with a chunkiness for impact, and rounded elements that feel friendly and contemporary. An oversized exclamation mark emphasises a this and adds ‘ultra energy’ – ! – something our younger audience engage, with and listen to. Vibrant colours feel impactful and contemporary to make the brand feel full of life.
Character illustrations reflect the borough’s diverse community, bringing a human element to the brand, whilst emphasising MiCard is for a wide age-range. They feel contemporary, positive, and part of a stylised set for strong brand cohesion. A series of sticker graphics pull-out the offer across the brand, and evoke an emotional message which says ‘get out there’ – making the brand much more than just a cost saving offer.
MiCard launched with a bang – we wrapped a double decker bus (it’s purple – you can’t miss it), plus lots of out of home advertising, window graphics, online activation and printed collateral.
