Travel apps are common information sources for people researching travel destinations. There is an array of city travel apps available to foreign visitors that are specific to large metropolitan areas. English is the international language typically used for these travel apps; however, there are many travelers for whom English is not their native language and their ability to understand English is limited. To address this language barrier and to allow for better accessibility to application functions, the design of the icons on the travel apps should be readily recognized and understood on a universal level. They need to speak to international travelers who represent a variety of languages and cultural backgrounds by being more easily recognized and acceptable worldwide, and ultimately useful in mitigating cultural barriers and misunderstanding.

In the process of preparing this creative component, a wide variety of icon designs varying in both visual and communication style were investigated and consult with a range of international friends to help determine the designs that might communicate most universally. Also, this creative component contains the research of icon design elements used by existing popular travel apps representing various countries.