ALASKA AIRLINES’ EVERGREEN JOURNEY
Alaska Airlines' Evergreen journey encompasses the company's ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. It involves a comprehensive approach to reduce the airline's carbon footprint and promote eco-friendly practices across its operations. The Evergreen journey includes initiatives such as fleet modernization, investing in fuel-efficient aircraft, optimizing flight operations to minimize fuel consumption, and exploring alternative fuels like Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF)?
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a renewable alternative to traditional jet fuel made from sources like waste oils and biomass. It's designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants from air travel. SAF can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in existing aircraft engines, offering a promising solution for making aviation more sustainable.
MY ROLE
Visual + UI Design
Prototyping
Accessibility
TOOLS
Figma
Creative Cloud
DURATION
2 weeks
Not enough SAF to meet demand
There’s currently nowhere near enough SAF to meet the airline industry’s fuel needs. Last year, the United States produced enough sustainable fuel to meet less than 0.2 percent of the airline industry’s jet fuel consumption. The Biden administration has set a goal to raise that number to 100 percent by 2050. To get there, fuel refiners will have to embrace new ways of producing jet fuel.
“We know that reaching our sustainability goals – including net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 – will require investment and action on all fronts, and that sustainable aviation fuel presents our best opportunity to take a leap forward on this journey. But today, there isn’t enough SAF to meet demand – and we need to bring its cost down by creating scale.”
~Diana Birkett Rakow,
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Sustainability
Alaska Airlines
A landing page and checkout module
In my role as the visual/UI designer for this project, I supported the product team by designing both the landing page and checkout module. Our goal was to empower Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan members to earn 500 Elite-Qualifying Miles for every $100 spent on SAF credits. This initiative not only provides Mileage Plan members with a sustainable path to achieving their year-end mileage goals and securing elite status for the upcoming year, but it also directly supports the procurement and utilization of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
In addition, the landing page and checkout module incorporate CHOOOSE, a strategic partner of Alaska Airlines.
CHOOOSE provides tools for integrating climate action into any customer experience through automated emissions calculations, dynamic sustainability scores, comprehensive climate program reporting, and tailor-made portfolios comprising carbon removals, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and verified offsets.
“We’re inviting our guests to join us – to learn more about SAF, to invest in its development, and to help us grow supply for the future. We’re excited to link this work to our loyalty plan, helping guests get closer to that next elite tier, in partnership with a creative innovator like CHOOOSE – and we look forward to building on this platform.”
~Diana Birkett Rakow,
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Sustainability
Alaska Airlines
Incorporating Alaska Airlines’ Evergreen brand
First, we needed to incorporate Alaska Airlines' new Evergreen brand into the landing page design. An endeavor that presented some accessibility challenges with color contrast, requiring adjustments for the brand's digital application.
The current Evergreen color palette:
As a result of the contrast test below, I needed to create an additional color for digital applications.
A simplified palette for digital use
To enhance digital compatibility, I introduced a deeper shade of green (Ever Green 2 shown below) which ensures optimal accessibility when paired with typography. Additionally, Palm Green can be employed in areas where text is absent.
Ever Green 2 contrast tested:
Image selections
We also needed two images for the landing page: one for the hero section, which had to be visually uncluttered to allow for overlaying text, and another featuring a captivating tail shot of an Alaska Airlines plane. After careful consideration of 10 options, the two below became the most ideal complements to the Evergreen brand and landing page layout.
Checkout module | payment page
Alongside the landing page, I designed an Evergreen checkout module (shown below) for inclusion in the payment flow. This module underwent multiple rounds of A/B testing and usability checks to fine-tune the copy, and was later enhanced by leveraging the capabilities of CHOOOSE.
Evergreen banners | confirmation page
Additionally, I designed Evergreen banners to be added to the confirmation page, providing customers with a route back to the landing page—granting them the opportunity to support the program, should they have opted not to do so during checkout.
Driving positive change
In summary, while this project was relatively modest in scope and much of the user research was completed before my involvement, it still underwent extensive rounds of A/B testing and content refinement, resulting in numerous iterations and retests. Although the design aspects were standard and reminiscent of my past work, what truly inspired me was the chance to contribute to something significant: the advancement and investment in sustainable aviation fuel and the reduction of carbon emissions. Projects like these, aimed at driving positive change are what motivates me the most as a designer.