Student project · Brand & web

Reviving an iconic airline for a modern traveller.

A speculative rebrand and responsive website exploring what Pan Am could look like if it flew again today — a self-directed project pairing visual identity with a full booking experience.

Role

UX/UI Designer

Timeline

6 weeks

Tools

Figma, Illustrator

Type

Student / self-directed

The brief

Heritage brand, modern expectations.

Pan Am's visual identity is instantly recognisable — but a heritage look doesn't automatically translate into a booking experience that meets today's expectations for speed, clarity, and mobile-first travel planning. The challenge I set for myself: honour the brand's iconic navy-and-globe identity while designing an interface that feels current.

Research

Benchmarking modern airline UX against the heritage brand.

I audited booking flows across a mix of legacy and modern airline sites, noting where flows broke down: buried fare rules, unclear seat-selection pricing, and forms that didn't adapt well to mobile. I paired that with brand research into Pan Am's original typography, colour, and iconography to identify what was worth preserving versus modernising.

Figma wireframes — coming soon

This is a placeholder for real wireframe screenshots from the Pan Am Reborn Figma file. Swap this block for an <img> tag once the exports are ready — see the note at the end of this page for exactly how.

The solution

A booking flow built around three decisions, not thirty fields.

The redesigned flow reduced booking down to three clear decisions — where, when, and which fare — before revealing secondary options like seat selection and add-ons progressively. The refreshed visual system kept Pan Am's navy and globe mark front and centre, paired with a cleaner grid, more breathing room, and a warmer accent colour for calls to action.

Every screen was designed mobile-first, then scaled up, since the original research showed a growing share of leisure travellers booking primarily from their phones.

Outcome

A cohesive system, from logo to boarding pass.

  • Delivered a full responsive prototype covering search, booking, seat selection, and confirmation.
  • Peer usability testing showed faster task completion versus the benchmarked legacy flows.
  • The project became a portfolio centrepiece for exploring brand-and-product design together.
Next up

See the AppFolio case study

Redesigning the applicant screening workflow for property managers.

Read case study →