Question
How can nearly 300 emails be refreshed to align with a massive rebrand while improving engagement and maintaining clarity for passengers?
Exploration
In 2017, Hawaiian Airlines launched a comprehensive rebrand: new signage, airplane livery, uniforms, logo, and more. As part of this effort, my team was tasked with translating the updated brand into the airline’s email communications. Using the branding guidelines from the agency alongside data from the ESP, we explored how to create consistent systems that were both on-brand and user-friendly across multiple email types.
Expression
I led the creative direction while designing systems for reservation confirmations, itineraries, miles statements, and promotional campaigns. Each email type was carefully structured to reflect the new visual identity, optimize readability, and enhance engagement. The approach balanced brand fidelity with practical usability, ensuring passengers could easily navigate key information.
Meaning
The refreshed emails strengthened Hawaiian Airlines’ brand presence across digital touchpoints and drove measurable improvements in engagement year over year. The systems we created provided a cohesive, scalable approach that supported the airline’s broader rebrand while delivering clarity and delight to passengers.
Client: Hawaiian Airlines
Creative Director: JP Flores
Senior Graphic Designer: Alec King
Graphic Designer: Veronica Presley
Senior Copywriter: Chris Strom
Copywriter: Dale Norris
Hawaiianmiles email statement
As part of the rebrand, my creative team re-imagined the standard miles statement as a way to deliver exclusive content that only Hawaiian Airlines could offer. We created a content calendar and newsletter template that highlighted the unique aspects of the airline and provided valuable information from the HawaiianMiles program. This email saw a significant lift in engagement after we rebranded and added content.
Hawaiian Airlines promotional email rebrand
Kinetic interactive email
Providing a premium experience is important to Hawaiian Airlines in the air and across all touch points in the customer lifecycle. We created an award winning interactive experience for their email subscribers that allowed them to thumb through different destinations and choose their own adventure direct from their inbox. This not only led to a memorable experience for guests, but also increased engagement in several regions.
