Applied Underwriters Aviation & Aerospace is a specialty insurance offering focused on complex aviation and space risks, including commercial aviation, private and corporate aircraft, aerospace manufacturers, satellites, rockets, and government space programs. While aviation and space insurance serve vastly different industries, this project required bringing both under a single digital platform while clearly communicating their distinctions.
The website was designed as a client-facing and broker-facing marketing experience, with the primary goal of establishing credibility, clarity, and visual distinction in a highly specialized insurance market.
My Role
I worked as a designer alongside a senior designer, with direct ownership over the visual and experiential layer of the site. My responsibilities included:
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Designing and producing front-facing visual assets
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Creating and editing videos, imagery, illustrations, and animations
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Contributing to interactive concepts and motion-driven storytelling
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Testing and refining image treatments and animation transitions
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Supporting responsive behavior and asset scalability
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Communicating animation intent through mock videos and motion references for developers
The Challenge
The core challenge was designing a single website that could support two very different insurance lines without diluting either. Aviation insurance needed to feel grounded, technical, and familiar to industry professionals, while space insurance required a more futuristic, expansive tone aligned with satellites, orbit, and government programs.
Creating a clear entry point that immediately communicates the difference between Aviation and Aerospace
Designing high-impact visuals and animations without overwhelming performance or responsiveness
Building a scalable system without an existing design system to reference
Ensuring complex animations and videos worked consistently across screen sizes
Users & Key Experience
The primary users were brokers, prospective clients, and individuals seeking information or claims related to either insurance line.
From the moment users land on the site, the experience is intentionally decisive. They are introduced to a visual moment where Earth appears from space, followed by an animated prompt asking them to choose between Aviation or Aerospace. This early interaction is critical, as each path leads to distinct content, visuals, and insurance information tailored to that industry.
Design Strategy
The design strategy centered on clarity, contrast, and visual storytelling. While the underlying structure and components remained consistent, each insurance line was differentiated through tone, color, motion, and imagery.
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Aviation uses lighter sky-inspired palettes, turbine imagery, and atmospheric flight videos
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Aerospace shifts to darker tones, orbital visuals, and space-based motion sequences
To elevate the experience beyond a traditional insurance site, we leaned into large-scale imagery, restrained animation, and cinematic transitions that conveyed innovation and technical expertise without sacrificing usability.
Design Execution
Key Design Decisions & Interactions
One of the defining concepts of the site was the use of image-to-blueprint transformations. As users scroll, real-world imagery of airplanes or satellites seamlessly transitions into technical blueprint-style visuals. This interaction visually reinforces the idea of engineering, precision, and underwriting expertise.
To make this work:
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Multiple image options were tested for clarity and alignment
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Line drawings were custom-created to match real-world imagery
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Scroll-triggered animations were kept intentionally simple to ensure performance and feasibility
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Motion concepts were communicated to developers through mock animations and reference videos
Process & Execution
We worked desktop-first to validate the visual and interaction concepts before adapting the experience for mobile. Given the importance of scale, imagery, and motion, this allowed us to establish a strong proof of concept early.
Key steps included:
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Visual exploration and concept validation
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Image and video testing across themes
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Line-art creation and alignment testing
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Motion prototyping and developer collaboration
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Responsive refinement for smaller screens
Challenges
The primary technical challenge was balancing ambition with feasibility, especially for responsive and mobile experiences. Rather than relying on heavy scripting, we implemented simple scroll-based reveals that scaled effectively across screen sizes, preserving performance and maintainability without sacrificing visual impact.
Outcome
The final website successfully unified aviation and space insurance into a single, cohesive experience while allowing each to retain its own identity. The design was well received internally and externally and went on to win a Gold Indigo Design Award for Website Design, recognizing its clarity, innovation, and visual execution.
Learnings & Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of restraint when designing high-impact experiences. I learned how to push visual and motion concepts while remaining grounded in technical realities, and how early collaboration with developers can turn ambitious ideas into elegant solutions.
If revisiting the project today, I would explore deeper interactive storytelling opportunities, particularly around data visualization and educational moments, while preserving the core simplicity that made the site effective.
