Overview
I led design for Amtrak’s 2023 sustainability report, taking inspiration from the passenger experience to express how every aspect of the agency—customer experience, operations, workforce—is moving in harmony toward a greener future.
Activitiesdesign direction
narrative strategy
concept development
copyediting
graphic design
TeamMike Ernst, Emanuel Papageorgiou, Ilana Judah
Date2024
LocationUnited States
StudioArup Cities, Planning & Design
Challenge
Amtrak’s approach to sustainability extends far beyond saving paper and counting carbon; it also includes its efforts to boost ridership and build more energy-efficient operations, both of which can make train travel a cleaner alternative to traditional auto and air travel. However, the draft they submitted for my team to design seemed to cover every aspect of their company operations without much of a connecting tissue.
Concept Explorations
I thought it was pretty cool that Amtrak was taking a wider approach to sustainability, so for an overarching concept, I ran with the idea that the best thing it can do for the environment is to get more people to ride the train. I took inspiration from my own experiences commuting on the Pacific Surfliner and from old 1970s campaigns ads that helped Amtrak to market itself as a fun alternative to planes and cars.
I was worried the parallelogram shape would be a bit limiting, but eventually realized how flexible it was!
Impact
My team’s approach to developing the design helped Amtrak to feel like a true partner in the design process, from regular updates to discuss concept explorations and simplify the narrative flow, to data visualization and incorporating hundreds of comments from senior leadership.
Amtrak immediately published the report on their website after delivery.