American Express Travel App
The first ever Amex Travel App.
Amex emerged in the travel industry in 1915 with railway and steamship tickets, and today they have expanded with over 3000 partner properties in over 114 countries. The American Express Travel App, launched September 2025, reimagines how card members plan travel. The app brings curated inspirational content, booking, trip management, and integrated card member benefits together in one native mobile experience.
My Role
In the early stages of the project, I played an active role in shaping the product's strategic direction, conducting research into travel trends, audience behaviors, and the competitive landscape to inform both design decisions and broader product thinking. This foundation ensured that creative choices were grounded in a clear understanding of where the premium travel space was heading and what card members truly needed from a digital experience.
Drawing on my background in art direction and brand design, I shaped the app's visual and aesthetic direction with a clear creative challenge at the center: building a product that felt like a natural extension of the iconic American Express brand while embracing the premium editorial aesthetic seen in luxury hospitality and travel
I designed across the full breadth of the experience, from complex booking flows to curated inspiration content. Throughout, I found moments to introduce animation and illustration as subtle touches of delight.
CLIENT
American Express
AGENCY
Razorfish
CONTRIBUTIONS
Art Direction
Product Design
Anchored in Heritage
Established in 1850, American Express holds a storied history and deep legacy. We turned to the past to anchor our designs in heritage, and to inform us on the best way to carry the Amex Travel legacy into the future.
Modern travel planning is fragmented. Flights on one site, hotels on another, and inspiration scattered across social media, editorial publications, and review forums. According to Amex's own research, over half of travelers visit 3+ websites to complete a single booking.
While 81% of consumers reported that they desired a unified app that combines inspiration and booking, simplification was only half the battle. 85% of travelers reported they want their decisions vetted by a trusted source. American Express was uniquely positioned to bridge this gap. By leveraging a legacy of reliability and premium travel benefits, the opportunity was to streamline and elevate the entire travel experience.
Leveraging the Amex Brand
Amex Travel belongs to one of the world's most recognized brand ecosystems. The challenge was finding its distinct voice within it. Not a departure from the Amex system, but a deliberate and considered extension of it.
After early design challenges due to disjointed libraries, our team fully integrated into Amex’s working ecosystem. This included working closely with their existing design teams and participating in internal design sessions and critiques to understand Amex thoroughly.
With Enhancements
Unique to Travel
By leveraging the Amex colors in a way that coincides with luxury travel imagery, and applying typography styles to feel elevated and editorial, we created a distinct brand language for the Travel App to communicate prestige, ease, and aspiration.
Typography Applied
The luxury editorial space served as the foundation for our typographic direction. We leveraged the Guardian Typeface by Commercial Type, already used across the Amex brand, alongside native type styles to create a system that balances editorial richness with functional clarity
Total Downloads
Booking growth
Sales in App
IMPACT
"For decades, American Express has been synonymous with premium service and trusted advice. Now, with the launch of its first-ever dedicated travel app, the brand is aiming to bring that same reliability to the palm of your hand."
"At long last, American Express now has its own travel mobile app with several key functions that card users and travelers can benefit from."
"The app builds on the company’s decades of travel expertise and offers destination inspiration, such as recommendations for top hotel restaurants or unique spa getaways, according to demo images shared from the new platform."