Redefining Premium Communications for SIXT Ride & Emirates

Transforming a routine email sequence into a premium brand experience.

In 2023, the partnership between SIXT Ride and Emirates entered a new chapter — promising travelers richer rewards, seamless transfers, and exclusive status benefits. But the communications that carried this story felt out of step with the prestige of both brands.

I was tasked with redesigning the entire external email journey from the ground up — rethinking its design, structure, and messaging to create a seamless, on-brand experience that matched the promise of the partnership, all within a tight 40-day window.

Duration

40 Days

Team

1 Product Manger, 5 Engineer & 1 Designer

Deliverables

Research, Visual Design, External Coummunication UX

Outcome

Visual Design, Communication Strategy

01.Overview

Raising the Standard,
of External Communications

In 2023, SIXT Ride and Emirates reaffirmed their long-standing premium partnership with a bold promise — richer rewards, seamless transfers, and exclusive benefits for travelers. But the customer communications carrying this story told a different tale. The email journey was visually outdated, structurally fragmented, and failed to convey the prestige both brands are known for.

When two globally respected brands join forces, every interaction is a reflection of their shared standard. Yet from welcome emails to booking confirmations to post-ride feedback requests, the experience felt disconnected and uninspired. It lacked the clarity to guide customers and the design polish to represent a partnership of this caliber.

This wasn’t a matter of tweaking templates. It was a full-scale rebuild — reimagining the flow, visual language, and tone of every message. In just 40 days, we set out to transform the email journey into a cohesive, on-brand experience worthy of the promise made on the runway and in the chauffeur’s seat.

This is what the Email's looked like when we stepped in.

High-level Goals

Designing the language of premium travel

For SIXT Ride and Emirates, every customer interaction is a reflection of their shared commitment to excellence. This project reimagined the entire external email journey — blending refined design, clear information architecture, and brand-aligned messaging to deliver a seamless, premium experience from first touch to final feedback.

Business Goals

Reflect premium brand identity

Mirror the brand’s prestige – Align every email with the luxury standards of SIXT Ride and Emirates.

  • Create a seamless journey – Deliver consistency from first touch to final feedback.

  • Drive benefit engagement – Highlight rewards, transfers, and status perks to boost uptake.

  • Build trust through design – Use clarity, accessibility, and refined visuals to inspire confidence.

  • Design for scale – Create a flexible framework for future campaigns and markets.

User Goals

Every message should feel like a first-class experience

Understand partnership benefits instantly – Clearly see rewards, transfer options, and status perks without digging through details.

  • Experience a seamless booking flow – Move from awareness to confirmation with minimal friction.

  • Trust the service and its reliability – Feel reassured by polished visuals, clear language, and consistent branding.

  • Receive relevant, timely communication – Get the right information at the right stage of their journey.

  • Feel valued and catered to – Interactions should reflect the exclusivity and care associated with both brands.

02. My Role

Shaping every touchpoint of the journey.

My challenge was to transform a dated, inconsistent email flow into a premium, seamless experience that truly reflected the SIXT Ride × Emirates partnership.

As Senior Product Designer, my role went far beyond crafting visuals. I had to:

  • Translate partnership vision into design – Turn high-level brand values into a communication flow that felt effortless yet premium.

  • Architect the entire customer journey – Map every stage from welcome to feedback, ensuring clarity and consistency.

  • Balance speed with precision – Deliver a 0–1 design and development process within a tight 40-day deadline.

  • Create scalable foundations – Build templates and structures that could adapt to multiple markets and future campaigns without losing quality.

03. Impact

From Outdated to
On-Brand in 40 Days.

This wasn’t just a facelift — it was a complete transformation of how our communications looked, felt, and performed.

By redesigning every touchpoint — from the welcome email to the final feedback request — we replaced a fragmented, dated journey with a seamless, premium experience worthy of both SIXT Ride and Emirates. The result was immediate: clearer messaging, stronger engagement, and a scalable framework that now sets the standard for future campaigns. All designed, built, and launched in just 40 days.

40 days

from concept to launch

100%

brand
alignment

12%

Increase in feedback ratings

Here's what else changed

Full journey coverage from first email to post-ride feedback


  • Improved engagement through clearer messaging and refined design

  • Scalable framework ready for future campaigns and markets

For confidentiality reasons I have omitted the actual values for these metrics.

Problem Definition

How did we do it ?

As a Senior Product Designer overseeing the entire Private Messaging Inbox for Khoros Aurora Communities, I designed and launched critical features, including user controls like mute/block functionality, directly addressing the previous lack of private message management.

As a Senior Product Designer overseeing the entire Private Messaging Inbox for Khoros Aurora Communities, I designed and launched critical features, including user controls like mute/block functionality, directly addressing the previous lack of private message management.

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