Overview
The Sailors’ Union of the Pacific (SUP), one of the oldest maritime unions in the United States, approached Aero Design to rebuild its website with a modern, accessible interface that would better serve its active and retired members. With a strong legacy of advocacy and leadership in the maritime industry, the SUP needed a digital platform that reflected its history while supporting its day-to-day communications, document access, and member engagement needs.
Challenge
SUP’s existing website was built on an outdated platform, making updates difficult and navigation confusing. Members struggled to find important documents, job postings, and news updates, while administrators lacked the tools to efficiently manage content or communicate with the union's distributed membership. The design no longer aligned with modern expectations for usability and accessibility, particularly for mobile users who needed information on the go.
Our approach
Aero Design conducted a full discovery process with SUP leadership and staff to understand both the union’s operational workflows and its communications goals. We rebuilt the site on WordPress with a clean, mobile-responsive layout and an intuitive structure for finding critical information. We implemented streamlined publishing tools for weekly bulletins, job board updates, and document archives. Special attention was given to accessibility, clarity of language, and preserving the union’s historical identity through thoughtful typography and imagery.
Results
The new SUP.org provides members with fast, reliable access to everything from shipping assignments to health benefit updates and union bulletins. The editorial team can now post updates in minutes instead of hours, and the site’s clean navigation makes it easier for all users to find what they need. With its improved speed, searchability, and mobile design, the SUP website now reflects the professionalism and purpose of the union it represents—empowering members from coast to coast.