The initiative, supported by Growth Energy, needed to reach everyday drivers who wanted cleaner options but often did not know higher ethanol blends were available or compatible with their cars. The site had to feel approachable and shareable rather than technical. Key requirements included social posts from influencers who believed in the cause, educational facts and figures, a custom map to find biofuel stations, a trip planner that showed routes with fuel stops along the way, layered brand imagery, and video spotlights. A major technical constraint was Google Maps’ limitations on what station and fuel information could be displayed and how it could be filtered.

I led the design of the campaign site, shaping the information architecture, interactive map and planner experiences, visual system, and content hierarchy. I worked through multiple rounds of stakeholder feedback on the fuel planner and collaborated to keep the experience both useful and on-brand.

We started by clarifying the core user jobs: understand why biofuels matter, find stations that offer them, plan real trips that include those stops, and share the message with others. Influencer content and short video spotlights became the social proof layer. Facts and figures (emissions reductions, compatibility with cars from 2001 onward, availability across dozens of states, miles already driven on higher blends) were designed to be scannable and credible without overwhelming the page.

The interactive core centered on two tools. The biofuel finder used a custom Google Maps implementation so drivers could locate Unleaded 88 and other blends near them. The trip planner let users set a start and end point or choose suggested routes and see biofuel locations along the way. Layered imagery and a consistent visual language reinforced the brand as clean, American-made, and practical rather than purely activist.

Because Google Maps restricted certain data displays and filtering options, the planner went through several iterations with stakeholders. Each round focused on what information could reliably surface, how to keep the route experience clear, and how to set accurate expectations about station availability.

The biggest decision was to treat the map and trip planner as the primary conversion tools rather than burying them behind long educational content. Education still mattered, but action (finding a station or planning a greener route) needed to feel immediate.

On the map side we accepted Google’s data limitations and designed around them instead of forcing incomplete information. That meant clearer messaging about what the tool could and could not show, plus iterative refinements so stakeholders felt the planner was both honest and useful. We also prioritized shareable influencer posts and short videos so the site could fuel organic social reach rather than relying only on paid media.

The finished site gave drivers a single place to learn the differences between fuel types, see real impact numbers, locate biofuel stations, plan routes that included those stops, and share videos and posts that supported the cause. The custom map and trip planner turned a complex availability problem into a practical tool, and the overall experience supported the broader Get Biofuel campaign’s goal of making higher-blend fuels feel normal and accessible.

Working within Google Maps’ constraints taught me how important it is to design the boundaries of a tool as carefully as its features. Multiple stakeholder rounds on the planner were essential; each pass clarified what “good enough and honest” looked like. If I were approaching a similar location-plus-routing project today I would prototype the data limitations even earlier with real station feeds so the interaction design and the technical constraints evolve together from the start.