Should airline boarding passes look like this?

Technology, design and modern printing methods can be used to make the airline boarding pass so much more appealing to the eye and helpful for the brain.

Or at least that is what Tyler Thompson, creative director at New York-based agency SquareSpace, says after studying the functionality and design of the ubiquitous cards given to passengers after check-in at airports around the world.

Thompson took to his task after receiving a Delta pass on a recent trip from JFK to Seattle, Washington.

Here is the original pass:

The intrepid designer then examined each element of the pass, such as gate number, boarding time, seat information and flight number and turned the old design on its head - with amazing results.

The musings of a talented designer, a waste of time, or something airlines should consider?

NB: With thanks to Thompson for permission to reproduce his designs. Follow him on Twitter.