Fly Me High…

The advent of an influx of airline passengers worldwide has come with it more airline companies vying to provide value-for-money yet quality services to their passengers. Thus, these airline companies are compelled to stand out from their competition and make a lasting impression in the eyes of consumers around the globe. What better way to do that than to have a distinct logo plastered on the fleet of airplanes - potentially reaching to millions of people from all over the world.

Qantas Airways is a prime example of a very memorable logo design as most people can easily recognize it at just a glance. The company did a slight logo update in 2007. But this minor change immediately uplifted the overall logo design by giving the kangaroo an impression of strength and speed. The higher arch in the kangaroo’s frame in contrast with the older design gives the brand a more youthful image.

The logo of Malaysia Airlines is unique in its own way as the logo incorporates a stylized traditional Malaysian kite (or “Wau”). The identity of the logo lies in the distinctiveness of the iconic depiction of the “Wau”. The font used is bold and also simple thus enabling consumers to be more familiar with the logo. Besides, the subtle red coloration, in contrast to the blue, at the corners of the alphabets M, A and S gives an impact and also an underlying message to the abbreviation of the airline which is MAS.

Emirates brand image is one of my favorites as well. One of the leading airline companies in the Middle East famed for its friendly cabin crew and exceptional services to its customers, the logo features a modern Arabic syllable that is easily distinguishable by many. Furthermore, the text font is similar to that of the logo design and this creates a faint smoothness in the overall design; an understated sophistication.

Qatar Airways logo design is somewhat interesting as well. The gradually fading gray stripes within the non-outlined circle invoke a sense of speed. Plus, the outline of the antelope adds a bit of classiness to it all along with collectively bringing the whole design together. Though the color schemes of purple and gray are not loud in contrast to the logos of other airlines, nonetheless you cannot deny that it still looks great.

AirAsia is the leading emerging low-cost airline service provider in Asia having partnerships with Manchester United, Virgin Airways and AT&T Williams Formula One. This Malaysian airline company adopts a very simple cursive text-based design which many commented lack the creativity expected from a young airliner. But their implementation of using red in every aspect of their business should be commended as the color is their brand image.

Another famous low-cost airline is Jetstar Airways from Australia. Famous for its cheap flights and good customer service, this airline has a very interesting logo design – integrating both textual and iconic features into the design. The rather skewed star accompanied by the bold text gel perfectly well together. The bright orange enables the logo to make a statement despite its rather humble design.

Lufthansa on the other hand, uses only a single color effectively which is a tangerine orange, in its logo design. The simplicity of the type of font used is well-balanced when compared with the more detailed design of the logo resembling a flying stork. The illustrated stork resembles something contemporary and slightly tech-y with its rather sharp edges. In addition to that, the circle adds a much needed ‘weight’ to pull the whole overall design collectively as one.

Virgin Airways logo is much similar to that of AirAsia. The difference is that Virgin Airways textual logo is slightly blotchy and has a more handwritten look to it thus giving it a faintly classic look to the logo design. Undoubtedly, almost everyone worldwide is familiar with this logo as this airline is one of the biggest in the world with its impressive fleet of airplanes. Sir Richard Branson has propelled this airline company to much greater heights since its inception in the 80s. 

From all the logos of the airline companies you have seen, the color red is used most often in the logo proving that red is the primary choice for the majority of them. So, hopefully you enjoy this (somewhat lengthy) article on airline logos and keep on the lookout for more logo-related articles.