Thursday, January 17, 2013

American unveils new logo, merger or not

Whatever happens in the prospective merger with US Airways, American Airlines is preparing to unveil a new logo and look Thursday morning - its first in 45 years - as part of its rebranding.

You can see the company's announcement and new logo here.


"While we complete the evaluation of whether a merger can build on American’s strengths,
we remain steadfast in each step we take to renew our airline, a step we take with great
respect for our name American. Today marks important progress in that journey," said AMR chief executive Tom Horton, in a statement.


Here's how American describes its new logo:

"Inspired by our proud past, our new look symbolizes our passion for progress by incorporating the colors and symbols you've come to associate with American.

Reflecting the soaring spirit that is uniquely American, our new logo — the Flight Symbol — contains the eagle, the star, the "A," and refreshed shades of red, white and blue. Together, they represent a clean and modern update to the core icons of our company.


No matter where we are, have been or plan to go, the sky will always be a part of our journey. As we unveil our new look, you'll see that our logo and the refreshed look and feel of our planes is light, vibrant and modern, reflecting the travel experience we aim to bring you."


(Sidenote: It is reassuring that American plans for "the sky" to always be part of their journey, considering it's an airline.)

The airline industry is pretty much the only industry to still use the word "livery," and any logo switch-up for American, which was the nation's No. 1 carrier just a few years ago, would draw some interest. With a merger announcement expected soon, interest and media coverage will be higher than normal. Horton said it was "a matter of weeks" before a merger decision was made, and that was two weeks ago.

A new look, combined with better financial results after a year in bankruptcy, could help American emerge as a standalone company and spurn US Airways. But American has also been in the process of rebranding itself for more than a year, since before the merger consideration process formally began, and analysts have been saying for months now that a merger is increasingly likely.

Let's just hope for the branding consultants' airplane painters' sake that the combined company, should a merger occur, doesn't decide it needs a new logo next month.


People don't seem to like it on Twitter:
New American Airlines logo reminds me of old 3D glasses.

Is it a magical logo? Will it make me forget all past late & cancelled flights?

Immediate thought was can/bottle opener





6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like an Emirates Airlines rip off.

Anonymous said...

" the Flight Symbol — contains the eagle, the star, the "A,..."

I don't see the 'A'.

Anonymous said...

The entire symbol is half of the A. Regardless, it livery is hideous beyond words.

Anonymous said...

Looks more like a Dominican carrier than a US one to me.

Anonymous said...

it's nice and clean. i like it.

Anonymous said...

2 words! Ug Ly