Last weekend, the missus and I went out to see a film about a font. Yes, a font.
“Helvetica” was really a quite fascinating flick, and it’s got me noticing streetsigns, logos, and other public typefaces with a greater awareness. At least for the next few days, before the film “wears off.”
Why am I mentioning this? Because at one point in the film, in discussing the rise of the sans serif font in corporate literature, the film spotlights the designer Massimo Vignelli. Vignelli is the mastermind behind the New York City subway signage, as well as the American Airlines brand and logo. The AA logo was meant to convey modernity, and in contrast to some of the earlier iconography, it was a pretty revolutionary change.
But notably, American Airlines is cited as the only U.S. airline to keep the same logo and visual identity for the last forty years. If you review the timetable covers over time you’ll see the shift from the busy, 1950’s style to the modernist Helvetica base design you still see today. (Vignelli apparently was forced to include the eagle in American’s logo, despite his numerous objections.)
So what does the persistence (or lack thereof) of a logo say about a company? Consistency? Dependability? Dynamism? Conservatism?
Either way, there’s a whole lot of Helvetica out there.
American Airlines’ logo may seem staid by today’s corporate design standards, but it is positively gorgeous compared to some other logos in the travel industry. Here’s the lowest-hanging fruit:
Just awful. What says “luxury hotel” about that logo? Blechh.
Maybe they need a little Helvetica.
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January 25th, 2008 at 9:38 am
I’ve studied the psychology of colors, which is quite fascinating, really. Corporate logo color choices are carefully chosen to convey certain feelings.
In the AA logo, there is red for excitement and passion….and blue for trustworthiness. So, I guess they were trying to say, “You can trust us to get you to your exciting travel destinations.” OR if you read the red passion part literally, “We’ll get you to your destination while you join the mile high club.”
The Radisson logo is yellowish green. Yellow conveys happiness and green relaxation. So, they’re probably trying to say, “Hey stay with us and you’ll be happy and relaxed.” I agree with you, though, the font is a bit cheesy.
January 25th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
As a former marketing/branding guy, I think logos are both overrated and yet very valuable. A good logo is recognizable, memorable, timeless (even if companies want to keep fooling with the design), and only finally needs to say something about the business. IBM’s logo really says nothing about the company’s business or capabilities, yet most folks can spot it across a room, and even have it come to mind with their eyes closed. There have been countless studies of the usefulness of branding and logos, but the bottom line is to stand apart from the competition.
January 25th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
AA needs it. As horrible as the airline is, United has done at least a good job with their visual branding. Their latest livery is very attractive. By comparison, Midwest planes look drab, despite the fact that the airline is infinitely superior.
The first thing American should do is ditch the naked metal look. It looks very cheap. Secondly, the flat colors on the side of their planes also look cheap and old-fashioned. If AA wants to keep their essential look but embrace modernity, they should replace the naked metal with the whitish metallic paint that NWA uses, and add a gradient to the stripes on their flanks.
January 25th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Everytime I see the Radisson logo from far away, I confuse it for a Pizza Hut logo.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:51 am
I have an art degree, and have worked in various design houses, ad agency’s and dot coms. I elected to take a course on fonts. It was very interesting.
As for the AA logo, its not bad. I can certainly relate to that designer on the eagle. Sometimes the client will just insist that they know what they want, and know that it will work. Quite often we do our best to talk them out of it, but rarely win those arguments.
Anyway, I was wondering if you can let me know the name of the documentary on Fonts your watched, do you recall?
Thanks,
-Cam
January 26th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Look at the first word in the second paragraph. The movie is called “Helvetica”. It is available at Amazon.com.