Airline logos are a great example of visual corporate branding and a useful inspiration resource for budding designers. But you don’t have to be a professional designer to have an interest in airline logos. Many people enjoy playing quiz games in which they try to guess as many popular airline logos as possible. By browsing the airline logos in this article, you’ll probably notice some patterns. Many logos feature traditional symbols and national colors. Airline companies love to use motifs of flying and birds in their logos to send a message that you can travel quickly and safely with them. In this article, we have listed the 40 most popular Airline logos to get you going.
When creting a unique and beautiful logo, you need to select the right font. Below are somem articles wheere we have curate beautiful fonts. Don’t forget to check them out after reading this article.
With that out of the way, let’s get to our list of popular airline logos!
2. Lufthansa
EgyptAir’s logo is inspired by the ancient Egyptian mythology, from which it draws the image of Horus, or rather his head. Usually depicted as a man’s body with a falcon’s head, Horus was known as the god of sun, or “Sky god”, so it makes sense that he’s part of an airline logo. EgyptAir has been using this logo since July 2008.
However, in 2002 a new, completely different logo was revealed, and it wasn’t very popular nor well-received. Japan Airlines decided to revert to the old design in 2011, and it’s still in use today.
7. Air Canada
Another combination of red and white, Air Canada’s logo was presented in October 2004 and designed by FutureBrand Worldwide. It contains an encircled maple leaf which is universally recognizable as the national symbol of Canada.
10. American Airlines
Air India’s logo represents a red flying swan with the wheel of Konark sun temple painted in orange on the swan’s spread-out wing. The colors symbolize vigor and progress, and the Konark wheel is believed to be from the chariot of the sun god. The logo was designed by DMA Branding in 2007.
Apart from the logo, Air India also has a mascot called the Maharajah, which was created by Bobby Kooka and Umesh Rao in 1946 and recently modified to look less traditional and more modern and hipster-ish.
15. Korean Air
Air China’s logo contains the image of a phoenix drawn to resemble the acronym “VIP”. It was designed by Han Meilin in 1988, and the current logo was made by Dongdao Design in 2007. The logo is full of symbolism, with the phoenix standing for luck, beauty, harmony and happiness, and the red color symbolizing enthusiasm and passion of the airline’s workers. In 2011 the logo won the “Visual Expression Design” award at the Beijing Design Week.
18. Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus is an Irish airline company with a logo that dates back to 1938, when the original shamrock symbol was designed by Robert Logan. Shamrock (young clover) is generally considered to be the Irish national symbol, and it’s connected to the legend of Saint Patrick who used a clover to explain the Holy Trinity to the non-Christian Irish people. The current logo of Aer Lingus was created in 1996, and because of its slanted look it’s often called “The Drunken Shamrock”, which invokes the Irish drinking stereotype.
Iberia got a new logo in 2013, when Interbrand redesigned the old one and introduced a custom typeface. They used red and yellow, which are the colors of the Spanish flag, to convey the energy of the Spanish character. The new logo was promoted on social media with the hashtags #NewIberia and #NeuvalIberia.
Ryanair’s logo dates back to 1987. After some changes over the years, today it features a yellow symbol and bold, white letters. The symbol is a combination of an angel and a harp, which is one of the traditional Irish instruments and an important part of the culture.
British Airways still has the famous “Speedmarque” logo which was designed by Newell & Sorrell in 1997 and inspired by the old “Speedbird” symbol used by British air forces before the World War II. The logo comprises the airline company name written in blue letters and a red- and blue-colored ribbon shape above them.
The AeroMexico logo was created in 1994. It depicts the head of an Aztec eagle warrior, also called cuāuhtli. In the Aztec society, eagles were considered symbols of the Sun, and eagle warriors were among the most respected and fearsome members of the army. The airlines say that the Eagle Knight emblem in their logo is inspired by the ancient culture of Mexico.
The Delta Airlines logo, also known as “the widget logo”, was designed by Lippincott Mercer and introduced in April 2007. It’s a red triangle that evokes the Greek letter “D” (“delta”) and while simple, it looks three-dimensional thanks to clever positioning and shading of its elements.
Jet Airways’ logo is called the “Flying Sun”, and it was designed by K. V. Sridhar in 1992. It represents an airplane’s tail leaving speed lines with the Sun in the background. The first time this logo was painted on an aircraft, a mistake was made and the logo was inverted on the tail.
28. Southwest
Southwest Airlines’ logo is still fresh – the rebranding was done in September 2014, and the logo was developed in cooperation with GSD&M, Lippincott, VML, Razorfish, and Camelot Communications. It uses a custom font called “Southwest Sans”, created by Monotype. The new logo features the traditional heart symbol that was used in old Southwest logos. However, now it’s more colorful and modern with blue, red and bright orange stripes.
The logo for US Airways was designed by Luxon Carrá and Deskey Associates, and in 2005 the company adopted grey as their representative color. The logo is a monochrome interpretation of the US national flag.
Another famous airline logo on this list is yet another to rely on a bird to represent the concept of flight. Aerolineas Argentinas has had this logo since June 2010, and it was designed by FutureBrand. It uses the Neo Sans typeface, and the stylized bird is actually a condor; a bird typically found in Argentina. The blue color is reminiscent of the Argentinian flag.
32. Malaysian Airlines
Garuda Indonesia’s logo hasn’t changed in years. Much like a lot of other airlines in the list, Garuda Indonesia has also chosen a flying object (a bird, in this case) as its motif. Despite Ga lot of tinkering, the logo itself has remained virtually unchanged. The current design, in my opinion, looks a lot cleaner and has a modern look.
37. Hainan Airlines
Founded in 1993, Hainan Airlines’ logo is unique in its own right. What makes this logo stand out is the combination of many notable elements like the wings of the golden Gauda (a mythological bird that’s quite popular in China) and its golden horn as well as the auspicious clouds. Due to these different elements coupled with a timeless design, the logo has got cult status.
Introduced in 2002, Vietnam Airlines’ golden lotus logo is one of the most loved airlines’ logos in the world. Though the design may look quite simple, it has acquired a legendary status in Vietnam. One thing that can be learned from the popularity of this logo is that even if the symbol is age-old, it can make an impact provided the design has got a modern twist.
Sporting a modern-looking design, Malaysia Airlines makes its presence felt with ease. The logo has taken inspiration from the 1971 original logo. The way bulan aka moon kite faces from left to right and features a bit longer tails than its predecessor. The wordmark has also got a refresh with a new typeface and the word “airlines” is now displayed in the lowercase. Going by the popularity, the latest look appears more striking than the previous.
Another airline’s logo that has found a safe spot in this extensive roundup is from SriLankan Airlines. Launched in 1979, it’s by far the largest airline in Sri Lanka. As for the design, it sports a colorful peacock and its name has been written in a beautiful typeface. Inspired by a mythical creature called Dandu Monara Yanthra in the country, the logo has struck an appealing chord with the natives.
That ends our article on the best airline logos that you can get inspired from. Check out these logos and use the design language that speaks to you. Remember to not blatantly copy any logo. These are here just to inspire you.
