Air India Gets New Logo, Livery: Timeline Of Past Logos

Air India on Thursday unveiled a new brand identity and aircraft livery as the airline moves ahead with its transformation plan since being taken over by Tata Group more than one-and-a-half years ago.

The new look re-imagines the iconic Indian window shape, historically used by Air India, into a gold window frame that becomes central to the new brand design system. It symbolises a 'Window of Possibilities', according to a release.

Air India's new logo symbol 'The Vista' is inspired by the peak of the gold window frame, signifying limitless possibilities, progressiveness, and the airline's bold, confident outlook for the future, it said in a release.

The airline said the new aircraft livery and design features a palette of deep red, aubergine, and gold highlights as well as a chakra-inspired pattern.

"It also boasts a striking new custom-made 'Air India Sans' font, marrying confidence with warmth to position Air India as premium, inclusive, and accessible," the release said.

The new brand identity has been designed in partnership with the brand transformation company FutureBrand.

Travellers will begin to see the new logo throughout their journey starting December 2023, when the airline's first A350 enters the fleet in the new livery, according to the airline.

Timeline Of Logos

• The original logo was adopted during the time when the company was known as Tata Air Lines. During that period, the logo consisted of a straightforward line of black text, presenting the words in slim, slanted lettering - all in capital letters and without serifs.

• The second logo was employed concurrently with the primary one for a period. It featured 'Air India' inscribed in a comparable fashion, albeit with taller and more pronounced letters. A hyphen was also inserted between the words. Additionally, 'International' was scripted below in a delicate, curving signature of the identical hue. Unlike the uppercase letters in the upper inscription, the letters here were not entirely capitalized.

• The original name was replaced by Air India in 1946. The airline adopted its notable centaur emblem, which remained in use for approximately six decades. The centaur depicted in the Air India logo was captured in the act of shooting an arrow within a circular motif, representing the wheel of Konark, reminiscent of the monumental stone wheels found at the Konark Sun Temple. Both the emblem and the accompanying lettering underneath were presented in red against a white backdrop.

• In the 1960 version of the logo, the 'International' element below the primary section was omitted. In its place, a significantly smaller, black inscription was positioned. This inscription conveyed the same message as mentioned earlier, but in Hindi.

• This design featured the identical emblem as the primary logo, albeit in a scaled-down format situated on the left side of the logotype. The right side was allocated for the names, both of which were written at equal size and width. Furthermore, the styles of the names closely resembled each other and were reminiscent of the font used in the 1946-2007 logo. In this rendition, the Hindi text occupied the top position, while the English version appeared below it. Additionally, small dots were introduced between the words in both versions, replacing the conventional dash lines.
• In the 1972 version, they restructured the components, positioning the indigenous text on the left, the English text on the right, and placing the emblem between them. The coloration of all elements was notably intensified as well.

• In the 1990 version of the logo, both name versions were once again inscribed side by side. However, the style underwent a transition to become more streamlined and uncomplicated. The characters were rendered straighter and less angular, and any dashes were eliminated. The emblem was also omitted. In its place, a slanted red stripe was introduced on the right side of these letters, resembling the shape of an aircraft's stabilizer. Within this stripe, a bronze sun was positioned, encircled by a ring of the same color.

• The 1992 logo largely reverted to the design adopted in 1972, with only minor adjustments to the color scheme.

• The unveiling of the new design occurred after the merger with the short-haul flag carrier Indian Airlines in 2007. Since then, the airline has embraced a livery that combines a Flying Swan with the wheel of Konark. In this rendition, the wheel is reduced in size and positioned within the swan's wing.

  While the general style of the typeface has been retained, the letters have been slightly boldened. Additionally, there is now less spacing between them.

  • Upon joining the Star Alliance at the conclusion of the summer in 2014, the company's logo received a subtle update. The phrase "A Star Alliance Member" and the circular emblem were introduced beneath the primary Air India logo.

    The prominently bold and italicized lettering from the official Air India logo is presented in a substantial and sturdy sans-serif typeface, with the characters featuring extra-thick lines. The font that most closely resembles the one used in the Air India emblem is likely Loft Extra Bold Italic.

    The visual identity of Air India revolves around a color scheme of red and orange, symbolizing passion, energy, and strength. This combination of colors imparts a vibrant and impactful appearance to the logo, setting the air carrier's planes apart and rendering them easily distinguishable.