Alaska Airlines Logo

Alaska Airlines presented a new corporate design and colour scheme by Hornall Anderson of Seattle last night. Among the most noticeable changes to the mark are the word mark, the Eskimo symbol and a courageous, vigorous new colourway. Last logo was launched just over a year ago and hopefully they didn't varnish too many aircraft with it because that would have been a very bad ROI.

Although the new logo smoothes the borders of the old one but retains the fundamental premises, and although the news releases describes the modification as "the first big trademark switch in 25 years", the new logo retains the fundamental premises. This new logo is a further stage in smoothening the appearance of the originals, but preserving all the features that make it recognisable, such as the prominent transverse bar of the "A", the "k" with a thrill, and the highly inclined cursivity.

There is almost nothing more of the logo character in this release and has a much more distinctive look that makes it more merge with other airlines and is less so. Apart from the even angles, there is not much nice rhythms for the new logo. A' is particularly dissuasive and the's' look as if they are from a different logo.

The logo looks powerful and crisply small (as you can see on the front page of the magazine). Since 1972, the legendary Eskimo, prominent at the rear of the aircraft, has been Alaska's trademark buoy, receiving clients and leading staff with a hearty, cheerful face. Alaska' s airfoil has been updated and new bright colours have been added to its parkas trimming, among them Breeze Blue and Green which recall the tropics serving Alaska, among them Hawaii and Costa Rica.

The Atlas Blue, which is a reference to Alaska's 14 airlines worldwide, is also shown in its entirety. Possibly the more welcome modification than the logo would be the representation of the Eskimo. Eskimo Eskimos because it is wrong from a political point of view, but I am not phoning Eskimo Eskimo, Alaska Airlines is, so it is Eskimo.

Last time's render had its appeal in that it seemed like something you'd find in an encyclopaedia or schoolbook, and it fitted the logo's structure, but as an airliner messenger image it was too raw around the edge. It has clearer characteristics and better emphasizes that it wears a parkas while retaining all the atmospheric shades.

Yes, we still don't know who the pictured Eskimo is. Nevertheless, it provides a smart plot in which the carrier can participate. When used, the identities revolve around some rocking, oscillating blue and green tones, which in turn are very suitable for air travel. Suppptive fonts are - rate who? - Circular and feel very out of place in this case.

There' s no synergism between him and the logo, the Eskimo or the wooshes.