I hope you have already seen the new Air India logo by now.
So how does it rate compared to the old logo?
Here are the 4 S’s of logo assessment that we use at the monks:
- Symbolism:
In the old logo, the flying swan symbolized the lightness and grace of flight, freedom, and independence. The Konark wheel inside the swan is a symbol of Indian culture and represented the wheel of time, the solar symbol.
The new logo on the other hand is inspired by the peak of the gold window frame, signifying limitless possibilities, progressiveness, and the airline’s bold, confident outlook for the future.
My Score: Old logo – 6/10, New logo – 5/10 - Story:
The Old Logo talked about the tradition and culture of India.
The New Logo tells the story of a country proud of its past yet confident about its future.
My Score: Old logo – 7/10, New logo – 7/10 - Script:
The old logo used an outdated font in its effort to appear traditional.
For the new logo, a customised font has been created which beautifully captures the past and future aspects. (The font has been named Air India Sans)
My Score: Old logo – 3/10, New logo – 8/10 - Simplicity: This is perhaps the most important aspect to look for in a logo. This is where the power of design comes from. The simpler the design, the more powerful it is.
The Old Logo had more than one graphic elements put together. It was almost as if a committee had sat on it and arrived at a compromise solution to please 2 different demands (I won’t be surprised, if that actually was the case, it being a government held entity at that time.)
The New Logo talks about 2 things (past and future). But it does so elegantly and simply with a single graphic of half a window (would that be counted as half a graphic?). This makes it pack an extra punch
My Score: Old logo – 4/10, New logo – 9/10
Final Score as per me
Old logo: 5/10
New logo: 7.25/10
What’s your take on this? Do comment below.
sellingtothesouldotcom 
Sometimes, the objective analysis is difficult.
Specially when there is a nostalgiac value ..to an iconic brand….
The change should reflect a paradigm shift too..
Or a strong repositioning…
Yet….this logo does score over earlier one.
Thank you for a quick post, Rajesh ji…
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My question is
, though it does look like a window, or half, can it be a plane? Paper one? Or some other form of flying object?
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Yes absolutely Puneet. That’s the power of this particular graphic. It has different interpretations, all of them relevant and positive.
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Nice read. Thanks
Even I liked the logo. Simplicity and all as u mentioned. Ofcourse I couldn’t go deep in deciphering colors, what they mean etc Thanks for that
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Thanks for appreciating Manish
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The new logo looks way too simple. So simple that a layperson amateur could have designed it in five minutes flat. Old logo wins out hands down. They should have retained it with just a slight notional tweak, since it has a strong recall value & nostalgia attached to it. That Air India is now in its updated, improved avatar could have been impressed upon through their advertising campaigns. The new logo is unable to do so.
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The new logo is squat, more grounded but not agile, which an airline should be. Unfortunately, it doesn’t click and take away the brand value. A slightly italics font would have been greatThe
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You may have a point Shiv. But I guess they went for a font which was in synergy with the window graphic.
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Old logo was kind of horrible, but we became used to it. Now new logo is ordinary. I am not impressed with it any way, but if it is changed again after 15 years, and if AirIndia and me, we are alive, I may not like new logo of that time. That’s the life.
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The only thing I like in the new logo is that white font letters contrasted on red background are more catchy .. but the font looks like a fat elephant with its obese rounded midlines…. and the golden bit looks like a gumbaad of a mosque from Arabian nights….
Is it a flying carpet then 🤔🤣
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