Southwest Airlines is one of the largest low cost airlines in the United States, that’s what the company is best known for, and over the last few years its logo has been a combination mark with the company name in bold capital letters with an illustration of a plane on top of it.
What was once a plane flying over a simple black type, now is an entirely different symbol, but yet, Southwest remained true to its previous branding. The new logo reveals the Southwest heart, which modernize the brand identity to keep up with a world that cannot slow down.
Southwest Airlines brand new logo.
Southwest Airlines previous logo.
Here’s what Southwest said about their new logo:
Southwest Airlines and its partners did comprehensive research and held numerous focus groups with Employees and Customers to determine how best to create the new look. The airline heard that it was important to remain unique and to retain its personality; for these reasons, Southwest continues to use the vibrant color palate and striped tail that has long identified the carrier, while adding a modern touch, proudly displaying the Southwest name on the side of the fuselage and presenting the Heart on the aircraft belly. Southwest has had several different liveries and logos throughout its 43-year history; remaining current and relevant is critical to the sustainability and future growth of the brand.
The Southwest heart was created using the brands traditional red, blue and orange colour scheme and it was created to refresh their identity in way that reinvigorates the brand and ultimately make it friendlier, more appealing to passengers flying within the United States.
The new identity has also been applied to their planes, which are going through the process of repainting in what Southwest says is a cost-conscious approach. You can see this interesting process in the video below:
Southwest’s new logo does not recreate the brand image, but instead, it strength and cement their brand look, and it indicates that the airline is ready to keep its focus on the future, to evolve with the times, and to keep from falling behind—and perhaps more importantly, with a new heart, Southwest indicates a direction to become a consumer-centric brand.