Welcome to another day of yucky weather! It is below freezing again and to be honest I am truly ready for spring. I really can’t complain compared to all those people in Boston but I feel like this winter is never-ending. We are supposed to get freezing rain again later today and then are in for more snow tomorrow night. Ho Hum! The cabin fever is starting to set in for many of us around this office so when I was looking for some ideas for my blog post this morning and came across a follow up for Southwest’s rebrand on the blog “Brand New,” I felt a glimmer of hope in what seems to be a dreary and cold world lately. I know you are probably thinking why, but the idea of flying somewhere warm and sunny made me smile. I won’t really be going anywhere for a couple more months but just the thought made dealing with these last couple days of nasty weather seem almost bearable. So I thought I would share the details on Southwest’s rebranding and maybe it will inspire some thoughts of warm sunshine.
Southwest introduced their new branding in September of last year after it’s merger with AirTran Airways and it’s plans to delve into international air travel. According to Kevin Krone, Southwest’s Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, “The job wasn’t to change who we are…We already know who we are. The job was to keep the elements of Southwest that our Employees and Customers love and to bring them to the forefront, modernizing them for our future growth.” I am totally in agreement with their strategy. I have been a frequent flyer over the years on Southwest and think their brand is something different compared to other airlines. They genuinely embrace their brand and there aren’t any gimmicks. They are honest about their business and truly help to try and make it a positive experience for all their customers. So for those of you who haven’t seen their new branding, which is called “Heart” and is based on their employees (who are serving from the heart) here it is:
I know you are thinking, “How cliche with the heart?” but I think it works in this case. There is symbolism in the heart for Southwest being that Southwest’s home airport began as Love Field in Dallas, their stock symbol is “LUV” and that their goal is exceptional care and hospitality. I think their new logo is extremely bold, fun and engaging. I also really like the ratio of the typography to the heart symbol in the new logo. Most companies tend to emphasize the symbol but here they favored the type. Both elements work very well cohesively but also are both very strong elements on their own. I also like that they chose to stay true to their original color palette just brightening it up a bit, further emphasizing that they are not changing who they are. The colors have symbolism and they stayed with that. According to Southwest, the blue represents “the spirit of reaching new heights,” red represents “the passion for helping their customers,” yellow symbolizes “an exciting new day” for Southwest, and silver adds “energy that will take Southwest into the future.” They have also developed a whole new visual experience updating everything from Rapid Rewards cards to their onboard snack packaging which I can’t wait to see in action. Here is a sample (photo via Under Consideration):
It looks like they took the simplistic approach and I think it is great. It’s very graphically appealing and I love the typeface which they have appropriately name “Southwest Sans.” Their planes are slated to get a revamp as well. They will keep their recognizable color scheme but each plane will have a giant heart on its belly. I am excited to see this new feature. I think Southwest planes are the easiest to spot in the skies and this should make them stand out even more from the crowd especially as you drive down Route 100 watching them fly overhead.
To learn more about Southwest’s rebrand check out southwest-heart.com. Hopefully this helped get you out of your winter blues for a few minutes while daydreaming about what tropical locations you would like to visit. I guess it is back to reality but I hear warmer temperatures are on the way for the weekend.
~ Bethany Howell, art director
