Experts Speak: Will Air India’s rebranding see a smooth landing?

Recently with Air India's rebranding exercise, the brand has relegated its iconic Maharaja to the background, reserving its ‘silhouette’ for aircraft crockery and glassware. This has generated mixed reactions. But will it help the airline achieve its goals? Social Samosa talks to design experts to find out.

India’s first commercial airline that began flight in 1932, Air India recently unveiled a new brand identity and aircraft livery, stripping off the iconic logo design that the brand has been associated with for decades. 

Now a Tata Group-owned airline, Air India showcased their new logo called ‘The Vista’ on August 11. The new look reimagines the Indian window shape that the airline uses into a gold window frame which becomes central to the new brand design system – symbolizing a ‘Window of Possibilities’.

Retaining the previous logo’s colour palette, The Vista adorns a palette of deep red, aubergine, and gold highlights, as well as a chakra-inspired pattern. Additionally, the logo has a custom-made ‘Air India Sans’ font as well. 

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The new design has come to life with the help of FutureBrand and aims at combining the brand’s past with their future. Along with this, Air India also plans on representing a new India on the global stage. 

Revamp Sees Mixed Reactions 

When asked Shashwat Das - Founder, Almond Branding about this iconic brand’s rebranding he mentioned that previously, brands like Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Lufthansa, and British Airways have effectively encapsulated their respective nations' cultures and identities. 

“Regrettably, the potential to achieve a similar resonance seems to have been missed with the new Air India logo,” added Das. 

Similarly, although Pradeep Debnath, Founder & CCO, Diagonal Brands and also one of the designers responsible for the Air India Express logo and aircraft designs thinks that the golden arch is a good edition, he said that the design language pulls it down. He mentions that it’s the audience that makes a legacy brand and it is important to keep them at the center of a rebranding exercise. 

“Indians thrive in chaos and that’s what the design language seems to strengthen. I was expecting some elegance, simplicity and minimalism in the design system," added Debnath.

Ashwini Deshpande, Director, Elephant Design said that with TATA group taking over the airline, a rebranding was imminent, while she wished one thing was different. 

“Air India chose not to partner with a branding agency based out of India. I wish that was not the case," said Deshpande. 

Similarly, Payal Shah, Strategy Director & Head of Human Truths, Interbrand India mentioned, “It’s important to judge this from an angle of an ecosystem and not a rebrand in isolation. It’s easier to revamp, it’s 10 times harder to create an exceptional travel experience in a competitive and unforgiving category.”

Ankur Pujari, Co-Founder & Growth Lead, Hyper Connect Asia expressed his excitement towards the new brand logo and said, "The new logo is bold, and the red is a reminder of the brand yet fresher than before. Something very endearing about the typeface makes it comfortable for them to accept this new limitless possibilities vision that the brand is embarking on."

One thing that is evident with Air India's rebranding is that the future is digital and Sahil Vaidya, Co-Founder, The Minimalist said that the new or refreshed colours of Air India may be suitable for a digital journey.

"Overall, the minimalistic approach (Less is More) proves the trend towards a simplistic direct representation of brand crafting," he added.

Retaining the Past Self

Rebranding can be a risky move for companies, especially if they have a strong legacy and loyal customer base. Experts say that keeping the core identity intact and not losing the brand’s essence is a key factor. 

Prior to Air India’s latest remodelling, the iconic red flying swan logo with the orange Konark wheel had been in use since 2014 and was the eighth logo of the airline since its inception. 

Apart from the flying swan and the Konark wheel, Air India had been famously associated with their unforgettable mascot – Maharaja which came into being in 1946. It was conceptualised by Bobby Kooka, the then Commercial Director of Air India and sketched by  Umesh Rao, an artist at J Walter Thompson, Mumbai. (Now Wunderman Thompson)  

But with the new and fresh identity in place, the brand has relegated their iconic Maharaja to the background, reserving its ‘silhouette’ for aircraft crockery and glassware. 

“ Change but not for the sake of it. Retain what’s dear to people. Preserve the ethos & what’s embedded as visual memory,” Debnath.

The Maharaja mascot has become synonymous with Air India and has had a longstanding presence in the airline's branding. While the mascot's appearance has evolved over time, it still held a sense of brand identity. 

“Keeping the iconic Maharaja as part of the rebranding could have helped preserve a link to Air India's historical legacy and created a sense of continuity,” said Shashwat Das. 

On the other hand, Deshpande, thinks otherwise. “Though very endearing, Maharaja had to go. It just does not align with the India of the present & future,” she stated. 

Another distinctive feature of the past logo was its Devanagari font at the bottom. The logo saw this addition in the 1960s; which was later modified multiple times. 

Das thinks that by removing the Devanagari script from one side of the aircraft adds to the perception of distancing from its Indian cultural origins. He added, “It could have not only maintained a sense of authenticity but also highlighted the airline's strong national identity.”

Deshpande said that apart from the name and colours which have been retained, no other graphic property was worth carrying on with for the brand. 

Will Air India achieve its Objectives

In a statement released to the press, Campbell Wilson, Air India CEO & MD, said “The new Air India logo is deeply rooted to its rich history and traditions. We are in the midst of a total transformation to reimagine the role of India’s flagship airline.”

Apart from that, Wilson also mentioned that the brand intends to 'become a world-class airline' and achieve 'progressiveness' with the rebranding exercise.

Now the question is will it achieve its set targets?

Das reminded that there's more to a brand than its aesthetics.

"It is essential to acknowledge that while the current rebranding might not have entirely realized the desired objectives, the potential for positive transformation still exists," added Das.

Vaidya said, while it's too soon to comment at this nascent stage, "But this refresh does provide a glimpse at an ever-changing, ever-evolving, and progressive mindset of the brand owners. All we can do is hope for the best. “A palace in the air” may be achievable."

As Air India's look changes across various touchpoints, Deshpande said that rebranding may just be the start of the larger transformation exercise, and we will have to wait and watch. She said, "A 360-degree user-focused service design needs to follow for the larger objectives. I do not expect any less from the Tata Group. We will have to wait and experience to know how this unfolds."

Do's and Don'ts of Rebranding 

Back in 2018, American fast food chain ‘Dunkin’ Donuts’ got rid of the second half of their name, and officially moved to a first-name basis owning a new identity of just Dunkin’. 

The idea behind this name change was that the brand’s audience was already familiar with the shortened version due to the tagline, ‘America Runs on Dunkin’. And thus, with this rebranding, Dunkin’ modernized customer experience, all the while staying true to their heritage. 

Sharing a thumb-rule brands can follow, Shashwat Das said, “In most cases, retaining certain elements of the old identity can help a brand maintain a sense of continuity and familiarity with its existing customers, while also conveying to them that the brand is evolving and staying up-to-date.”

Pradeep Debnath suggests brands dip their toes in the risky waters that is rebranding. He mentioned, “It's best to take smaller shifts, that lead to larger disruptions over time.”

We are just in the eighth month of 2023, and the brand verse has already witnessed several rebranding exercises. From beverage companies like Pepsi, Fanta, and 7Up to tech giants like Nokia and X (previously known as Twitter), brands have re-jigged their typography and identity to have a better connection with the youth of today. Some saw fans applauding while others saw major backlash. By taking a 180-degree change for the brand identity, Air India has taken a bold move towards re-positioning itself in the market. Will it take land or not, only time will tell