The ‘Hockey Stick’

Lippincott & Margulies’ 1964 logo for Eastern Airlines

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At the start of the 1960s, Eastern Airlines (Eastern) was in financial turmoil. The arrival of the jet age and greater competition had taken its toll, and was further compounded by being led by a CEO with little experience of running an airline. The start of the decade was also marred by tragedy, as several fatal plane crashes had killed over 200 passengers between 1960 and 1965. Alongside this, the North American airline had a reputation for bad service with delayed and cancelled flights and instances of missing luggage. Some had even considered the airline cursed. When Floyd Hall was hired as president in 1964, the airline was at its worst, with a deficit of $70 million.

Eager to restore the image of Eastern and show passengers that changes were being made, Floyd Hall reached out to Lippincott & Margulies (Amtrak, Coop). The consultancy was retained to conduct market research and produce a new, improved corporate identity that would encompass all aspects of the airline, from airplane liveries down to uniforms, tickets and in flight menus. This intended to, not only help shift perceptions amongst travellers, but also provide an opportunity for the airline to rethink its day-to-day running, streamline its managerial tasks and project a new sense of modernity and strength.

Continue reading to understand the results of survey conduct by Lippincott & Margulies. Learn of the intentions behind the design of the new logo, and see how this was deployed across tickets, exhibition stand, airplane and ground equipment livery.