A World of Convenience

Landor Associates' 1989 logo and corporate identity for Japan Airlines.

Fresh from privatisation Japan Airlines (JAL) would enter the 1990s with a ‘modern and dynamic strategy’. This intended to drive future growth of the national flag carrier through various new initiatives, features and services. These included the introduction of ‘Executive Class’ for the growing business traveller with a spacious new cabin design, better seats and meal service and state-of-the-art video entertainment. For economy travellers JAL introduced new-look ticket offices and made fleet-wide improvements.

These broad strategic changes were a bold step forward by JAL, and needed to be clearly and outwardly expressed with a strong and unified corporate image. In 1989 American design studio Landor Associates were brought in to develop this new image, which would go on to include a new logo, colour palette, typeface and uniforms whilst retaining the iconic crane that had emblazoned the airline’s tail fins since 1958.

Continue reading to understand further the context of the JAL rebrand, the logo variations and the application of the corporate identity across aircraft livery, uniforms and signage.